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“I’ll Believe It When I See It”: The Real Emotions Parents Feel When Starting Sleep Coaching
Deciding to get help with your baby’s sleep is rarely a simple decision.
For most parents, it comes after months of exhaustion, late-night Googling, second-guessing, and wondering if things will ever get easier.
And even after saying yes to sleep coaching, the emotions don’t magically disappear.
One family I’m currently working with described that moment perfectly:
“I was feeling relief that we were finally taking action on his sleep. At the same time, I was nervous about whether it would work.”
If you’re standing at that crossroads—wanting better sleep but wondering if coaching will actually work for your baby—you are not alone.
These feelings are incredibly common.
The Pain Points That Led This Family to Seek Help
Like many families, these parents had reached the point where their nights felt unpredictable and exhausting.
Evenings weren’t relaxing. They were spent waiting.
Waiting for the next wake-up.
Waiting to hear cries through the monitor.
Waiting to see how the night would unfold.
That constant anticipation can be one of the most draining parts of poor sleep.
Instead of enjoying quiet time together after bedtime, they felt stuck in a cycle of anxiety and interruption.
At the same time, the questions many parents ask before hiring a sleep coach were running through their minds:
What if this doesn’t work for my baby?
Is this really worth the financial investment?
What if we try this and nothing changes?
For example, this mom shared:
“I remember thinking I really hope this works because otherwise I feel like we’re out of options.”
Sleep coaching is both an emotional and financial commitment, and it’s completely normal for parents to feel uncertain before getting started.
Saying Yes: Relief Mixed With Doubt
When they officially decided to begin coaching, the feeling wasn’t just excitement.
It was a mix of hope, relief, and nervous anticipation.
On one hand, they felt relief that they were finally taking action. On the other hand, they wondered how their son would respond and whether the process would work for their particular child.
This mom said something I hear often from parents:
“Joanna has great reviews and everything she’s saying makes sense… but my baby is really tough, so I’ll believe it when I see it.”
And honestly, that mindset makes total sense.
Parents aren’t looking for promises, they’re looking for proof.
Preparing for the Process
After saying yes to coaching, these parents wanted to make sure they made the most of the experience.
They focused on preparing, learning, and completing the action steps leading up to the start of coaching.
Because for them, it was important to fully commit to the process.
As the mom explained:
“It was a financial commitment for us, so I wanted to make sure we were really maximizing our time and learning as much as possible.”
At the same time, they reminded themselves that getting help was the right decision, even if it still felt uncertain.
“I was saying that it was the right decision to get help. Even though it still felt uncertain, I was confident that we really needed help and that our current situation wasn’t sustainable.”
Many parents reach this point where they realize something has to change.
And sometimes the most powerful step forward is simply asking for support.
The First Nights: Expecting the Worst
One of the biggest fears parents have when starting sleep coaching is what those first nights will look like.
Many families prepare themselves for long stretches of crying or intense protests.
These parents expected that too.
But what actually happened surprised them.
Instead of overwhelming nights, they started seeing progress faster than they anticipated.
And as their began learning how to settle himself to sleep, everything began to shift.
The Biggest Change: Transforming Their Nights
The most noticeable improvements for this family have been during the night.
Their child has started falling asleep independently, something that previously felt out of reach.
He’s also staying asleep longer, and sometimes even sleeping through the night.
For his parents, this has been a huge shift.
“Our nights have been transformed.”
And with those improved nights came something many parents desperately miss: peaceful evenings.
“We are able to relax a lot more in the evenings now because we aren’t just waiting for our son to wake up.”
When families move from anxious waiting to actually relaxing after bedtime, it can completely change the rhythm of the household.
The Impact on Family Life
Because this family is still in the middle of their sleep coaching journey, everything is still unfolding—but they’re already noticing some meaningful shifts.
More sleep has brought:
More rest for both parents
A sense of reliefRenewed optimism about their baby’s sleep
Calm evenings instead of stressful ones
“We are both getting more rest now which is a game changer.”
When parents begin sleeping better, everything in family life tends to feel more manageable.
The Next Step on the Stairway to Sleep: Mastering Naps
One thing I often explain to families is that sleep learning tends to happen in stages, what I like to call the Stairway to Sleep.
Nightime sleep is the first step and once learning how to fall asleep independently and nights become more predictable and consistent, we can then move on to strengthening daytime sleep.
With nights becoming much more stable, the next step is mastering naps. This is a very natural progression.
Sleep coaching isn’t about quick fixes—it’s about teaching babies sustainable sleep skills step by step.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Many parents feel hopeful and anxious at the same time. Sleep coaching is both an emotional and financial investment, so it's completely normal to wonder whether it will work for your baby. But with the right sleep plan and the right pace to match the temperament of your child, we can be successfully working day-by-day to customize teaching your child the sleep skills. I also have a Sleep Success Guarantee so you can feel confident in the investment.
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Gentle sleep coaching focuses on teaching independent sleep using responsive, age-appropriate methods. The approach is individualized for each family and does not rely on a one-size-fits-all method. The parent is in the room with the child and can offer both physical and verbal assurances and be responsive.
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Every baby is different, but many families notice positive changes within the first 3-5 days as children begin learning independent sleep skills. Consistency and individualized support are key.
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Parents often worry that their baby is "too difficult" for sleep coaching. While every child is unique, gentle sleep coaching is customized to meet each baby's temperament, developmental stage, and family's goals.
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Nighttime sleep usually provides the strongest opportunity for babies to learn independent sleep skills. Once nights become more predictable, naps often become easier to improve.
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I work with children 6 months to 6 years of age. It’s never too late to learn the skills of sleep!
HERA Hydration: A Gentle, Thoughtful Way to Support Breastmilk Supply
When “Drink More Water” Doesn’t Feel Like Enough
If you’ve ever been told to just drink more water to support your milk supply, you’re not alone and you also might have felt how incomplete that advice can be.
Because in the early days of motherhood, when you’re running on little sleep and carrying so much responsibility, simple advice often misses the bigger picture.
Hydration matters.
But meaningful hydration the kind that actually supports your body is something deeper.
That’s where HERA Hydration comes in.
A Product Rooted in Real Motherhood
HERA Hydration wasn’t created from a distance, it was created from lived experience.
Meet the Mom Behind HERA Hydration
HERA Hydration was created by a mother who understands firsthand how complex and emotional the breastfeeding journey can be.
Like many moms, she experienced the quiet worry around milk supply, the exhaustion of postpartum recovery, and the frustration of advice that didn’t always feel supportive or realistic. Rather than accepting that gap, she chose to respond to it.
She created HERA Hydration as a way to offer other mothers the kind of support she wished she had something simple, nourishing, and aligned with the body instead of working against it.
Her approach isn’t about pressure or perfection. It’s about meeting mothers where they are and giving them one more way to feel supported in a season that asks so much.
HERA Hydration reflects that intention: thoughtful, gentle, and rooted in real motherhood.
Why Hydration Matters for Milk Supply
Breastmilk production is influenced by many factors, hormones, feeding frequency, rest, and hydration.
But hydration isn’t just about drinking more water. It’s about:
Supporting electrolyte balance
Helping your body absorb fluids effectively
Maintaining energy levels
Supporting overall regulation during postpartum recovery
When your body is supported, it’s better able to do what it’s designed to do.
