Hi, I’m Katie — San Antonio native, mom to a sweet toddler, and lead sleep consultant here at Rockabye Mama.
When I became a new mom, I really only knew one thing for certain: I wouldn’t get much sleep.
Most of the advice I received was to sleep when the baby slept, which is easier in theory — when was I supposed to eat or clean or take a shower?
I spent the first few weeks in a zombie state. Even when I was able to sleep when my daughter was sleeping, she was only ever asleep for an hour or so at a time. And since I gave birth during a pandemic, I didn’t have the help of family and friends that I expected I’d have.
As the months passed and I became more and more sleep deprived, I slowly felt myself slipping into bitterness and anger toward other people in my life, especially my husband. When he would sleep in and I’d get up with our baby, I was angry. When he would complain about being tired but got more sleep than I did, I’d lose it.
There’s a reason why sleep deprivation is a form of torture, and I felt all of it.
When I returned to work full time 3 months postpartum, the mental toll of the lack of sleep hit me harder than I expected. I could make it through the day, but by the time I got home, I was drained, exhausted, and had little of myself left to give my family.
At that point, the advice of sleeping when the baby slept transformed to advice of sleep training.
I know me and I know my daughter, so any sleep training involving extended crying wasn’t going to work for us. So I started researching. I learned about the science of sleep and how to identify sleep developments in children. And I gradually put what I learned into practice.
My daughter went from being dependent on mom or dad to put her to sleep to falling asleep on her own. My husband and I gained hours in our day from not having to lay down in bed with our daughter, but setting her in her crib and leaving the room (with zero crying). The transformation in our lives was incredible, and I started sharing what I learned with other moms.
I studied through The Cradle Coach Academy and received baby and toddler sleep certification. I volunteered with families and helped them see transformation in their child’s sleep, just as I had seen in my life.
When you become a new mom, you will be tired. You will lose sleep. But that doesn’t have to define your life. You can thrive in this season of life by learning what healthy sleep looks like for your child and taking the steps to get there.
And I’ll be right by your side while you do it.
That’s a small piece of my story. Reach out to me — I want to hear your story, and we can begin to build a plan that’s right for your child and your family. Motherhood can be joyous and fulfilling, and I want you to experience all of it.
