A journey to enjoying motherhood leads to a new calling for Louise
A journey to enjoying motherhood leads to a new calling for Louise
So many of us have been there… desperately hanging on for the next naptime, for bedtime, for a short break. For Louise, there was an experience of ‘mum guilt’ that came with wishing her days away. “After well over a year of broken sleep, I was on my knees with fatigue. I was only just surviving – most definitely not enjoying my experience of motherhood.”
Louise knew she had to do something; she simply couldn’t function anymore. So, she started researching. She downloaded a PDF sleep plan and tried it. It worked. Well, not only did it work, but it also completely transformed Louise’s life and motherhood experience.
“My friends started asking me what I had done – they said I was like a different person. All because I was able to sleep!” Louise laughs. “All of a sudden, they started opening up and admitting how hard they were finding it too. Sleep had been surrounded by so much shame and secrecy, but now that we were talking about it openly, I was sad to discover how many felt the same way.”
Training to deliver transformation
Experiencing first-hand how incredibly transformative healthy sleep could be, Louise’s interest was piqued. “I started researching and discovered that baby sleep consulting was a thing. I knew I needed to know how to do it,” she adds.
Louise admits that she talked to a few companies before coming across Baby Sleep Consultant Training, yet when she did, she knew it was the right fit. “I instantly appreciated how clear and non-judgemental the approach was. It was inclusive of all walks of life and parenting styles, which was unique,” Louise explains. “I really resonated with the aim to help and guide parents, as opposed to telling them there’s only one way to do it. So, from all the way over the other side of the world, I dived in – and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
That was back in 2017 and the rest, as they say, is history. But the rest hasn’t all been easy. Louise’s daughter was just two when Louise was training, so she admits to putting in a lot of late nights on the books and says that nap-time became her study time.
As well as the clear structure and the self-paced nature of the training, what Louise also found useful was the mentoring. “This was so different to anything offered by other companies,” Louise explains. “When we’re working with the most precious thing in someone’s life, there’s a huge responsibility to get it right. My mentor guided me and gave me confidence; I knew that the information that I was sharing was correct. We worked with real clients, and I wrote everything up to be checked and signed off – so that when I was qualified, I really was ready to go out there and give my best.”
Being in business when you’re the product
Having worked alongside her husband in a family business for years, Louise had some insight into running a business. However, she wasn’t fully prepared for how different it would be when she was the product. “I’m quite an introvert, but in this business, you have to put yourself out there and help other parents feel connected to you and what you’re about. It takes time to find your niche and get your messaging right and you need to know who you are, and who your ideal clients are.”
Louise also had to contend with one of the challenges that many of our participants face – that of imposter syndrome. “You very quickly have to get those mindset monkeys out and stop that voice in your head that asks, ‘Am I good enough?’”
The other challenge that many consultants experience is that of creating boundaries in your life. “As a mum, you really feel for the parents you’re working with and can empathise with them. Then because of the type of work we’re doing, it’s very hard to stop working and switch off too,” Louise explains.
A huge support for this and other challenges has come from the Facebook community connected to Baby Sleep Consultant Training. “I trained years ago and am still a part of this incredible and genuinely supportive community of consultants,” Louise says. “We can dive in and ask questions, be ourselves. Everyone is so open. There’s such a mix of styles and different approaches represented in there, but they’re all OK and there’s always something new to learn.”
We’re incredibly lucky to have Louise as a consultant in our community – and parents are extremely lucky to have her insights and wisdom to guide them back to enjoying their experience of parenthood.