What Makes HERA Hydration Different
HERA Hydration stands out because it doesn’t promise perfection it offers support.
It’s designed to:
Encourage balanced hydration, not excess
Support steady energy, without spikes
Fit easily into everyday motherhood routines
It’s simple, practical, and thoughtful because that’s what mothers actually need.
Releasing the Pressure Around Milk Supply
If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re producing enough, you’re in very good company.
So many mothers carry silent pressure around feeding.
But here’s something important to hold onto:
You are not failing.
Support tools like HERA Hydration are not about fixing something broken—they’re about caring for a body that is already doing so much.
A More Supportive Way to Approach Breastfeeding
Instead of asking:
“Why isn’t my body doing more?”
Try asking:
“What kind of support does my body need right now?”
Sometimes that looks like:
More rest
More nourishment
More consistent feeding patterns
Better hydration
Not as pressure but as care.
Who HERA Hydration May Support
HERA Hydration may be especially helpful for:
Moms noticing dips in supply
Those who struggle to stay hydrated throughout the day
Postpartum mothers feeling depleted or low energy
Anyone looking for a more gentle, supportive approach
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
One of the most powerful things in motherhood is support especially from someone who truly understands.
HERA Hydration represents that kind of support. Not just as a product, but as one mother reaching back to help another.
The Next Right Step
If you’re feeling stretched or unsure, start small.
Notice your current hydration habits
Add support in a way that feels easy
Choose tools that feel gentle, not overwhelming
HERA Hydration can be one of those tools.
Not a quick fix.
Not a promise.
Just support when you need it.
FAQs
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Yes, hydration plays an important role in overall body function, including milk production. While it’s not the only factor, proper hydration supports your body’s natural processes.
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Not always. Hydration also depends on electrolyte balance and how well your body absorbs fluids not just how much water you drink.
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They can support the body, but milk supply depends on multiple factors including feeding frequency, hormones, and overall health.
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Products designed for breastfeeding mothers aim to be supportive, but it’s always best to review ingredients and consult your provider if needed.
Final Thought
You don’t need to do more.
You don’t need to try everything.
You just need support that actually meets you where you are.
And sometimes, that starts with something as simple and powerful as hydration.
A New Chapter for New Moms: Expanding Community Support to the San Francisco Peninsula
When Support Feels Hard to Find, It Matters Even More
As someone who is always looking for meaningful, supportive resources for moms, I’ve recently had the chance to speak on sleep topics at some of the classes at The New Mom School in Los Gatos, CA.
I have been genuinely impressed with this new and expanding franchise for post-partum support for all Mothers (both first time, 2nd time moms and beyond).
The space is beautiful and the classes are thoughtful, welcoming, and incredibly well-run.
I love being able to share resources like this with my clients, especially ones that truly make moms feel supported, not overwhelmed.
Because the early days of motherhood can feel surprisingly isolating.
Even in communities that seem well-resourced, many new moms find themselves asking:
Where do I go for real support?
Who understands what I’m going through?
Is there a space where I don’t have to figure this out alone?
That’s exactly the gap The New Mom School was created to fill and now, that support is expanding.
From Los Gatos to Foster City: Growing Something Meaningful
The heart behind The New Mom School in Los Gatos is now bringing her work to a new community.
This August, a new location will open in the San Francisco Peninsula area, specifically in Foster City, offering more families access to the kind of support that truly makes a difference in those early months.
If you’re local to the San Francisco South Bay, you can explore the Los Gatos / South Bay program here:New Mom School – South Bay (Los Gatos Area)
And for the new San Francisco Bay Peninsula location:New Mom School – Peninsula (Foster City)
Meet the Woman Behind the Program
At the center of this expansion is Riya Dhaliwal, a maternal health advocate and the owner of New Mom School South Bay (NorCal).
Riya brings a rare combination of strategic insight and human-centered care. Her work in healthcare innovation ultimately led her to something deeper: supporting mothers in a way that feels accessible, personal, and truly impactful.
Riya is certified as a:
Full-Spectrum Doula
Health Coach
Perinatal Behavioral Health Coach
Her philosophy is grounded in bridging traditional healthcare with real-world postpartum support because when mothers are supported consistently, everything changes.
Her mission is simple: help moms thrive, not just survive.
A Program That Moms Truly Enjoy Being Part Of
One of the clearest reflections of the program’s impact is how moms experience it week to week.
It’s not just informative.It’s welcoming.It’s the kind of space moms look forward to returning to.
That kind of experience is intentional and it shows.
What Makes The New Mom School Different
The New Mom School isn’t just another class, it’s a structured, supportive experience rooted in connection.
Programs include:
Weekly guided sessions with expert-informed topics
Open, judgment-free conversation
Support around feeding, sleep, development, and postpartum adjustment
A built-in community of moms with children at the same age and stage
It’s structured, but not rigid.Supportive but not overwhelming.
A Track Record of Strong Communities
The New Mom School has built a presence across California, including:
Los Gatos
Aliso Viejo
Encinitas
Los Alamitos
Newport Mesa
Redondo Beach
Westlake Village
Yorba Linda
And more across Southern and Northern California
If you're outside these areas or exploring options, you can view all locations here:The New Mom School – All Locations
What Moms Often Walk Away With
While every experience is unique, many moms leave with:
A sense of relief (“I’m not the only one”)
Meaningful friendships that last beyond the newborn stage
More confidence in their decisions
A deeper understanding of their baby and themselves
FAQs
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It’s a program designed to support new mothers through expert guidance, education, and connection during the postpartum period.
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The Peninsula (Foster City) location is expected to open in August. New Mom School – Peninsula (Foster City) The Los Gatos location is running programs all the time. New Mom School – South Bay (Los Gatos Area)
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You can visit the main New Mom School website to explore all available locations across California.The New Mom School – All Locations
Final Thought
You don’t need to have all the answers in early motherhood.
But having the right support can change everything.
And when someone builds that kind of support and brings it to more communities it creates a ripple effect far beyond a single class.
Because every mom deserves to feel supported, seen, and never alone.
There’s a New Kind of Village — You Just Didn’t Know It Existed Yet
Why the spread of New Mom School locations is the support revolution parents have been waiting for
When you first become a parent, you realize two things pretty quickly:
There’s way more to learn than you ever expected.
You should not have to do it alone.
For too long, postpartum support has been scattered, sometimes helpful, sometimes absent, and often siloed. But something enormous is happening right now: New Mom School is popping up all over the country and it’s not just a trend. It’s a real shift in how we support families.
This isn’t just another class to take or occasional gathering.. This is a whole-community approach to early motherhood that’s accessible, relevant, expert-based, and most importantly — relatable.
A Growing Network of Real Support
Right now, New Mom School locations span multiple states and communities — with more launching regularly:
California: multiple hubs from San Francisco Bay Area to Newport Beach to LA Country like Westlake Village and more.
Arizona: support in Gilbert.
Missouri: St. Louis-West County.
Nevada: SW Las Vegas.
New Jersey: Shrewsbury.
North Carolina: Ballantyne and others coming soon.
