How a First-Time Mom Helped Her Baby Sleep Through the Night

The Struggle: Exhaustion, Anxiety, and Unpredictable Sleep

When Marissa reached out to me, she was really struggling to put her then 9-week old baby down drowsy but awake. They’d swaddle him up, feed him a bottle, pop in the paci, and pray that he would fall asleep by himself. Most of the time, that didn’t happen.

Instead, they were rocking and shushing him to sleep. Nights were inconsistent. Their baby woke several times during the night to feed, and wouldn’t go back to sleep unless he was held. He often woke before 6am and was tired and fussy most of the time.

Naps weren’t much better. Occasionally they could get him down, but naps maxed out at 40 minutes unless he was held.

“[Our] baby was running on adrenaline all the time and completely exhausted.”

As a first-time mom, Marissa was becoming increasingly anxious about bedtime. She never knew what the night would bring. Days felt long, exhausting, and unpredictable—especially when trying (and failing) to stretch naps beyond 40 minutes.

“I didn’t believe anything could fix our current broken sleep situation.”

The Extra Challenge: Sleep Training in a NYC One-Bedroom

To make things even more challenging, this family lived in a New York City one-bedroom apartment.

We discussed several options:

• Putting up a temporary wall to create a nursery
• Sleep training the baby in their room while the parents slept in the living room

Fortunately, they were able to add a wall and give their baby his own room. This decision made the logistics of our in-home stay much smoother—and set everyone up for better sleep success.

How Mommywise Helped: A Clear Plan, Not Guesswork

We first helped Marissa and her husband by talking through timing and logistics.

They were desperate to start immediately, but we wanted to ensure their baby was developmentally ready. I reassured them that we could begin once he reached 12 weeks and 12 pounds, which gave them a clear and realistic timeline.

We also talked through the importance of having a separate sleep space for their baby.

From years of experience, we know that room-sharing can create challenges during sleep training. Babies tend to learn independent sleep more easily in their own environment—and parents find it easier to maintain healthy sleep habits long-term.

That reassurance helped them move forward confidently with creating a separate nursery.

Addressing the Root of the Sleep Problem

When Lauren arrived for the in-home sleep training, she helped the parents see something critical:

The problem and the solution were two sides of the same coin.

Because their baby needed help falling asleep at bedtime, he needed the same help every time he woke up throughout the night.

At bedtime, they were trying to catch the elusive “drowsy but awake” moment—putting him down swaddled, with a pacifier. When it didn’t work (it never does!), they resorted to rocking and soothing for every bedtime, every nap, and every night waking. This approach set a precedent that the baby was growing dependent on.

For a 9-week-old baby, this is completely normal—but it wasn’t sustainable for this family.

A Gentle, Developmentally Appropriate Sleep Training Approach

Lauren recommended a few key changes:

• Putting their baby down fully awake
• Removing the swaddle (he was already breaking out and beginning to roll)
• Eliminating the pacifier, which was part of the sleep association problem

We want babies to have access to their hands during sleep training so they can learn to self-soothe. And because he was too young to replace his pacifier independently (most babies can do this closer to 6 months), it needed to go.

Understanding Baby’s Body Language and Vocal Cues

Lauren then observed the baby through the monitor and taught the parents how to read his body language and vocal cues.

Babies often (and almost always!) cry when you put them down for the first time fully awake—but not all cries mean the same thing.

Most sleep training guidance is rooted in the timed checks philosophy. For instance, Dr. Ferber says to go into the nursery every 3, 5, and 10 minutes until the baby falls asleep. Others say to stand by the crib and pat/soothe, or stand by the door and gradually inch yourself out of the room. 

Instead, Lauren helped the parents understand:

• What normal protest crying sounded like
• When to check in (and how to do so without confusing him)
• When to give him space to find his hands and self-soothe

Because Lauren set them up for success from the very beginning, their baby hardly cried at all.

Within three nights, he was sleeping independently—and through the night.

Better Naps, Better Days

Lauren also helped them tackle naps.

Their baby began sleeping independently in his crib for longer stretches and transitioned to a three-nap schedule, with feeds every four hours during the day.

By the time their package wrapped up:

• He was fully night-weaned
• He was taking all of his calories during the day
• Sleep was predictable, restorative, and sustainable

Life After Sleep Training: A Happier Baby—and a Stronger Marriage

The transformation didn’t just show up at night.

As Marissa shared in her review, her baby went from being overtired and overstimulated to happy and playful.

“It was a complete night and day shift for us and for our son. He was sooo much happier and playful during the day and was meeting milestones a lot more noticeably. I truly felt like I had a new kid, it was remarkable.”

Two months later, at five months old, he was sleeping 7pm–6/7am almost every day.

Most importantly, Marissa said that working with Mommywise “really changed our lives and even my marriage.”

This is why we do what we do.

We want babies sleeping well, parents feeling confident, marriages strengthened, and families thriving—not just surviving.

Read Marissa’s Full Google Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here’s everything Marissa had to say about working with Mommywise: