Meet Caitlin —
My name is Caitlin, but some people call me mom, nurse, wife, sleep coach.
I am recently married to my husband, Nick, and together we have two precious boys – Luke and Cameron. I have been a registered nurse since 2015 and I thought being a nurse was rewarding --until I became a mother, and that is the most rewarding job of all time.
I absolutely love being a nurse. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a nurse is the ability to connect with our patients and their families on such an intimate level. I love empowering and supporting patients and families to know that they are able to get through anything. I am excited to use my nursing knowledge along with my sleep knowledge to empower and support parents and their children with their sleep goals!
I’m not going to lie … I’m not a hobby person. When I’m not working 12 hour days and nights as a nurse, or being a mom full time – catering to every need of my children, all I want to do is sleep. Everyone who knows me knows how much I love to sleep 😴
My Personal Sleep Training Journey —
When I first had Luke I thought that it was normal that he didn’t sleep. But honestly, I never gave him the chance to try. I was constantly trying to breastfeed this child and would set an alarm every 1.5 hours during the night to wake him up to feed him (WHAT?!). Luke was the KING of cat naps – 30 minutes and he was awake. I remember laying him on his play mat and I would lay down with him and close my eyes and hold his hand because I physically couldn’t keep my eyes open for one more second. Mentally I was becoming the worst version of myself – Caitlin when sleep deprived.
I would talk to my friend, a fellow nurse and mom, and ask her what is wrong with my child, he doesn’t sleep and I am mentally and physically drained. She brought to light the Sleep Sense ™ program that she followed for her daughter. She swore by it, she said she had that girl falling asleep on her own and through the night in just a few days. Again, WHAT?! Sorcery! it couldn’t be true. Well it was true and I needed that. At this point I was falling asleep on the floor in his room with my hand in between the rungs of his crib holding his hand while he slept. Once Luke was 5 months old, a long 5 months of no sleep that was, I dove into sleep training. I didn’t think he could do it, but he did, EASY.
After countless sleepless nights, I decided to follow the Sleep Sense ™ Program and sleep train Luke. I was skeptical but only after a few nights he was sleeping longer stretches and in no time he was sleeping through the night! And here we are 3.5 years later and he is an amazing sleeper. I used all the tools I learned from Luke and with Cameron from day one, establishing a sense of routine, teaching strategies for successful sleep, and guess what?! Since 6 months old he’s been sleeping through the night too!
How I started —
I’ve now had the privilege to be trained by Dana Obleman, the creator and owner of the Sleep Sense ™ Program
Both my boys know that the best version of their mom is a one who is rested.
This mom knows that the best version of her sons are the ones who are rested.
Let me help you and your children get the sleep you all need to be the best version of YOU!
Lets Talk Crying —
The number one question I get from parents is asking if I’m going to suggest they let their child cry it out, so let’s address that here…
Crying is your child’s way of protesting change, and you can expect that making changes to their sleep habits will result in some protest. That’s why I’m always sure to tell parents that this program will most likely involve at least some amount of protest on your child’s part.
Please understand that I will never ask you to leave your child to cry alone, nor will I ask you to ignore their cries. The reason that our work together is so effective is that it allows us to develop a plan that you feel comfortable with, based on what you know about your child, and my experience in this field.
Some Fun Facts —
Both of my children needed to be sleep trained. Neither were “good sleepers” off the get-go.
As a registered nurse who works shift work, my sleep is just as important as my children’s. I need to be well rested in order to take care of my patients.
As a nurse working night shifts, I needed to develop a bedtime routine in which my husband and other caregivers could complete to have my children sleeping for anybody.
As a parent with friends with young families, I saw them struggling with their child’s sleep and I saw an opportunity to help them .. and this is where it lead me.
Sleep is my number one favourite activity. During the day, I like to nap and not because I need it but because I want to.
As a light sleeper like my children, I also sleep with white noise in the background.