Oklahoma: Edmond.
Oregon: Lake Oswego.
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia-Rittenhouse.
South Carolina: Greenville and Charleston.
Tennessee: East Nashville (with more on the way).
Texas: Houston Greater Heights and Katy.
…and this list keeps growing. Locations marked“Coming Soon” show that communities everywhere are saying, “Yes, our moms deserve more support and more community and friendships, too.”
This expansion didn’t happen because New Mom School is trendy, it’s happening because the need is real. Parents are hungry for connection, clarity, and confidence in those early months — and evidence-based support works.
It’s Not Just Geography — It’s A Shift in Parenting Culture
Before New Mom School franchised in 2023, this kind of structured, stage-specific postpartum support was rare or scattered.
Now, there are hundreds of local communities where moms are finding education, connection, friendships, and experts who meet them where they are.
Each location offers the following:
✔ Create Mom Groups by baby’s birth date so you’re literally learning with moms with kids in your same age range i
✔ Offers classes from newborn basics to infant milestones and breastfeeding support to both first time and second-time moms
✔ Connects you with trusted professionals such as, lactation consultants, baby and toddler sleep coaches, postpartum wellness experts, other pediatric providers, and more.
✔ Anchors families in community so the transition to parenthood feels shared instead of isolating.
This isn’t just a place moms attend once.
It’s a community moms return to, a place where friendships, confidence, and belonging form around shared experience.
Your Village Just Got Bigger — And Better Organized
Here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:
Support shouldn’t be random. It shouldn’t be an accident. It shouldn’t be “good if you’re lucky.”
Every mama deserves:
Expert guidance
Connection with peers who truly understand
A safe space to ask questions without judgment
Information that’s evidence-based, not based on “new trends” or pressure or perfection
That’s what New Mom School stands for and now that more communities have access to it, more moms are stepping into the early years supported instead of stranded.
And here’s the real magic:
You don’t have to wait until you’re overwhelmed to reach out.
You don’t have to suffer in silence.
You don’t have to panic your way through the questions you don’t even know you’ll have yet.
Because the village is not just one place anymore, it’s many, and it’s growing.
This Is What Postpartum Support Should Look Like
New Mom School classrooms are small, intentional, and deeply human. They’re places where:
You meet women in the same stage of motherhood as you.
You learn things you didn’t even know you needed to know.
You laugh, breathe, ask anything, and leave feeling seen.
These are the communities parents wish existed before they became parents and now they do.
Because support shouldn’t be rare.
It shouldn’t be confusing.
It shouldn’t be something you have to figure out alone.
It should be structured.
It should be expert-led.
It should be welcoming.
And it should be everywhere moms actually live and raise their families.
That’s what growth in New Mom School locations means and it’s one of the most hopeful shifts in parenting support we’ve seen in years.
Why Everyone Is Talking About Baby Gut Health Right Now (And What Parents Actually Need to Know)
Over the past few years, one phrase has quietly entered parenting conversations everywhere:
The baby microbiome.
A recent Wall Street Journal article describes how parents are increasingly investing in microbiome tests, probiotics, and even lifestyle programs designed to “optimize” their babies’ gut health. Some families are sending stool samples to companies for analysis or buying supplements meant to shape their infant’s bacteria.
Behind this trend is a real scientific insight:
A baby’s gut bacteria help shape their immune system, digestion, and possibly long-term health.
But like many things in modern parenting, the conversation is quickly moving from helpful awareness into pressure and over-optimization.
So let’s slow down and look at what actually matters for your baby’s gut health — and how much of it is already happening naturally in everyday family life.
First: What Is the Baby Gut Microbiome?
The gut microbiome is the community of bacteria and microorganisms living in the digestive system.
For babies, this ecosystem is just beginning to form.
Researchers believe infancy is a critical window when these microbial communities develop and interact with the immune system and metabolism.
That early development may influence risks for conditions like:
allergies
asthma
eczema
metabolic disorders
But here’s the key point parents often miss:
The microbiome develops naturally through ordinary life experiences.
Not through perfection.
Why Gut Health Is Suddenly a Parenting Trend
The recent surge of interest comes from two places.
1. New microbiome research
Scientists are learning that early microbial exposure helps train the immune system.
Some studies even suggest Western babies may have less microbial diversity, possibly linked to modern lifestyles, antibiotic exposure, and reduced environmental contact.
2. A rapidly growing baby wellness industry
As awareness grows, companies are offering:
infant microbiome tests
probiotic supplements
specialized baby foods
microbiome “optimization” programs
The market for children’s digestive supplements alone reached about $59 million in sales in 2026.
But many pediatricians caution that marketing is currently moving faster than the science.
The Good News: Babies Are Designed to Build Healthy Microbiomes
The human body has been developing infant microbiomes for hundreds of thousands of years.
Many of the strongest influences on gut health are incredibly simple:
Birth and early microbial exposure
Vaginal birth exposes babies to beneficial maternal bacteria.
Breastfeeding
Breast milk contains prebiotics that specifically feed helpful bacteria.
Skin-to-skin contact
Close contact with caregivers helps seed microbial diversity.
Everyday environments
Time outside, pets, soil, and natural environments expose babies to beneficial microbes.
Ironically, one suggestion highlighted in the article was simply letting babies play outside in dirt and interact with animals.
Which sounds suspiciously like…
a normal childhood.
What This Has To Do With Baby Sleep
Gut health and sleep are more connected than many parents realize.
The gut and brain communicate through what researchers call the gut-brain axis.
For babies, digestion and sleep are often intertwined:
gas discomfort can cause frequent waking
immature digestion can disrupt nighttime settling
feeding patterns influence sleep rhythms
But again, the solution usually isn’t complicated.
What helps most babies sleep better also tends to support gut health:
responsive feeding
predictable routines
reduced stress
developmentally appropriate sleep support
When babies feel safe and regulated, both sleep and digestion improve.
Where Parents Get Stuck
The modern parenting world has a pattern:
A piece of real science appears.
Then the message quietly shifts from:
“This matters.”
to
“You must optimize this.”
Suddenly parents feel responsible for controlling invisible bacteria in their baby’s gut.
That’s an impossible standard.
The truth is that healthy microbiomes grow through normal family life, not perfect biohacking.
What Actually Supports Your Baby’s Gut Health
If you’re wondering what really matters, here are the evidence-supported basics:
Feed your baby in a way that works for your family
Breast milk, formula, or combination feeding can all support healthy development.
Let babies experience the real world
Outdoor play, pets, and varied environments expose babies to beneficial microbes.
Avoid unnecessary antibiotics
When medically needed they’re important — but they do impact gut bacteria.
Offer a diverse diet when solids begin
Variety helps microbial diversity grow.
Reduce stress for both baby and parent
A regulated nervous system supports digestion and sleep.
None of this requires expensive tests or supplements.
The Gentle Parenting Perspective
There’s something deeply reassuring about the microbiome conversation when we step back.
It reminds us that babies are biologically designed to develop through relationship and environment.
closeness with caregivers
breastfeeding or responsive feeding
everyday mess and exploration
outdoor play and sunshine
family life
These are the same experiences that build secure attachment and healthy sleep.
In other words:
The things that nurture connection also nurture the microbiome.
