Hi, I’m Susanna.
OWNER & FOUNDER OF BEAUTIFUL BABY SLEEP.
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and proud mother of 2
My Services
I provide sleep nurturing programs for families with newborns to 5 years of age. Need help with family sleep management? I’ve got you covered.
My Approach
Open minded, supportive and sleep science based. I ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening before I start talking. I learn about your approach to parenting and your day to day life to create a roadmap to sleep success.
My Philosophy
I combine your parental instinct with my expertise to create a holistic sleep plan that is solely for your family. I believe that pediatric sleep science methods are most effective when blended with in-depth knowledge of your family. “Cry it out” is not sleep science and it goes against your parental instinct – therefore I do not use this method.
My Promise
I will support you until you and your family are getting significantly better sleep.
Ylenia brightened our household with her adorable face, loving disposition and energetic personality. We were in love.
At first she slept amazingly well. I actually had to wake her for feedings because she slept so soundly.
I thought “I guess I’m one of the lucky ones. She sleeps great.”
I had no idea what I was in for.
One day when she was about 2 months old, I put her down for a nap and I began doing some housework.
40 minutes later she woke up crying.
“That’s strange,” I thought. “Usually she sleeps for 2 or 3 hours. Oh well, she must still be hungry.”
I picked up my angel, nursed her and she fell asleep. I put her back in the bassinet and she started to cry. It took another hour and a lot of nursing for her to fall asleep again but eventually I was able to put her in the crib without her immediately beginning to cry.
I finished my housework and began making lunch. I was about to bite into my sandwich when I heard her stirring in her bassinet. Her stirring quickly turned to crying.
“How long did she sleep?” I asked myself. I looked at the clock and noticed that she had again only slept for 40 minutes.
This began my battle with the 40 minute catnap. The battle continued for months.
My daughter would only sleep for 40 minutes – all day and all night.
Every 12 hours or so she would sleep for a 5 or 6 hour stretch but I never knew when that would happen. Sometimes it happened at night, sometimes during the day, sometimes not at all. I tried to get her on a schedule but it just never came together.
I was exhausted and I was panicking. Was this normal? Was she getting enough milk? Was she in pain? I had absolutely no idea…
I saw our family doctor.
I saw our pediatrician.
I saw a lactation consultant.
I saw a pediatric chiropractor.
NOTHING WORKED. My back hurt from rocking, my arms hurt from holding and I was succumbing to postpartum depression. My husband was helping as much as he could but he was working and could only do so much.
One night while nursing Ylenia both fell asleep in my bed and that evolved into a bed sharing situation that continued for about a month. It was the only way I could get any sleep but it was like sleeping with one eye open. I was worried about her safety and that prevented me from getting deep, restful sleep.
As she approached 5 months of age, Ylenia was developing normally. She was becoming a curious and affectionate little cutie but her sleep did not improve. It took hours to get her to nap during the day and the naps still only lasted 40 minutes. She would only sleep for an extended period of time if she was next to me, in my bed, between my husband and I.
I had heard about sleep training but I thought the only option was the “cry it out method” and I was completely against that.
One day, with my daughter in my arms, I began reading a blog post about 40 minute catnaps.
I had read articles before but this one was different.
It was fascinating.
The author made sense of the phenomenon and I finally began to understand why she only slept for 40 minutes.
The post was written by the wonderful woman who eventually became my pediatric sleep consultant.
I called her the same day.
She asked a lot of questions and let me do a lot of talking. She reassured me that everything I was experiencing was normal but that I did not have to accept things the way they were. After a few days, I had a sleep plan. She gave me the first glimmer of hope I had in months.
The first night of sleep training my daughter had her loving parents there to support her. She was not left alone to cry unattended. That night she fell asleep in her crib for the first time and she slept for 9 hours straight.
I was astounded.
Ylenia, my husband and I continued the program for two weeks and by the time I finished, my daughter was sleeping 12 hours a night and taking 2 naps a day without feeding, without rocking and with absolutely no tears.
As Ylenia grew and developed, so did my interest in her sleep patterns. I enriched my knowledge of pediatric sleep science and soon found myself advising friends and family on how to deal with their family sleep challenges. I always encouraged parents to hire a professional but I soon realized that I should be that professional. I received my certification as a pediatric sleep consultant and I haven’t looked back. My passion for pediatric sleep science was ignited and every time I help a family it is reaffirmed.
Let me help your family. I’ve been where you are. I know you don’t really want to be on my website desperately looking for answers – but here you are.
With Beautiful Baby Sleep you will also get the support that you need, not from an app or generic advice on the internet but through customized, compassionate guidance that is free of judgment.
Let me help you.
Let me enlighten you.
Let me give your family the gift of sleep nurturing.
