Intro

Nikki, 34, a marketing manager, was constantly getting up in the night to attend to her seven-month old son Josh, who was a very poor sleeper. Nikki and her husband Tim, have another son, Luke, three.

I’d assumed Josh would be like Luke and sleep through the night from 14 weeks but he didn’t.

Josh had colic when he was first born and had learned to fall asleep being rocked after a feed. He’d associated feeding with sleeping which meant each time he woke in the night he wouldn’t go back to sleep without a feed.

The Problem

 I was at my wits end by the time Josh was five months old. I was still feeding him up to six times a night and was exhausted. Occasionally I’d try to leave him crying but my heart would break and I didn’t want to wake Luke.

I read countless baby sleep books trying to find an answer. The advice ranged from sleeping with your baby and feeding him when he wants or leaving him crying. Then I found Millpond on the Internet, the only baby sleep clinic in the UK.

The Solution

It’s run by Mandy Gurney and Tracey Marshall, who are both health visitors and mothers. I felt a great weight had lifted from me when they said they could help.

I had to keep a sleep diary for Josh for a week. Then I had to break the connection between feeding and sleeping. I also had to cut back two feeds a night.

This meant practising controlled crying – slowly building up the time you let baby cry before you check baby. When you do, you’re not allowed to touch baby or make eye contact. Within a week Josh was happy with two feeds a night. Then I started cutting back the amount. Within three weeks he was sleeping through the night.

I can’t recommend Millpond highly enough. I have evenings to spend how I want and because I’m happier, Josh is happier too. I just wish I’d found Millpond earlier.