A Final Thought for Overwhelmed Parents
The message parents often hear is:
“Do more to optimize your baby.”
But the science increasingly suggests something quieter:
Babies thrive in ordinary, connected, slightly messy lives.
Not perfectly optimized ones.
FAQs
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Yes. Digestive discomfort, gas, and feeding patterns can influence sleep. Supporting healthy digestion through responsive feeding and developmentally appropriate routines can help improve sleep patterns.
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Yes. Digestive discomfort, gas, and feeding patterns can influence sleep. Supporting healthy digestion through responsive feeding and developmentally appropriate routines can help improve sleep patterns.
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Birth exposure, breastfeeding, skin-to-skin contact, diverse foods, outdoor environments, sunshine and everyday family life all contribute to a healthy infant microbiome.
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Most experts say routine testing isn’t necessary for healthy babies. Many commercial products sold are ahead of the scientific evidence and it’s just marketing.
Gentle Next Step for Parents
If your baby is struggling with sleep, digestion, or frequent night waking, it’s rarely about optimizing bacteria.
More often it’s about understanding development, rhythms, and nervous system regulation.
That’s where gentle sleep support can make a meaningful difference.
We Just Needed Sleep Again." How a One-Hour Sleep Strategy Session Turned Things Around for Jessica’s Family
You know that moment when you’re so tired you can’t remember if you fed the dog… or the toddler? That was Jessica.
She, her husband, and their 4-year-old were in full-blown sleep survival mode. Once a great sleeper, her son had hit a rough patch—and no one was making it through the night.
Jessica had read the reviews. She knew something had to change. So she did what so many exhausted parents only wish they’d done sooner:
She booked a Sleep Strategy Session so she could ask specific questions about her child’s sleep struggles.
🎥 Want to hear Jessica tell her story herself?
Why the Strategy Session Was a Game-Changer
Before we even got on the call, Jessica said she just knew I could help. She’d seen the results other families were getting, and after fourteen years in this work, she trusted I’d bring insight, not fluff.
“I needed someone to really get what we were going through,” she said. “And I needed my husband to hear it too.”
Boom. That’s why I require both partners on the session—because when both of you hear the same strategy at the same time, you leave that call as a “united front”.
What Actually Happened in the Call?
We dug deep into their son’s sleep history. I explained the science behind his middle-of-the-night wakeups and bedtime battles, and suddenly everything clicked for them.
“It was this huge aha moment,” Jessica said. “Like… ohhh, now it makes sense.”
Turns out, her son hadn’t forgotten how to sleep. He just needed a little scaffolding. With the right explanation and tools, Jessica and her husband walked away ready to tackle the nights—without needing ongoing coaching.
Was It Worth the $199?
In Jessica’s words: Absolutely.
She said the value went way beyond sleep advice. The biggest win? Getting her husband fully onboard.
“Having Joanna as a neutral third party took all the stress off my shoulders.”
Look, you can send your partner every parenting blog on the planet… or you can spend one focused hour with someone who knows how to align you both and get things moving as a united front.
Bottom Line?
If you’re on the fence about booking a Sleep Strategy Session, let Jessica’s story be your nudge:
✅ Get clarity on why your kid isn’t sleeping
✅ Hear the plan together as a couple
✅ Walk away with tools that actually work
✅ Decide whether you need more help or you’re good to go
And most of all, know that peaceful nights are possible again.
Ready to book your Sleep Strategy Session?
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Well, hello, I'm Joanna with Blissful Baby Sleep Coaching. I'm here with Jessica. Hi Jessica. Hi Joanna. Jessica has a 4 year old son and she came to me for a sleep strategy session and we wanted to have a conversation about the benefits of doing a sleep strategy session with me. So before we jump in and have Jessica share her experiences, what I want to just frame up for everybody is what is a sleep strategy session with Blissful Baby Sleep Coaching?
It is an hour long session. I require both partners to be on the call and there is reason for that and is really an opportunity to come and speak to a sleep expert to get accurate and reliable information on your specific, unique, unique situation. So, so that I can give you the perspective on why you're seeing what you're seeing and then give you options on how to solve it.
Sometimes the situation is easy for me to give you resources to solve on your own, which was the case of Jessica. And sometimes it becomes very, very apparent to all of us that the family would benefit from more ongoing support as in one on one customized sleep coaching. But in the case of Jessica, I'm going to let her tell you her story about what her sleep strategy session experience was.
So Jessica, tell me what attracted you to scheduling a sleep strategy session with me. Yeah, no, thank you so much, Joanna. So as I started going on your website and just looking up your reviews and just seeing like how people really worked with you, it felt like such a game changer for everybody. So I felt like, God, I, I need that to happen to me too because I was really desperate for sleep again.
Like my son and my husband, we all weren't sleeping very well. I just felt like, man, with Joanna's very well experience of 14 years, I felt that since she has so much experience of understanding other people's families and their situations, it felt like she can be the one to really help attack all of our situations that we're dealing with at home. So with that being said, I decided like I need to get my husband on a call with her and myself and just really initiating that first conversation and just telling her all of her problems with her son's sleeping habits and just telling her like what's happening and why did it happen?
So basically I just needed to get seek help immediately and I knew Joanna was going to be the right person for that. Yeah, perfect, right? So exactly. It's like the first step is like why? What is happening? Tell me what is happening and tell me and my partner so that we all understand what's happening right like, getting that accurate and reliable information. Okay, and then what did you like about that conversation?
Yeah, for that first conversation, it was one hour. You were very easy to learn from. And honestly, like, with the plethora of information that you've provided to us, I learned so much of the great sleep science that you provided. Like, even though there was, like, documentation and just understanding, like, this is why our kid is going through these different phases during the middle of the night and also in the beginning of the night, we essentially just had this huge aha moment.
And it's just crazy because I felt like I knew what was happening, but at the same time, I don't know what was the reason behind all of those. So that's what I really liked from working with Joanna. I felt that we had something new to learn about our son and just like the different personalities that each kid has. And it was totally worth, like that one hour session of just crunch time of understanding all these different things with Joanna.
Perfect. Okay. And so if you met somebody and they're like, oh, man, I've got all this crazy stuff going on with my kid, and I know, you know, I'm thinking about doing a sleep strategy session, but is it worth $150? You know, is it really helpful? Am I going to walk away with anything? What would you want people to know about why a sleep strategy session is a good investment for your family?
Yeah, honestly, if you're thinking about it, you should just do it. Because for me, even though, like, it might sound like it's a lot, but to us, it was definitely so much valuable to my family, to my son and to my husband. And just getting that time for Joanna to really help and hone in on the problems that we're experiencing. I felt like someone is actually listening to me.
And the biggest point is to honestly get my husband to be a part of the conversation, because that was the main big thing. Like, I can tell my husband so much of what to do, but for me, having that third party person, someone in the neutral perspective, just being able to help my husband be on board with it was just. It just took the stress off of everything off my shoulders.
So that was just like the biggest thing because I could only ask so much help from other people, but from Joanna, like, it was the only reason why my husband was able to listen and my son to be able to listen to. So, no, it was definitely worth it. I think everybody should work with Joanna. I wouldn't choose anybody else for any other sleeping training just because she really hit it off the notch with just telling us what to do.
