# hiring a sleep coach?



## azzeps (Sep 7, 2007)

Ok, so we are getting desperate because of the sleep deprivation. I saw an ad for Ruby Sky Coaching in the Metro Parenting magazine this week and I'm considering calling this woman. Her site says she is a "sleep coach". She is local to us and would come to our house for a consultation to develop a sleep plan with us. What do you think of this idea? I guess I need to call her and see if she's just going to tell us to CIO, because we're not doing that. I'm just not sure how to phrase it so I can understand how she truthfully feels about it, you know, if she really believes there are other ways than CIO to get a baby to sleep more. Any suggestions as to what I should ask and how I should ask it before making this investment would be appreciated. Her website is www.rubyskycoaching.com

Thanks mamas!


----------



## Friday13th (Jun 13, 2006)

All the talk on her site about "sleep habits" and "getting themselves back to sleep" sends up red flags to me. Perhaps I'm a skeptic but I'm pretty sure ALL of these "sleep coaches" will use some form of CIO. I wouldn't even bother calling. I'm sure she'll elude the question and talk about self-soothing or some other euphemism for CIO.

And her mentioning that babies will never learn to fall asleep and stay asleep by themselves if you don't teach them is simply untrue.








s sleep deprivation is hard but I would not go this route.


----------



## Vortexing (May 11, 2006)

Sounds to me like she'll hold your hand while your baby CIO. Anytime someone says "there was dramatic results by the second night" that's code for, "the coach made me feel less guilty about letting my child scream it's head off in the other room, which let me get a great night's sleep and I have no idea if the baby actually was sleeping or not!"

Buuuut, that's just me. Maybe give her a call - it's free, then you'll know for sure.


----------



## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

My cousin hired a coach for her first baby. It was CIO. It was all scheduled on a timetable about when they were allowed to go in a soothe the baby and they made it longer and longer without soothing.

She had a second baby a year ago and decided against the coach because looking back on it all she just remembers the long exausting nights and doesn't thing the CIO helped him much anyway.

Sadly she called the coach for her 2nd baby too, because she felt she couldn't nurse him all night. (She co-sleeps for 3 months max. then they are in their own room)









I would read the No Cry Sleep Solution and Sleepless in America.
If you want to talk to this lady, ask her how she feels about those books


----------



## AuntNi (Feb 26, 2003)

I think I'm in the minority here, because I did night-wean my DD around 15 months. I wouldn't have done it at 9 months - but by 13 months, I felt I was becoming a bad mommy from sleep deprivation.

We went to a pediatric sleep specialist at our local hospital's sleep clinic. She is OK with the family bed, pro-AP, fine with extended nursing. Her system involves Mom leaving the house for the evening, and Dad handling bedtime for several nights. Obviously Dad has to be totally on-board.

It made the hugest difference in our lives. I'm violently anti-CIO, and felt that a 15-month-old crying in Daddy's arms was better than CIO, and better than Mommy becoming an axe-murderer from 15 months of sleep deprivation.

I just read that you can contact St. Luke's Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital, 232 S. Woodsmill Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017, 314-205-6030 for her detailed sleep handouts. Her name is Nancy Birkenmeier.


----------



## dawncayden (Jan 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AuntNi* 
I think I'm in the minority here, because I did night-wean my DD around 15 months. I wouldn't have done it at 9 months - but by 13 months, I felt I was becoming a bad mommy from sleep deprivation.

We went to a pediatric sleep specialist at our local hospital's sleep clinic. She is OK with the family bed, pro-AP, fine with extended nursing. Her system involves Mom leaving the house for the evening, and Dad handling bedtime for several nights. Obviously Dad has to be totally on-board.

It made the hugest difference in our lives. I'm violently anti-CIO, and felt that a 15-month-old crying in Daddy's arms was better than CIO, and better than Mommy becoming an axe-murderer from 15 months of sleep deprivation.

I just read that you can contact St. Luke's Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital, 232 S. Woodsmill Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017, 314-205-6030 for her detailed sleep handouts. Her name is Nancy Birkenmeier.

I don't think you are in the minority but that is because you found someone that follows your parenting style.
Most sleep consultants around here are very pro-cio sadly.


----------



## neveryoumindthere (Mar 21, 2003)

I'm thinking of calling one myself and my ds is only 7 weeks old. It can't hurt to ask if it involved CIO, if it does, skip it. If it helps you focus on getting a bedtime routine and gentle methods, why not. It can't hurt to ask







s:


----------



## Vortexing (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AuntNi* 
I just read that you can contact St. Luke's Sleep Medicine and Research Center at St. Luke's Hospital, 232 S. Woodsmill Rd., Chesterfield, MO 63017, 314-205-6030 for her detailed sleep handouts. Her name is Nancy Birkenmeier.

OP - call these people as well. If the one you found ends up being like the one this person found, then great, get some nice ZZZZZ's for me... otherwise I'd take her rec and call St. Luke's. Maybe even over the phone, something might help - and at least you know you're not going to have some just tell you to CIO!!!

Good to know that there are compassionate people who can help you get sleep when you desperately need it.... I might be calling St. Lukes in a few months if DC#2 is too much like DD#1.


----------



## AuntNi (Feb 26, 2003)

This is such a coincidence, but there was a front-page article about Nancy Birkenmeier in the St. Louis paper today. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/new...1?OpenDocument

The article does sound pretty sleep-training focused. But honestly, Nancy could not have been nicer about helping us maintain the family bed. And after I got DD night-weaned, sleep-sharing became heavenly, and we're still going strong over 5 years later.


----------

