Real Sleep Stories from Real Mamas - Motherly
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Real Sleep Stories from Real Mamas

Postpartum insomnia

The secret sleep thief no one warned you about: Postpartum insomnia

Postpartum insomnia is real, and it’s not just because your baby is crying every few hours (although that doesn’t help).

Updated Nov. 26, 2024
mom holding toddler trying to sleep wondering why is sleep training so hard

Sleep training is still the hardest part of parenting for me

It’s the one thing that overwhelms me and brings me to the point of tears at times.

Updated Aug. 16, 2024
mother hugging child on bed - bedtimes for kids

I don’t have the ‘perfect’ bedtime for my kid

For some parents, as much as we try to implement structure and routines and systems, those things just don’t work as well as we wish they would.

Updated Sep. 03, 2022
sleep training: mother sitting on floor holding baby

Sleep training didn’t work for us, and that’s OK

Admitting that my child isn't the best sleeper actually made me a happier mom.

Updated Nov. 23, 2022
mom awake with a baby: mom in bed with baby

Awake in the middle of the night with a baby? This mom’s viral message is for you

Did you know that when you feel it all and when the lights are off and the thoughts and the cries are loud, you’re not alone?

Updated Apr. 04, 2022
baby sleeping in a bassinet

Teaching my baby how to sleep made me a better mom

It might be called sleep 'training,' but you're really just giving your baby sleep skills they'll benefit from forever.

Updated Jan. 27, 2023

To the mama whose baby won’t sleep

To the mama whose baby just won’t sleep: If your day has…

Updated Feb. 18, 2025
baby sleeping in a crib with toys

Hiring a sleep consultant was the best thing I did for my baby (and myself)

When I pictured a sleep consultant I envisioned a kindly woman who hid in the shadows and sang my son a lullaby whenever he stirred. In actuality, a sleep consultant is less a ninja songstress, and more head coach to your quarterback. She called the plays, I made the moves.

Updated Feb. 16, 2022
baby with a wubby pacifier

My baby is no longer a baby

When my son finally stopped using his pacifier I knew I was saying goodbye to his last bits of babyhood.

Updated Jan. 19, 2022
baby chewing on a crib

My 8-month-old baby stopped sleeping

A sleep consultant's survival guide for the 8-month sleep regression.

Updated Jan. 18, 2022
mom playing with baby on a bed - an essay on unsuccessful sleep training

Bonnie on postpartum depression and sleep-training

I believed that if I just did this one thing, like the sleep coach or the sleep expert in the books said, and if I could just get him on this schedule, then it would fix everything.

Updated Sep. 28, 2022
mom watching baby sleep practicing gentle sleep training

Gentle sleep training saved my marriage

We knew that if we wanted to give our kids the best parents they could get, they needed well-rested parents that poured into each other.

Updated Oct. 04, 2022
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