Exactly. And, yeah, no, it was the best experience I could ever ask for. Oh, my gosh. That's so sweet. Well, thank you, Jessica. Yeah. And so what I just want to conclude with the sleep strategy session is that, you know, I offer these because I want there to be the partners building a united front and getting that accurate and reliable information about why they're seeing the sleep struggles.
Once we know the why and we're all in agreement, because, again, remember, united front is a big part of this is then we can talk about options on how to solve it. In the case of Jessica, because their son had previously been a really good sleeper and had had this really nasty regression, they knew deep down their child had sleep skills. So it was just a matter of scaffolding and learning again for them.
So I was able to give them resources and suggestions, and they were able to implement that on their own and be successful. Now, sometimes when I'm in a sleep strategy session with a family, it becomes very obvious that that family is going to need to do sleep training from top to bottom, and they're going to need to get more support as they're working day by day, step by step, over the course of, you know, two, three, four, five, six weeks of ongoing support to solve every element of the sleep struggles all through the night and all through naps.
Um, so not everybody gets to walk away with, you know, the success story like Jessica, but many people do. And those people that need more support, they know that there's a great place to come back to, to get it if they need it. And that's really all about this, is for the families to know there's hope and there's help, and that there is every sleep situation is totally solvable because sleep is a learned skill, and we can create the right circumstances and the right environment for the sleep skills to come online and to get anchored to allow for healthy sleep habits for life.
So thank you, Jessica, for sharing your success story on a sleep strategy session, and thank you for trusting me with your family and for sharing your story today. Of course. Thank you so much, Joanna, for everything. I really appreciate all that you do for us. Thank you again. Yay.
When Fear Creeps In: Navigating Fear Around Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Discussions
Many families have reached out to me feeling overwhelmed, confused, or even scared after reading news stories and opinion pieces about changes to Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for newborns.
One widely shared article described a mother who suddenly questioned whether she felt safe having another baby, all because a familiar guideline has changed. Read the article.
Your fear matters.Your instincts matter.Your questions and concerns deserve respect, not dismissal.
Many families are feeling this same fear. A change in vaccine guidance has stirred confusion and anxiety, and that emotional load can feel heavy and personal, especially when your child’s health is at the center of it all.
So let’s talk about this, not from a position of medical authority, but from a place of clarity, compassion, and grounded support.
Because when fear shows up in your parenting journey, I want you to feel less alone, not more overwhelmed.
First, Let’s Acknowledge the Fear (Because It’s Real)
When you’ve spent your whole pregnancy learning “this is the standard,” and suddenly you hear, “this guideline has been changed,” it’s natural to think:
Why did something change?
Is my baby still safe?
Why are experts debating this?
What do I do now?
The emotional reaction is understandable. Parents crave clarity, consistency, and trust from medical professionals.
And when headlines stir uncertainty, it can ripple out into your sleep, your stress level, your mental load, your sense of safety… and your ability to make confident decisions.
This is why I’m speaking to it, not to give medical advice, but to help you steady your footing.
How to Move Forward When Fear Takes Over
Here’s what I tell the families I support, not as medical advice, but as a roadmap to clarity:
1.Go straight to the source.
Review updates only from:
AAP (www.aap.org)
CDC Immunization Schedule (www.cdc.gov/vaccines)
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting summaries
Your pediatrician or healthcare team
Avoid relying on opinion pieces alone, they’re valuable for understanding emotions, but not for understanding evidence.
2.Have an open, honest conversation with your pediatrician.
You can ask:
“Can you walk me through the current guidance?”
“What are the risks and benefits in my family’s situation?”
“Where can I read the peer-reviewed research on this?”
Your doctor expects these questions.You deserve these answers.
3. Notice how the fear is impacting you.
Is it affecting:
your plans for another child?
your sense of safety?
your ability to rest?
Naming your fears, reduces its power.
4. Get support for the whole parenting journey.
Sometimes we don’t just need facts, we need grounding, reflection, and clarity, especially when navigating big emotions and big decisions. (That’s where my sleep coaching and life-coaching frameworks come in.)
Where Joanna Fits Into This Conversation
Here’s the truth, and I’ll tell it like I always do:
I’m a sleep coach, not a medical doctor.I will never replace your pediatrician, your medical team, or the institutions that set national guidelines.
But I am someone who sees firsthand:
the fears that keep parents up at night,
the anxiety that builds when information feels confusing,
the overwhelm that makes confident decision-making hard,
and how uncertainty affects sleep, bonding, mental health, and family planning.
So my role here is to help you breathe again… to see the forest instead of the noise… and to point you toward trusted, science-based resources that can support you.
A Final Word From My Heart to Yours
Parenting has always required courage. And in a world where guidelines shift, headlines swirl, and emotions run high, that courage matters more than ever.
You are not “overreacting.” You are not “too sensitive.” You are not “researching too much.”
You are a parent doing your best to care for a child you love fiercely in an ever changing landscape.
My promise to you is this:
I will always uplift reputable science, always redirect you to trusted medical authorities, never claim expertise outside my scope of practice, and always acknowledge the emotional weight of modern parenting.
You do not have to navigate these questions alone.
Do you have a “tricky kid” and good sleep is feels impossible to achieve ?
Today, we're diving into a topic that's close to my heart: understanding that while some skills, like sleep, come naturally to some children, others may need a bit more guidance and support from a professional baby sleep coach. And that's perfectly okay! It's a journey, and sometimes reaching out for expert help can make all the difference.
Recently, I had the pleasure of working with Jack and his lovely 21-month-old daughter, who we affectionately nicknamed the "curveball queen." This family’s journey was a testament to how challenging sleep can be for some children and how seeking the right guidance from a certified baby sleep coach can lead to incredible results.
In our conversation, Jack shared how his daughter struggled with sleep. Before reaching out, their nights were marked by long, drawn-out bedtime routines where their daughter needed a lot of physical touch from dad to get sleep. Naps were brief and inconsistent, leaving everyone exhausted and frazzled. Nights were even more challenging, often ending with reactive co-sleeping out of necessity rather than choice, as their daughter would wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep in her own bed. This situation wasn’t working for anyone; the whole family was sleep-deprived and struggling.
Jack and his partner tried various baby sleep training methods on their own, but nothing seemed to work or feel in alignment with their family values. Their daughter’s strong need for physical touch made it hard to implement these methods effectively. That’s when they decided to seek professional help and contacted me, an EXPERIENCED Trained and Certified Gentle Sleep Coach. My process that utilizes an alternative method to cry-it-out was a good fit for this family.
What Jack and many other parents discover is that sleep is indeed a learned skill. For some children, it comes naturally; for others, it takes more time, patience, and sometimes the right guidance. It's important to recognize that every child is different, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to sleep training.
We've captured their experience in a testimonial video, which you can watch below.
During our work together, we took a compassionate, child-led approach. We created a personalized baby sleep coaching plan that respected their daughter's needs and temperament while also setting up a routine that WORKED for this family’s lifestyle. This included a consistent bedtime, a soothing bedtime routine, and a gradual transition to help her feel secure in her crib.
