Sleep is important. We can all agree on that right? We feel better when we get enough sleep. From the beginning days of being a parent, sleep is something you think about, worry about, dream about. How can I get my child to fall asleep? Stay asleep? Let me sleep? Is my child getting enough sleep? The questions are endless.
We have always been those parents who valued sleep, implemented routines, strictly adhered to bedtimes, etc. One of our daughters has never particularly wanted to go to bed early. She has had trouble for much of her life to quiet her brain and fall asleep. In the fall we decided to start giving her melatonin and it felt like we’d been given a new lease on life. She was falling asleep within 30 minutes, we had our evenings back and all felt right in the world.
Fast forward a few months and things started to go downhill. She was still falling asleep well but she was waking up so scared. And when she woke up scared, she was awake for hours. It was like she had lost the ability and confidence to put herself to sleep. One night, my husband was at work and I was home and she woke up at 9pm and was awake until 3 am! Much of this time she was screaming and hyperventilating if I wasn’t sitting up beside her. Even if I was sitting with her she was calm but not going to sleep. This was the proverbial “straw that broke the camels back” and I knew we had to get to the root of the issue and off the melatonin. Helping her conquer these fears and learn to quiet her soul was too important to just glaze over. That night, I remembered a lady I follow in instagram mentioning her Christian sleep consultant and so I reached out that night.
We used the Sleep Wise Consulting (you’ll see my girl’s sweet face there on their homepage) and our consultant’s name was Monica Maldonado. You can click here to go to her instagram profile. Monica was just the sweetest lady who became the biggest blessing in our lives. There is no denying God’s hand in this matter. That I would remember Monica specifically being mentioned and reach out to her directly in the middle of the night. If I had gone through the website I’m sure I’d have been assigned someone different but Monica was the exact person that both Hailey and I needed. She was gentle and soft spoken and loving. She made the effort to connect with Hailey and she spoke soothing and encouraging words to me. I honestly feel like she is a kindred spirit. Having a fellow believer to help in all this was amazing as I knew this was a work God was going to have to do in Hailey’s heart to help her sleep peacefully and without fear. Monica sent videos of herself reading scripture she chose to Hailey, spoke to her of God’s faithfulness and protection, and prayed for her. What an absolute blessing this was. Hailey and Monica formed a special connection where Hailey would want to call her, wrote her a poem, and still asks about her and occasionally keep in touch. Special, Godly adults in your kids lives are a huge blessing!
As for the process, I reached out to Monica and she scheduled me a 15 minute free consult to see if we were a fit and to explain the process. Once we decided to proceed, I filled out a questionnaire about Hailey, what was going on, and what we wanted from the process. Monica then created a 12 page sleep plan for Hailey and went over it with all of us on a video chat. She helped us implement the plan and we chatted every couple of days for the 3 weeks until we had reached the desired outcome. She gave me understanding and encouragement as I struggled with some of the changes (a later bedtime) and she spoke life and encouragement into Hailey when I was feeling too tired to do so. I won’t share all the changes she made in Hailey’s nighttime routine as that’s her job to do specifically for your child. I will say that peace has been restored to our home. We get some alone time with Hailey in the evening where we read together and when it’s time for her to go to bed she walks to her room, tucks herself in, and goes to sleep. We don’t see or hear from her again until morning and she wakes up well rested. It seemed impossible a few months ago that we would be at this place again, but here we are!
I want to encourage you whether you are the parent of an infant or an elementary school child, don’t settle for inadequate sleep for any of you. Good sleep is so imporant to their moods, develpment, health, learning, etc and good sleep is also important for us parents. You dont have to dread bedtime and you don’t have to be fearful of how many times you will be woken up at night. You don’t have to be exhausted and neither does your child. Reach out to a sleep consultant, commit to following through on the process, and reap the rewards.
(And might I add that my girls share, not only a room, but a bed! Monica was able to work with us to allow them to keep bedsharing as that is their desire.)
Our family loves, and is so thankful for, Monica and Sleep Wise!
(this is not an ad! Just the joyful review of a well rested mom!)
