Georgina’s Story

How Sleep Support Helped Me

I sought sleep support for my two children and it was a game changer. I’ve worked as a registered social worker for over fifteen years and I knew the importance of sleep and how closely it is linked with mental health. So, I promised myself when I was pregnant that I would have a low threshold for reaching out for sleep support.

Interestingly, the reasons I reached out for support were different for both children.

My daughter’s sleep was always very good. She has high sleep needs and settles to sleep easily and with minimal support. However, around 5 months of age, she started to have what I now know were split nights. I was at a loss as to why she was awake and ready to party for hours each night. I addressed her sleep balance (nap timing and duration) and within days she was sleeping through the night.

My son had colic and since he was born during the pandemic I didn’t investigate the reason for this as thoroughly as I wish I had. He was extremely difficult to settle, would cry majority of the time he was awake and was VERY easily overstimulated. I had to be in a quiet dark room to support him to sleep, which was SO hard when I was also home with a 17-month-old toddler. My mental health was suffering and I needed help! I learnt strategies to address his overstimulation, extend his naps, implemented different settling strategies, and equally important—felt heard and supported.

It was this experience that propelled me to pursue my sleep education and training, and in turn I founded Woodlands Collective to support families the way I am so grateful to have been supported.

Georgina