One of the most beautiful aspects of our journey together was the collaboration. We worked as a team—Jack, his wife, his daughter and I—checking in regularly, adjusting the plan as needed, and supporting each other through the challenges. Jack noted how this collaborative approach, combined with the accountability of having regular check-in zoom meetings every 2 days and discussions, made all the difference. It wasn’t just about following a rigid plan; it was about adapting to their daughter's needs and celebrating each small success along the way.
And the results were truly remarkable! Their daughter now sleeps through the night, from around 8 PM to just after 6 AM, and takes a solid nap during the day. She's happier and more content, both during sleep and awake times. Jack and his partner have reclaimed their evenings and are enjoying the simple joy of having time to themselves.
Jack's story is a powerful reminder that it's okay to ask for help. Sometimes, as parents, we feel we “SHOULD” be able to handle everything on our own, but there’s no shame in seeking expert guidance. Just as we wouldn’t hesitate to get support for teaching our children to read or swim, the same goes for sleep. A TENURED, trained and certified sleep coach can provide the expert guidance needed to navigate these challenges. It's a skill that can be learned, and with the right support, even the toughest cases can find resolution.
So, if you're a parent struggling with your child's sleep, remember that help is available. Whether it's understanding sleep patterns, establishing routines, or just needing someone to guide you through the process, don't hesitate to reach out to a baby sleep coach. Together, we can create a peaceful, restful environment for your family.
Thank you for reading, and a big thank you to Jack for sharing his family's journey with us. Remember, you're not alone in this, and there's always a path to better sleep.
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So, hello, I'm Joanna with blissful baby sleep coaching. I'm here with Jack. We are doing a sleep success story. We just finished with his daughter, who is 21 months. Hi, Jack. Thanks for being here to share your story. Yeah, of course. All right, so I always like to ask the first question is, what did it look like with your 21 month old daughter before you called me? When was she going to bed?
When was she waking up? What was happening in the middle of night? What was happening with naps? Like, give me all the juicy details. Naps were. I mean, we'll kind of start in the middle of the day. Like naps typically, you know, she would need a lot of physical touch. Like she had this thing where she would like, stroke my arm a lot. And so, you know, she would take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes to fall asleep.
And then she would really only sleep for about 45 minutes, maybe an hour, sometimes less. And then nights, same kind of thing, like, needed a lot of physical touch in order to soothe herself to sleep. So basically I'm being held prisoner the entire time, and same kind of thing takes anywhere from 30, 40, 50 sometimes, you know, an hour and a half to get to sleep. So, you know, it was just really fitful for her.
Like, it wasn't, you know, it was not at all like, restful. And so, you know, as a parent, then I'm in there for, you know, up to 2 hours, you know, every single night. So, like, that's just after a while, it just kind of becomes, you know, untenable. Right, exactly. And like you said, like, naps would take you an hour, then she'd only sleep for 45 minutes, and then she'd wake up cranky from the naps.
So then you kind of had a cranky kid that whole afternoon. And then you roll into bedtime, and then it would take you up to 2 hours to get her to go to sleep. And by the way, you guys, dad was handling all nights and naps, so he was like on duty for all these challenging sleep things. Like she wanted just to touch his arm, touch his arm, touch his arm, touch his arm.
And then in the middle of the night, what would she do? She would wake up. Yeah. So she would probably sleep, you know, anywhere from three to 5 hours in her own bed, you know, 5 hours if it was a good night, you know, and so. And the other thing to say is, you know, she would get to sleep finally. Maybe around 9930. Ten. Yeah, so, you know, she's sleeping three to 5 hours.
She wakes up anywhere from midnight to two, then she would never get back to sleep in her own bed. So she would always end up co sleeping with mom and dad. And I'm a heavy sleeper, so, you know, she would still do the whole arm touching thing in order to self soothe. But mom is not a heavy sleeper. And so, you know, that was depriving mom of a lot of sleep.
And so, you know, she would wake up in the morning and, you know, she's not at 100% right. You know, so it was just not a great situation all around. Plus, you know, as partners, you don't have any time for anything, right? Because if you're in the bedroom with baby girl until 930 or ten at night, then right after that, everyone's got to go to bed because, you know, that baby's back in the bed arm touching somebody, either mom or dad, all night long.
And that, you know, no one's going to get any sleep. And the thing that's hard was hard on mom. So I just want to make it clear, like, co sleeping can work fabulous for many people. But what I always say about co sleeping is co sleeping only is a only works, if you will, when I. Dad is totally well rested, mom is totally well rested, and child is totally well rested.
And that was not the case here. This was like what we call reactive co sleeping, which is it was just easier to bring her into the bed and let her arm touch each parent all night long instead of dad going back to the crib rail and leaning up against the crib rail, waiting for the child to do her, you know, touch them long enough to finally fall asleep.
So I get it. It's hard because you guys were, you know, so patient and loving. But then it got to the point where, like, no one was getting any sleep, even though you were co sleeping. It just, that wasn't, that wasn't providing the rest that everybody needed. So then how did you guys decide to ask for help? Like, what was the breaking point? Or what led you to finally say, okay, wait, I think we need some help?
Because I think you said that you had tried on your own or you had done a ton of reading. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, I mean, we had done a lot of reading just around different sleep training methods. So extinction, the sleep lady shuffle, ferber, all of it. And we had tried all of them to some extent, but our daughter was just so attached to this need for physical touch in order to soothe herself.
And so the idea, you know, say, ferber, for instance, of doing, you know, intervals of checking in, that sounds great on paper, but when your kid only knows, like, how to fall asleep when, you know, stroking mom or dad's arm, you know, leaving them in the room and then coming back and saying, it's nighttime, mommy and daddy love you, it's time to rest, and she's just inconsolably screaming.
Right. Well, that's not very helpful. Right. The methodology, you know, the methodology itself is sound, but meeting your child where they are and how they are is a lot more difficult to navigate. And I think that's what we were realizing we were having trouble with. And so we thought that we really needed an objective third party who could come in to kind of lend us guidance and their expertise and just kind of all around just, like, help guide us through the process of figuring out how to get this kid to sleep.
Yeah. And I want to say here that their 21 month old daughter, her nickname that she became, that I nicknamed her, I call her curveball queen because she was a difficult case. And I have been doing this for, you know, over 13 years. I think I'm almost at 14 years now. So I have worked with many, many, many families and many, many, many children at her age, right around two years old.
And so the. The fact that Jack and his, his, and, you know, his partner said, you know what? We really need that. Like, like you said, third objective, third party to guide us. For sure you guys benefited from that because the collaboration that we needed, that I had a ton of knowledge, but I even went out to some of my colleagues to talk about it. So sometimes there are cases that are really tough, but this is why I wanted Jack to talk to us today is because even the hardest cases are solvable.
That's the good news here. Right? And because we built this beautiful teamwork approach and we worked in a very, very sequential way for his daughter, we could move at the pace using the methodology that really, really suited her. And we created kind of a team environment where we were all moving in the same direction. And over time, everything just started clicking, clicking, clicking, which is awesome. And I love the fact that you reached out to people in your neighborhood network to say, hey, hand raise.
