When you are sleep deprived, you hear others say this is part of motherhood
"Sleep?! Make sure you enjoy your last days of good sleep"
Does this sound familiar? Trust me, this doesn't have to be your reality.
Sleeping and getting good rest is possible.
Here's what else is possible for you during this phase of life
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Getting your restful nights back and say hi again to those long hot showers without rushing out for a waking baby!
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Better understanding of your child's needs and frustrations, as now you have a clear schedule that guides your day
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Being more energized, balanced and having time for yourself again
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Enjoying those special date nights again without having to rush the hour before your child wakes again
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Continue giving your night feeds if you wish with having control on when they happen
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Gift your child good sleep and still be the most loving parent they could ask for!
Are you ready to live these results?
Solve your child's sleep challenges
Work with me and together we'll get your life back on track, and sleep will be the last thing you've to worry about in the list of mom worries.
What inspired me towards this journey?
The labor hours were forever and the last breathes were the hardest, I almost felt like giving up after 35 hours in induced labor, and I could hear the nurses saying "Please do it! Your baby is struggling, help him with that one strong push".
Suddenly, it felt like every part of me responded to that call of rescue and I gave my strongest push and there he was! Finally, out to the world ...but wait ... there is no cry!
What is going on?
Where are you taking him?
Why isn't he crying?
My little boy was rushed to the NICU. And just few steps away from the corridor, I heard the cry!
I have never thought I could have this much relief and joy brought into my heart from a cry.. it's a cry! That's when I realized this journey has got to be different than any other.
I cried and cried tears of joy mixed with tears of longing to hold my baby, to have that first golden hour feed, and have all the beautiful first moments I painted in my mind for the past 9 months.
As I was laying on labour bed still shivering from the high fever (which they said it was an infection that got me in the middle of my last labor hours), I had to wait the 2 longest hours of my life until I got to see my baby in NICU. And that's how we spent our first night of his life...apart from each other.
While he was sleeping in this little glass box with alarms beeping around him, I stayed up the night trying to pump out those first drops of gold liquid.
If I can't be there for him, at least I can try my best to give him some of this gold liquid that he needs the most now.
The next morning as I was rushing getting ready to go and see him, carrying my few drops of liquid gold and we received a call to rush to the NICU. Saud had a neonatal stroke (can happen to every 1/2,500 full-term infants). We were told this is something very rare to happen, but it's most likely to happen when a baby undergoes a difficult labour.
I couldn't stop asking myself if it was my body's fault and that it failed me by not being able to push strongly, and I still ask myself up to this day same question (mom's guilt can hit so hard!).
Following this Saud was kept in NICU and monitored for the next 7 days of life while they also investigated what could be the impact of this to his brain development.
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When the doctors called us to discuss, all I could hear was " It's too early at this stage to know how this will impact his development in the future but let's keep an eye, and as we send you home monitor him and bring him back if you notice any similar attack or any abnormality. Also, keep in mind that babies' brains are very elastic and still forming and shaping, so anything is possible, which could also means he can be as normal as any other child despite all this".
And we were back home, and there I was trying to figure out how to deal with this adorable little miracle who is depending on me as I happen to be his mom! and now I also have to figure out how to help him through this life bump he's gone through.
I started researching about babies' brain development and all about his medical condition and came across many articles about the importance of sleep and how it's important for child's brain development.
Here you go Ahlam!
The one thing you can control! I can't change god's will in what happened that made him a miracle into my life, but I can control doing my best to give him the gift of good sleep if this will help him through this.
And I remembered his doctor's words "anything is possible which can also mean he can be as normal as any other child"
I set my mind on that and never looked back.
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Looking at him as far as where we are today as he soon turns 3 years old, I just see him this normal little fighter with a brain full of curiosity and questions.
I believe in the work of God in helping him through this, and I'm also a believer of doing our best with what we can change and control.
Doing my best here was letting my baby have the healthy benefits of sleep way earlier, so he can get the maximum out of developing his brain.
It doesn't mean only a baby who had a struggle coming into life like Saud needs good sleep, every child deserves the gift and benefits of good sleep if it's something a parent can give, and I am here to help you give your child the gift of restful sleep.
When my son was in a stage of waking up every 2 hours throughout the night, keeping in mind that establishing healthy sleep for him was a key priority to me, I became obsessed with understanding everything about baby's sleep! I kept reading books after books trying to figure out how to help myself out of those long sleepless nights.
