True Story: What Happens When I Sleep With Families

I don’t talk about what I really do in my work, because I’m afraid I might sound smug. This year, I’m trying to try to worry less about what others think, and just talk about my work more fearlessly, in the hopes that it will inspire more families to choose happiness. So, I’m going to share a story with you about an extraordinary experience I had sleeping with a family last weekend.  This was a unique situation because I stayed all weekend, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning, with an extraordinarily lovely family of four. Because we had 2 full days AND 3 nights, we accomplished an unbelievable amount. And because I had the opportunity to get to know them all so well, I felt like part of the family by the time I left! So (here’s where I start to blush)….Beyond helping these parents teach their 5 month old to sleep in her crib, here’s what else happened in two days:

• Mom night weaned & stopped pumping through the night
• They let go of the overnight baby nurse 
• Baby moved from the living room to the same room with her big brother
• Dad moved from the sofa in the kids’ room, back to bed with his wife
• Both kids learned to sleep through the night in one room
• We decluttered the entire apartment of extra cribs, bouncy chairs, swings and 5 bags of newborn clothes
• We organized and rearranged closets
• The entire energy in their home transformed from hopelessness to happy

By the time I left, they had their bedroom back. They had their living room back. They slept for the first time in months. They weren’t tiptoeing around their apartment 24/7. They stopped bickering, and they started smiling. The baby nurse wasn’t sleeping in the living room with the baby, and most importantly, these parents were no longer afraid! This couple was so lovely and so grateful, it brought me to tears. They were in such disbelief about how much had changed, they couldn’t stop thanking me.  The best part? I helped make that happen. I helped one family feel better, I helped them sleep and smile and get their lives back. I’m so lucky I get to do this work… (Plus, I got to feed an unbelievably sweet baby girl!)