We've done all the reading. We've done some trying out, sleep coaching. We need some additional support. We need some expertise and some accountability and some collaboration here. So I love that you were ready to raise your hand and that you were able to find me. And then the next question is kind of like, well, what did you love most about working with me and working and getting that support.
Yeah, I mean, I think, like, the tier that we did was the hold my hand one. I think very much like we needed our hand to be held throughout the entire process. And so, like having consistent check ins and calls and I submit sleep logs and we have a discussion about it or emails, you know, or text, you know, the, the following days, you know, like just kind of that, uh, that kind of responsive environment.
Good, because then, you know, we can test that out, you know, whatever suggestions you might have, we can test it out like the next night. Yep. You know, or the next nap, whatever the case may be. And, you know, it was great to have essentially someone to also be accountable to because if you do this on your own as parents, it's easy to let things slide. It's easy to be like, well, yeah, we moved to the center of the room doing a sleep lady shuffle, but now she's getting really cranky and, well, we should maybe move back to the, you know, the side of the bed because that's, you know, where she was really comfortable there.
So it's really easy to kind of let things regress. Whereas I think if you have somebody who is really, you know, mindfully coaching you through this, you know, you feel, hey, like you're getting advice, you know, it's hard to ignore it. It's like, okay, we're here. We need to be here. So they're always keeping you moving, but also, you know, you feel accountable to that, of like, okay, like we've gotten this far.
You, you know, the only way, the only way out is through, you know, so we have to chart that path and, you know, for, for everybody's sake, you know, otherwise, you kind of feel like you're, you're letting the team down. Right, exactly. And, and the accountability is like a good type of accountability. You know, it's not like I'm going to come and be like, well, you didn't do this.
It's never like that. It's very much a, we co create the goals and then we do the thing, you know, whatever the next step is. And then we evaluate, evaluate, evaluate. Like, is this working for you? Is this working for your wife? Is this working for the baby? It is. Okay, so now we have proof it's working. So now we have the accountability because we all agree this is like working in our favor.
So it's like the best type of accountability because it doesn't, there's no shame or judgment associated with it. It's like, it's all like informed consent, consent in many ways. And then it's like this feeling of validation. Like, oh, my God, we did. We make. We collaborated, we executed, we made a good decision, and now we have proof of the good decision. And so now we can collaborate again.
We can execute, and then we can evaluate, and then we can make another good decision, and then we can keep going. So that's what I think is super important. And, you know, in a case of a curveball queen, you need that even more, right? So we were, like, in constant contact just all the time, right? So. So what does it look like now, dad? Like, we have. We, you know, this is our celebration call.
Like, he has achieved everything on his wish list. So give, like, tell me what it looks like now. Like, what time does she go to bed? Where is she in bed. How long does she sleep? What's her naps like? So now at. At nighttime, you know, we start around, you know, anywhere from, like four and a half to 5 hours and 15 minutes awake. Whereas before, you know, she was going to six, six and a half, seven more hours awake.
And, you know, we have a routine. You know, she takes her bath, put on her PJ's, brush her teeth, you know, she says, you know, gives mom a hug and a kiss and a high five, you know, and then, you know, me and her, we do pretty much like two books, max. So in the crib, we read a book, you know, and then I tell her, we're going to do one more book, and then we're going to rest, and then we hold.
I hold her to that, even if she's, you know, you know, complaining. And then, yeah, I give. We do the same thing as we did with mom. Hug and a kiss and a high five. And then she says, night night, dad. Night night. And then she lies down. And she lies down and goes to sleep. And the other day, even when she asked for the book, she went, daddy, rest, which is so amazing.
And I said, now we've reached the threshold. Right around two, they get body awareness. She's right on cue. She's almost 26 months. Right on cue. She's like, I am having body awareness. I'm actually tired. And that, to me, is, like, golden because it means that her. She loves her bedtime routine so much that she can be relaxed about her bedtime routine. She's not scared to go to sleep.
She's not scared the dad's leaving nothing. It's like she likes her crib. She likes a routine so much so that she can feel drowsy and actually want to rest, which is so beautiful. And she does that. She does rest. So cute. Yeah. Um, amazing. And then for naps, she now is taking one big giant nap. And, yeah, she's now extending it. Used to be 45 minutes. Now we're getting 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Yeah. And nighttime sleep, um, to kind of go back to it. Like she's, she's sleeping through the night now. Yeah, she's falling asleep, you know, around 08:00 and she isn't waking up until just after six. Amazing. So she's getting 10 hours consolidated sleep in her crib all night long and wakes up happy. Right, dad wakes up happy. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Wakes up happy. Like she, she's at the point now where to.
We're trying to kind of get her more comfortable, her own bed in the morning where she kind of hang out. So we'll go in and we'll check on her and say, do you want to read a book in bed? And she says, yes. So we give her a book and that kind of lets us get ready for our morning, kind of brush her teeth and change her clothes and kind of get prepped for the day.
Whereas before she would wake up and she would want out of the crib immediately. She wants nothing to do with her crib. She doesn't want to be here. She just wants to be with mom and dad. Where's mom and dad? You know, now she's just so much more comfortable in bed and comfortable in her own skin. You know, I can't, I can only guess that, you know, in terms of just like her independence generally, you know, when it comes to play or other parts of her life, you know, I can only think that this will also start to extend to that because, you know, she has a feeling of contentment here and, you know, she's okay on her own.
So maybe, you know, she'll start feeling that she can do the same in other areas. Yep, yep, yep. So, like, independence grows. Can, you know, being content and happy with their crib both at bedtime and in the, in the middle of the night and at nap and she's taking that big, beautiful nap and not, she's not waking up cranky. And now mom has a really reliable schedule so she can, like, anticipate, like, okay, my child's waking up around six.
We can have breakfast, we can plan for a morning activity, we can come back, we can have lunch, we can wash hands, go down for nappy, wake up from nap, have a, have a little afternoon time, come back for dinner. Because now we know the intervals that mom has mom has about 6 hours in the morning and she's got about 5 hours before bedtime, after nap. And it's like now everybody can plan their day, their work life, their personal life, their social life.
And most importantly, you guys have your bed back. You have your master bedroom back, and you have the evenings now to yourself where Jack was Mia in the bedroom until 10:00 at night while his wife was getting ready to go to bed because they knew it was going to be a bad night of sleep. Now you guys can hang out. It's like, it's so amazing what becomes possible that wasn't even possible several weeks ago.
It's like, yeah, life was this and now it's that. Yeah. In such a short span of time, too, to kind of go from essentially her co sleeping in bed to now she's getting to sleep on her own and she doesn't wake up until 06:00. We don't want to do with ourselves anymore. Oh, this is what it was like before. We have lives again. Yeah, we have lives again.
I know oftentimes families will say, oh, my God, I have my life back. That's what they always say. I got my life back. I'm like, that's such a good way to put it. So if you were to meet a family, parents that had a child that wasn't sleeping from ages six months to ten years of age, because, remember, it's never too late to learn their sleep skills. And they were complaining about it, they're like, oh, my God, my kid that doesn't sleep.
You know, and now that you've gone through this process, like, what do you want people to know about hiring a sleep consultant? Or what do you want people to know about sleep training in general now that you're a true believer? So the thing that I didn't really understand at the beginning was that sleep is a learned skill. You know, it's not for some kids. It's something that happens.
