Support for Sleep

Our Holistic Sleep Coach, Kim Hawley, MA, MPH, IBCLC, approaches sleep with an evidence-based, developmentally informed, and attachment focused framework. Her support is family centered, nursing/pumping supportive, and individualized to the unique needs of your family. Kim helps you understand normal infant/toddler sleep and recommends behaviors that promote infant mental health and secure attachment.

This includes an emphasis on responsive parenting, even at night. As a Certified Holistic Sleep Coach, Certified Peaceful Parenting Educator, and IBCLC, Kim brings a range of knowledge and experience to guide each family to the information and strategies they need to support better quality sleep without the use of sleep training strategies.

 

We offer two types of sleep support:

“optimizing sleep” prenatal through 5 months ~ insurance covered

This group sleep class provides evidence-based information on normal infant sleep. Kim will teach you about biologically normal sleep, safe sleep, and strategies to support the whole family’s sleep in those first 5 months. We’ll also cut through some of the outdated information, misinformation, and (enduring) sleep myths--for a developmental understanding of sleep which fosters responsiveness and strong attachment between parents and babies.



Sleep & Feeding Appointment

In this 60 minute telehealth appointment, you can receive education on normal sleep, get tips on setting up a healthy sleep environment, or troubleshoot a sleep challenge. Most sleep struggles are complex and require several appointments to make adjustments and bring in additional tools and strategies. Follow up is often weekly at first, but recommendations are based on the needs of the situation.

Holistic sleep support is different from your typical sleep consult. This approach helps families deepen their understanding of their child’s needs, meet them where they are at, and gently work towards a sustainable balance between parent needs and baby/toddler capabilities to get better rest. That means:

  • Holistic, connection focused support – all support is grounded in strategies that are attachment-based and supportive of your child. No ignoring crying or separation-based sleep training strategies whatsoever.

  • Whole child focused – all support is done within the context of your child’s unique needs, temperament, and capacity for change.

  • Family centered – we’ll look at your family as a system and gently help you balance everyone’s needs.

  • Lactation supportive – your sleep goals will be supported within the context of your feeding goals and breastfeeding/lactation physiology.

This support is about laying the foundation for a healthy relationship with sleep where your child feels safe and connected to you.

Common topics covered in these sessions:

  • What’s normal and realistic sleep expectations

  • Good sleep hygiene

  • Frequent waking

  • Bedtime struggles

  • Optimizing nap rhythms

  • Working towards more independent sleep in a developmentally informed way

  • Troubleshooting sleep set ups (bedsharing, crib, floor bed)

  • Night weaning or reducing nighttime feeds in a lactation supportive way

  • Supporting parent sleep

  • Helping partners/coparents and other caregivers support sleep when there’s a parent/caregiver preference