I was a Sleep-Deprived Mom

March 28, 2016

sleeping Megan and Desmond

Yes, I have been a sleep-deprived mom. Not fun. I know the feeling of trying to drag myself through the day doing the tasks required of me. I know the feeling of my muscles shaking or like they could not support me. I have struggled with trying to think because my thoughts seem to be working their way through mud; none of them made sense to anyone. I have felt irritable, grouchy and wanting to snap at everyone. It was hard to hold it together because I was so tired.
I would drop into bed exhausted and finally be able to fall asleep. A few minutes later my baby would start crying. Again. My body craved sleep, but my baby was calling me. I would struggle to get out of bed to meet the needs of my child.

Being sleep deprived is miserable.

I have six children. They each gave me many nights with little sleep. I have also been the foster parent for over 35 babies. Most of the foster babies were very fussy babies and not interested in sleeping during the night. I became very familiar with the feelings of sleep deprivation. Sleep is not a luxury for parents or children. Sleep is a necessity. Our bodies let us know that we missed sleep.

With all those babies in my home to practice on I learned how to help babies sleep through a lot of trial and error. Probably most of it was error. I did have motivation to get those infants sleeping. It was the only way I could sleep. I learned to observe each baby and work with that baby to promote sleeping skills as soon as the baby was developmentally capable. Every baby was unique and required a unique approach. I learned to teach that baby to become a successful sleeper.
I discovered that if I valued naps and promoted sleep in each baby it helped that child thrive. Adequate sleep made each day more enjoyable instead of feeling like I was struggling through a marathon or just surviving another day.

I am an RN and worked with many sick or premature babies in the hospital. As a nurse I also worked with many new parents who were struggling with a baby who would not sleep. That motivated me to look for a way to help those tired families. I began studying at the Family Sleep Institute . My studying taught me how and when sleep develops in babies. I learned how to work with the body to promote sleep. It was fun to discover the reasons behind what I had observed and learned with all those babies in my life. Through the Family Sleep Institute I became a certified Sleep Consultant for children. Now I use all of my personal experience with the babies in my home and my training to help families teach their child healthy sleep habits. I love watching the change in families once their baby or toddler begins to sleep.

Testimony from Jessica:

“We were in desperate need of help and Arlene rescued us! Without her I don’t think we would be where we are today. It was a processes but by the end of our 2 week session our 6 month old son went from waking up every hour at night, having 3-4 night feedings and 30 minute naps to sleeping for almost 12 hours with one feeding and having 1 hour naps. She is so understanding, knowledgable, and nurturing. Having to be accountable to her really helped me struggle through the tough times and stick with the suggestions and plan she gave. I think we had a unique situation in that my son was diagnosed at 6 months with acid reflux and was losing a lot of weight as a result. Arlene was patient with us as we worked to resolve this issue and helped incorporate our son’s doctors orders into our plan. Our son is currently 16 months old and is an amazing sleeper. For naps and night time we just lay him down in his crib and he sleeps through the night and for 2 hours at nap time. He has had set backs during teething and while traveling but Arlene gave us the skills and confidence to know how to manage those hurdles and get back on track. Arlene was invaluable to our family and I would highly recommend her!”

It is not fun to be so tired that you can barely function. All the babies in my life forced me to learn how to teach babies to sleep. It was the only way I could get the sleep my body craved. I learned that babies feel just as miserable as adults do when they are sleep deprived.
I now have a passion for helping babies get the sleep they need. A baby that sleeps well leads to a happier baby and a happier momma. Don’t miss out on your baby’s first or more years because you are too tired to enjoy them.

Helping Babies Sleep

Arlene Fryling

Arlene is a registered nurse and certified sleep consultant for children 0-5 years. She has cared for premature, sick, and many healthy babies. For over 15 years she has taught expectant parents how to care for their newborns through classes teaching basic baby care, infant massage classes, and moderating support groups for new moms as they deal with parenting issues.