It's something that they can figure out and they can navigate, and that's great for other kids. They need a lot of help. And, you know, I think a lot of people, you know, we definitely, you know, saw sleep training, especially, like, we tried extinction before, right? And we felt terrible because it's kind of like, what am I putting my kid through? You know, all they want is just like, they just want mom and dad.
So, yeah, like, having, there is a stigma around it, and I think having someone to guide you through, to kind of navigate, you know, because every kid's different and you know, the process you're going to have to go through is different. I think the big thing that one thing that stuck out at the beginning of the process that you said is like, you know, this is primarily going to be guided by your child.
Like how your, like how your child reacts to things, you know, whether positively or negatively. It's mainly going to be, you know, guided by, you know, them. Like, they're, they're going to be, we're going to be, you know, kind of putting up the guardrails, but they're going to be steering the boat. So I think that's a big thing, you know, that people might have a misconception about. It's like, oh, it's like a hard and a fast thing.
No, it's extremely organic. Mm hmm. Yeah. And, you know, and, and, you know, like you say, it's never too late to learn, right. It's never too late to learn. Well, thank you so much, Jack, for sharing your story again. He, you guys, Jack had the curveball queen. It took us a long time. We even had to take a break, which was fine again, because we were collaborating, evaluating, checking in, co creating, executing together.
And, and that's what it's all about. Because when you're working, when you have the right coach, using the right methodology for the right temperament of your child, and you're working at the pace that honors the child, because, again, this child literally led the program. Like, she guided us on what was possible every step of the way. And what we were doing is paying very close attention and we were collaborating with her.
And when you get that combo, even the toughest cases can be remedied. That is the good news story here. That's why I wanted Jack to come on today to talk to you guys. So thank you again for sharing your story and thank you for being such an incredible, patient, loving parent. He never gave up, and, and I never gave up. And that is so good because when you're thinking, learn skill.
Like kids learn how to walk, they learn how to swim, they learn how to read, they learn how to do mathematic. This is no different. If your child had a learning difference, you would be working really extra hard with them to help them move through their obstacles to learn to read or to do their math facts. This is no different. It's like we can create the learning container and go at the right pace, and the child, it will click.
It will click, it will click. And it clicked. And that's why Jack is here today to tell us the good news. So thank you so much, you guys. Thank you.
Read This Before You DIY Another Sleep Strategy
Something shifts the moment you say yes to Sleep Support.
Not because you’re weak for asking for help, but because you’re finally done pretending you have to figure everything by yourself.
Before getting support on sleep coaching, most parents live in “trial-and-error” mode:
Try something.
Hit a wall.
Google a new tip or technique at midnight.Make the problem worse
Try something else.
Hit another wall
Blame themselves. Feel Guilty
Give up and then wonder if they are doomed to have a “bad sleeper” or if they ae “bad parents” and have “made a mistake” that can never be solved.
It’s exhausting. It's no way to live.
Here is what you need to know:
Asking for Sleep Coaching Support Is a Shortcut—Not a Cop-Out
No one would fault you for getting expert advice in these areas:
If you are struggling with breast feeding, you can seek help from a lactation consultant
If you want your child to learn to swim, you find a reputable swim instructor.
If your child is developmentally delayed in speech or motor skills, you would get expert support from an Occupational Therapist or a Speech and Language Therapist
If your child struggles in school, you get a tutor.
You don’t say:
“Let me struggle in confusion for months or years first, then I will finally ask for help”
You say:
“Who already knows how to do this?”
That’s what coaching is all about.
It’s learning from someone who has already:
Made the mistakes
Seen the patterns
Tested what works
Refined the process
Helped hundreds success through the same struggle
By asking for help, you’re skipping unnecessary suffering.
What Changes When You Work With a Tenured Sleep Coach
Once you accept help, three big things happen:
1. You Stop Guessing
No more:
“Maybe it’s this?”
“Or maybe it’s that?”
“TikTok said…”
“My friend did…”
2. You get a clear path:
A real plan.
Steps that make sense for your child and your family.
Less chaos. Less confusion. Less guilt
More direction. More clarity. More results
3. You Start Seeing Your Child Clearly
Great coaching isn’t about forcing kids into a packaged system.
It’s about understanding who your child actually is and the pace and methodology that will work for them at their age and stage. .
Just like a great tutor: A tenured Sleep Coach
Notices how you and your child acts
Sees their strengths
Spots where they struggle
Adjusts the support to fit them
A really good Sleep Coach teaches you how to:
Observe without panic
Understand without blame
Support without forcing
You don’t just get a pre-packaged plan, you need CUSTOMIZED SUPPORT
That allows you to grow and “learn” your child to success.
3. You Stop Running Into Walls
Without guidance, parenting can feel like:
Wall.
Crash.
Back up.
Try again.
Another wall.
Coaching gives you:
The map
The warning signs
The shortcuts
The “don’t bother going that way” wisdom
Because someone else already tried all those roads—and learned what works.
Why should you have to learn everything the hardest way?
The Real Gift of Sleep Coaching with a tenured Sleep Expert
The biggest shift isn’t just better sleep.Or better routines.
It’s confidence and consistency.
You stop thinking:
“Why can’t I figure this out?”
And start thinking:
“I know what to do next.”
You stop spiraling. Instead, you start moving ahead with a plan that feels aligned in your parenting goals.
You stop just surviving. Instead you living and feeling like you “get your life back”
Coaching doesn’t make you dependent. Instead, it makes you capable and confident.
It teaches you how to:
See patterns and act with confidence
Problem-solve wisely
Trust yourself again
Be on a “the same page” as your partner
You don’t need to suffer to deserve help.
You don’t need to fail repeatedly to prove you tried hard enough.
You don’t need to hit rock bottom to be “allowed” to ask for help and guidance.
Sometimes the smartest move is simply this:
Find the person who already knows the path.
Walk the new path with support from a tenured expert.
And get where you’re going—with less pain and more peace.
That’s not weakness.
That’s wisdom.
Ready to Transform Your Family’s Sleep?
At Blissful Baby Sleep Coaching, I believe that sleep is a learned skill, and every child is capable of learning it—with the right guidance and support.
Whether you’re a working parent juggling deadlines or simply a family in need of rest, know this: there is always help and hope available.
If you’ve been hesitating, wondering if sleep coaching is right for you, let me reassure you: the hardest part is deciding to start. From there, with expert guidance and your dedication, the progress will come quickly. This is your chance to transform your life in a way few other things can.
Ready to take the leap? Let’s talk about how sleep coaching can create your family’s transformation. You deserve this. Your baby deserves this. And your future self will thank you.
Let’s start with an easy first step, schedule a Sleep Strategy Session so me, you and your partner can have an 1 hr long zoom session so I can properly assess the sleep situation and determine if you need one-on-one sleep coaching support.
Let’s get your baby sleeping—and get YOU your sanity back.
If you are still wondering if I can help, please know I do NOT advocate 'cry-it-out'. I am a Gentle Sleep Coach. If you want to learn about my guilt-free and gentle process, please go to these links.
The Blissful Baby Stairway to Sleep
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