Prescribing Sweet Dreams: A GP Mum's Sombelle Success Story

Introduction.

Belinda, a General Practitioner, and mother to Augie (10 months), was experiencing intense fatigue due to Augie’s sleep difficulties. She was a month away from returning to work and had reached breaking point. Augie was waking 6 or more times each night and could only fall asleep on the breast. He spent part of the night in his cot but then, inevitably, ended up in Belinda’s bed where he would feed on and off for hours.

Belinda asked colleagues and friends for advice and was faced with very conflicting opinions. Some insisted she should continue feeding Augie to sleep until he decided to stop, whilst others told her to put him in his cot and walk away so he could ‘figure it out on his own.’ Belinda felt neither option was suitable, so she went looking for a middle-ground, a solution that aligned with her parenting values and that respected Augie’s needs.

The turning point.

Augie’s paediatrician recommended Belinda reach out to Infant Sleep Australia, and this led to her discovering the Brand New Little People podcast. Hearing Dr Fallon and Dr Laura talk about sleep and settling in the podcast, helped Belinda feel confident she had made the right choice when she signed up for the Sombelle Paediatric Sleep Program. Watching the Sombelle video lessons at home, and working through the content in her own time, suited Belinda well, and she didn’t need to wait for an appointment.

The sleep diary.

Following the steps in Sombelle, Belinda started to track Augie’s sleep so she could identify his unique sleep needs. Here’s what Belinda captured:

Key features:

• Augie had very fragmented nights, waking 6+ times every night
• He also had lots of day naps which were reducing his sleep pressure, or sleep drive, at night.

The sleep action plan.

After analysing Augie’s sleep diary and identifying his ideal daily rhythm, Belinda read through each of the Sombelle strategies for cot settling, reading the case studies provided with each approach. She quickly realised that the Slow Fade Approach was a great fit for both her and Augie. The Slow Fade Approach is a layered approach where new sleep associations are introduced before old sleep associations (like feeding to sleep) are phased out. With all the tools and info she needed, Belinda filled out Augie's Sleep & Settling Action Plan, and got started.

The transformation.

Within one week, the results were astonishing. Not only was Augie falling asleep in his cot, but he was doing so happily. Night waking had drastically reduced and both Augie and Belinda were better rested. Best of all, Augie was very well supported through this change, with almost no tears along the way. Check out Augie's latest sleep diary: 

Augie is sleeping so well at night that he can make it through the day happily with fewer naps. He rarely wakes at night.

Life Beyond Sleep Struggles.

Now Augie’s night time sleep has improved, he is a much calmer and happier baby in the day time. Belinda reports he is showing much more interest in eating solid foods now he has reduced his overnight feeds. She was able to return to work, confident that Augie would be able to sleep well at childcare.

In Belinda’s own words:

"Sombelle has truly changed the game for us. I find myself recommending Sombelle to all my patients who are new parents. I want them to know that there are better alternatives than simply waiting it out or resorting to ‘cry it out’ type approaches. Being a kind, loving parent while guiding your baby to settle in their cot is absolutely achievable. The difference it's made for Augie and me is like night and day!"

*names have been changed to protect the identity of this family.