Infant Tummy Massage to Relieve Gas

To see the complete massage instructional video:

Testimonials

Alix Kron

★★★★★

4 months ago

We cannot say enough positive things about our experience working with Arlene!! We were desperate for sleep, going almost 5.5 months with frequent wake ups, nursing back to sleep, nonstop crying during the day, screaming in the car and becoming more and more hopeless as time went on without having success … Arlene changed all of that within no time. She listened to exactly what was going on for us, developed a sleep plan specific to our daughter’s needs/our goals and was so supportive and answered all of our questions along the way. It was very easy to follow the plan that she developed and it included naps and weaning off of night feedings. We saw a difference in our daughter almost immediately! Arlene has absolutely transformed our lives and given us the ability to enjoy each other and feel so much better getting the sleep we all want and NEED! Our daughter is now sleeping 11-12 hours per night, eating only once overnight as opposed to every 1-2 hours, is on a great nap schedule and is so much happier!!! It’s the best money we’ve spent.

Adrienne G.

★★★★★

2 years ago

We worked with Arlene to sleep train our 22 month old son who had been bed sharing and nursing to sleep. She helped us develop a sleep plan that was specific to our son's needs. It addressed both his nighttime sleep and his naps. It really took the guess work out of the endeavor, because as a parent, even if you read all the sleep books, there are many different opinions and it is hard to know what is right. Arlene was attentive, flexible and available to answer all of our questions and concerns. I would highly recommend working with her! Our son now sleeps 11-12 hours a night and put himself to sleep on his own. Sleep training him has been a game changer for me (I sleep now too!) and for him. He seems well rested and his development seems to be progressing faster now too. His language skills are flourishing since he is getting better rest.

Amanda C

★★★★★

4 years ago

We just wrapped up our second time working with Arlene, and had another great experience! Arlene helped us sleep train our first baby a few years ago when she was 4 months old at the time. She was a terrible sleeper, waking up once every hour and needing to be rocked to sleep for what felt like hours and hours each day. I was a stressed, exhausted, and worried first time mom, and I was drawn to Arlene’s calm and experienced approach. She gave us an option for a gentler strategy that worked for us at the time, and was detailed and responsive in her sleep plan and attentiveness. Our daughter just turned 2.5 years old and is still a great sleeper. So once our second baby turned 4 months recently, we did not hesitate to work with Arlene again. We now have two rockstar sleepers in our household, thanks to Arlene! It means the world to us that she was there to help guide us, instill confidence, and most importantly, help teach our children such a valuable skill they will undoubtedly benefit from for the rest of their lives.

Begoña Cirera

★★★★★

2 years ago

Arlene helped me first with my first son who was 2.5 year old when I hired her. He slept with me during breastfeeding. He never wanted to sleep in his crib. I was due with my second, and I needed better rest, and had no clue how to get him to sleep away from my bed. I even had to sleep w him during naps, or he wouldn’t sleep. I had to walk him for hours to fall asleep every night. It was awful. Two weeks after Arlene helped us create a program for him, he was done!!! He was sleeping in his own room, all night (12+ hours) and he was SO HAPPY during the day. We learned so much, and all made so much sense. After trying methods and books, nothing worked. My son is almost 6, and he falls asleep at 7:30pm every evening, until 7:00am. As a parent, you know how precious those hours are. With my second one, I didn’t make the mistake of waiting until he was two to train him to sleep. By 3 months, we slowly started, with Arlene’s help. I never had to walk him or be there for him to fall asleep. He’s now 3, and he is a great sleeper, much better than his big brother ever was, still takes 90-min naps, and sleeps 11 hours a night. Every penny I spent to hire Arlene’s expertise is worth it. My only regret was not to look for her sooner. Lifesaver, 100%.

Abbey Stidam

★★★★★

6 years ago

Arlene Fryling at Gentle Touch Sleep Time helped our son sleep, which helped us sleep! We were having trouble transitioning our son (4 months at the time) from his rock-n-play to the crib and our amazing sleeper since birth was all of a sudden not sleeping very much. Arlene talked with us about what was going on with his sleep and why the change in his sleep pattern. She answered all our questions and calmed our worries and frustrations. She came up with a sleep plan that worked for our family. She guided us every step of the way. He is now an amazing sleeper again! He is 18 months old and sleeps 12 hours at night and takes a 1 1/2 - 2 hour nap. He loves to sleep and never fights sleeping. I am so thankful we had Arlene Fryling help us and we were able to teach our son to sleep.