It helped, but being a tired drained mom at that time, I needed someone to take me by the hand emotionally as I was going through this.
So, I hired a sleep consultant and since then my baby's sleep issues became past!
Sleep brought me back much more joyful days as a mom. Our days shifted from counting the minutes I have to be rushed around finishing other chores as my baby sleeps 30 minutes to counting the hours until I see that adorable smile again in the morning. I wanted to share the gift of sleep with other moms in my community, so I embarked on a mission to become your Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant to help you overcome your child's sleep challenges and get you rest.
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I want to be part of your village and support you if you're:
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Tired and drained from lack of sleep and you want to get out of this so you can think clearly again!
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Wanting to make change for better, but you aren't able to do it alone and you need that extra help
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Enjoying every bit of your journey but not those resentful feelings, and you know it's because you have exhausted every energy you have by the end of the day and the nights are just more tiring
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Craving to get more time for yourself and be energized again to start chasing your goals.
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Wondering how would it feel like to wake up well-rested again!
Any of these needs resonate with you?
Then let's work to get your family rested again after a good night sleep! ​
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Ahlam Albattashi
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant
I'm a sleep consultant, certified positive discipline parent educator, entrepreneur, engineer & unshakable optimist committed to get your family rest again and spend more time adding joy to your parenthood journey.
As a working mom with 2 kids under 3, I wouldn't be able to juggle life with work and this obsession of mine of teaching sleep, if sleep wasn't something I mastered myself. Yes, it could have been possible to do it all but having my little ones asleep by 7:30 pm gives me a clear mindset to focus on my work to help more families like yours.
My passion in understanding baby's sleep started as a curiosity from wanting to improve my first-born's sleep and help him through the neonatal stroke he went through as a newborn. That led me to become that mom that geeks all about baby's sleep from one book to another and counting sleep cycles by the minute.
I believe that there's a solution to everything, even if you haven't come across it yet. That's what leads me to always want to know more about parenting and spending a lot of time exploring topics like: positive parenting, attachment, discipline, behaviors, and whatever that comes across my everyday life struggles as a mom.
While working with me, you might hear some mom-to-mom tips. It doesn't mean I am an expert in these areas, that's just based on my personal experience in this journey.
I believe in bonding and positive attachment, so be assured that your child's emotional needs aren't going to be neglected as they learn independent sleep.
Now tell me mama, are you ready to get your child benefits of good sleep and get your sleep back?
9 random facts you don't know about me...
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I love Matcha. I rarely drink coffee, but I love Matcha. A day without a cup of that vibrant green drink would end up with me snoozing by mid-day!
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I love collecting journals and everything that looks artistic from stationary stores. I don't end up using all of them, but I always think a day will come that I will make use of them or gift someone. ​
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My name means dreams in Arabic, and I always wonder if it has something to do with the many big dreams that keep expanding for myself and those around me!
Funny fact: the soft "h" in my name can be hard to pronounce in some cultures and they would call me "Alam" which is way far away from dreams meaning and it means pain in Arabic!
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​I have a FOMO towards personal development topics. If a day passes by without me reading something in personal development, you'll find me listening to at least 10 minutes of a book from my audible collection. How obsessed? well 90% of books I read are self- development books.
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I'm obsessed with self-education and online courses. If there is anything I struggle with, I look for a good course that can help me with that specific challenge and can even instantly buy it if I am in a rush for solutions! (which I always am). I think as humans we should always be on a journey of continuous learning.
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I heart Sushi, not the raw kind though. I know you would say that's not the real sushi you are having , but hey ! to me it is good enough as it is named sushi. If you're a mama that loves sushi, don't forget to mention it when we work together!
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I had always been a multi-passionate person drawn into a multitude of seemingly unconnected things: writing, psychology, entrepreneurship, art, productivity, travelling, parenting and personal development just to name a few.
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I approach most people with ease, and I find myself easily drawn to the type of people who know how to have deep conversations on any topic, and this is how I talk about motherhood when I am with friends.
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My moment of joy in the day is telling my toddler I have a secret to share, then I whisper in his ear " I love you" and I just enjoy hearing his loud giggles and him wanting it to be on repeat again and again for 100 times! ​
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