November updates
I’m so glad you are here. Can you believe it’s November?
This month, I am sharing some frequently asked sleep questions. I would love to hear from you too. Do you have any sleep questions you find yourself googling and getting a ton of different or unclear answers? Reply to this email with your question and I will post a response on my instagram page later this month answering your sleep questions.
Sleep Support FAQs
Is nursing/feeding to sleep a bad habit?
Nursing/feeding to sleep is extremely normal. There are hormones (like tryptophan) in human milk which actually induce sleepiness and also the act of sucking itself can help babies fall asleep. There is plenty of time for your baby to learn other ways to fall asleep as they get older.
Why do babies sleep longer during contact naps than in their own bed?
Contact with your body during sleep is regulating to your baby. Imagine how it felt for your baby in the womb: warm, held, they could hear and feel your heartbeat and breathing. If we think about it that way, it makes sense that babies like contact naps. These feelings all help co-regulate both your baby and you! Skin to skin contact during these naps can be an added bonus.
If you are feeling touched out, it’s ok to want a break from contact naps. Do you have another adult who can take over? Can you try a sling or carrier? Do you have something you’d like to plan to do during naps like listen to an audiobook or podcast or read a book. Make yourself a mobile “contact nap bin” that’s full of yummy snacks, a drink, and something to occupy your time so you’re always ready even when you’re home alone.
What is cosleeping and how do I do it safely?
Cosleeping is exactly how it sounds: sleeping in the same bed as your baby. Humans have coslept with their babies for as long as there have been humans(!) and the practice is very common among cultures other than in westernized countries. It can absolutely be done safely.
Keep in mind that this is only general guidance and you as a family have to decide what feels safe to you when it comes to cosleeping.
Dr James McKenna has a great resource to use and share with your baby’s primary provider HERE if you are meeting resistance to this sleep method.
Here are the Safe Sleep 7:
If you are breast/chestfeeding, meet all seven criteria for safer bed sharing:
No Smoking: in the home or outside
Sober Adults: no alcohol or drowsy meds
Nursing: day and night
Healthy Baby: full term
Baby on Back: face up
No Sweat: light clothing, no swaddles
Safe Surface: no soft mattress or extra pillows, no toys, no tight or heavy covers, no strings or cords, gaps firmly filled: use rolled towels or baby blankets
When will my baby sleep through the night?
This is maybe one of the most often asked questions. The truth is we just don’t know for sure when your baby will “sleep through the night”. I put this in quotes because many studies that look at this question considered “sleeping through the night” to be a stretch of 5 hours. Yep, FIVE hours. So those studies many sleep trainers use to justify their methods are talking about a 5 hour length of time when they advertise getting your baby to sleep through the night.
It’s helpful to know that 70% of 6-18 month olds wake 1-3 times a night. So night waking can be normal at this time. If you are feeling that the night wakings are excessive, this would be a great time seek sleep support so that we can look closer at your individual situation.
What is holistic sleep support anyway?
Holistic sleep support is a family-centered, attachment focused method of helping families and their children find peaceful sleep. There are no one-size-fits-all sleeping charts here! Not only do we spend time looking at your family’s current sleep situation, but we also review all aspects of your child’s life and how they experience the world. We work together to find solutions that fit in with your family’s needs rather than going off of a prescriptive list of things you must do for “good” sleep. This is quite different than sleep training.
Schedule a session by clicking below:
Did you know I have a community support fund?
I strongly believe that everyone should have access to in home lactation support and holistic sleep support who desires it. To help families in our community access this care I have started the Essential Lactation Community Support Fund. If you are in a place in your life where you can donate funds to help support other families in our community please consider donating HERE.
Your donation helps support families in our community to receive lactation & sleep support they may not be able to on their own. Priority funding given to low-income families, those with disabilities and/or chronic illness, LGBTQIA+ families, BIPOC families, single parents, and those with insurance that does not adequately cover care. By donating, you are positively contributing to our local community. Any amount is so appreciated. Because my business is not a non-profit or charity, this donation is not considered tax deductible. If you are not in a place to donate, that’s ok too. If you would like to share with others that’s also really helpful. Thank you all so much!
Baby Bistro Updates
We are now meeting on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10a-12p.
We plan to have Elizabeth Deboo PT join us for a bonus hour from 12-1p on the 1st Tuesday group meeting for the foreseeable future.
You can always check our social media pages for the most up to date meeting info (Instagram & Facebook)
We talked briefly about starting a book club-would you be interested? This could be something we meet to do once a month at a different time than our Baby Bistro group. The second or fourth Tuesday in the morning or afternoon is often open. Let me know what you think!
Whatcom Family Village
We continue to host the Parent-Baby Breakfast: Eat and Greet with Baby Bistro. Our next breakfast will be in November on the 13th at 9:30am. Sign up now to save your spot! We filled up last time.
The price includes yummy food and drink and also goes towards supporting this new community hub. Sign up for the breakfast HERE and we can’t wait have breakfast with you!
Prenatal Essentials: Sleep + Parenting Class
Heron (Onward Love Care Collective) and I are working hard on designing a prenatal parenting and sleep class. A lot of the preparation leading up to birth is about labor and the immediate period after birth. We want to go a step further and help you prepare for the weeks that come after. It is such a beautiful time, but it also can be really hard and families are left with a lot of questions that seem to have too many conflicting answers. Why not spend some time before your baby arrives thinking about and discussing parenting and postpartum life with us?
Why offer this class and what makes it different than a childbirth education class?
I have seven years of experience supporting new parents on their infant feeding journeys and have recently completed a comprehensive holistic sleep course. As a parent of two, I experienced two very different postpartum periods. Both were challenging in their own way and a lot of the difficulties were because of the systems in place in our society at large.
Cosleeping? Childcare? Feeding? Navigating the health care system and insurance? I struggled finding my way with all of these things. I know we can do better as a community to support new families and I strongly believe offering classes with passionate postpartum support providers like us will lead to better outcomes for new families like yours. I would love to be a part of and help you build your support circle as you welcome new life into your family 💖
We are going to cover all sorts of content from feeding, developmental milestones, attachment & bonding, sleep, and so much more. We cannot wait to offer this class to our community. This is not just for first time parents either! There is always more to learn and new connections to create.
The Details
We are offering this two part class at my office (119 N Commercial St #280) on December 3rd and 10th from 6-8pm. It is designed to help new parents prepare for the first four months postpartum AKA the fourth trimester. There will be plenty of discussion, laughter and tangents, hands on crafting (gotta keep it fun), and most importantly we will support you with postpartum planning and community building. The first session will cover the majority of our content and the second session will be open discussion and Q&A as well as time to continue postpartum pod mapping and gathering contact info for support of all types.
Sliding scale pricing available. We plan to have childcare on site available throughout the class.
As always, thanks for reading and for being here!
-Sara
