Is Sleep Coaching really worth the money?
When I initially considered hiring as sleep expert, my husband’s first reaction was “We do not have the money to spend on that”. Oh the irony, knowing what I do now! Three months later, Oliver’s (and our) sleep had not improved, in fact it was getting worse. It wasn’t just the lack of the sleep, life felt like it was crumbling around us.
I decided to re-approach the subject of sleep coaching, and at desperation point my husband suddenly felt that reaching out for expert support was worth investing in, so went for it. The rest you can say is history.
This life transformation is what drives me to help other sleepless parents to get their lives back on track. This is why seeing and experiencing other sleepless parents on this life changing journey is so inspirational and moving.
This month I want to share with you one of last month’s Sleep Success Superstars. Holly has been on a huge emotional rollercoaster with sleep coaching, she has had really tough days yet she has always persevered and now no longer has a little sleep thief! I have asked her to share an honest account of her personal journey through sleep coaching.
What were your reservations about reaching out for help?
I was hesitant due to the cost. I didn’t think it was unaffordable, I was more worried that it could be a waste of money if it wasn’t successful. Every penny counts when you’re on maternity leave! I’d scoured the internet and felt that surely everything I needed to know would be found there; if these things hadn’t worked then I felt sceptical that a sleep consultant could tell me anything new. I also felt a slight sense of shame I suppose. I felt like all my other Mum friends were able to cope with their babies sleep, so why couldn’t I cope without the use of a professional?!
What was your experience of working with a Sleep Consultant?
I found Kathryn to be extremely friendly and relaxed during our consultation but also very professional so I felt reassured that we were in safe hands! She was empathetic and I felt like she had really tailored the plan for the problems that I was having. She explained every single aspect of my sleep plan thoroughly and I did not feel like we were ‘on the clock’ which was actually a fear I had had before the consultation! I came away from our consultation feeling really positive and confident that I now had all the tools I needed to improve my baby’s sleep.
How would you describe the support you received?
Kathryn was so supportive through my many wobbles and crises of confidence! She responded to me quickly and no question was too silly. She got me back on track many times, even when I was at my wits end!
What are your results of working with a Sleep Consultant?
Before my sleep coaching programme my 6 month old was waking to start his day at 4.30am and just would not self settle. I would spend up to an hour rocking him to sleep for a nap and be rewarded with just 20mins of sleep! Sometimes once I'd got him to sleep I wouldn’t be able to put him down into his cot. My back was broken and my mood was really low with stress and exhaustion.
Within just a few days of starting my plan, Oliver was falling asleep in about 10 minutes which felt like a dream! I did decide however that I needed faster results, so Kathryn modified my plan and literally the next day I could put Oliver down in the cot and he learnt to self settle.
As if by magic, two nights later he started sleeping through the night and his naps got longer! I hadn’t actually done sleep coaching to stop night waking as I felt that at 6 months old it was perfectly normal for a baby to wake for feeds. But it showed to me how important it is for a baby to be able to self settle! I feel like I’m getting my sanity back and Oliver is certainly a much happier baby!
Reading Holly’s feedback really does make me feel so proud of her. After all, I’m just the expert with the tools and having been in both seats; the parent implementing the sleep coaching and the sleep expert providing advice, the first seat is a whole lot more challenging than the second.
So this begs the questions, is sleep coaching really worth the money? Well of course, I am a little biased now. But speaking from both my personal and professional experience, it really is worth it, if your sleep deprivation is causing you to be unhappy or unhealthy in other areas of your life. You cannot put a price on your own health and happiness.
