My Story - Nadia Edwards, Holistic Child Sleep Consultant | Dunfermline, Scotland

Sound familiar?

You're beyond exhausted because your baby is waking up all night long.
You worry your baby isn't getting enough rest and you know for sure that you aren't!
You feel like you've tried everything to get your baby to sleep and nothing has worked.
You've gotten confused because there's so much information out there about babies and sleep and none of it makes sense.

This was me 5 years ago, it was awful, but the good news is that all that changed, and now I help families enjoy parenting and have happy, well rested babies.

MY FAMILY

I am married to Graham and have two kids, Hannah (8) and Reuben (5) we live in a small village near Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland.

I was having horrendous sleep issues with Reuben and was suffering from PND and felt out of control, unable to parent the way I did with my daughter or how I imagined, it was like I was doing something wrong. I couldn't understand why my son WOULDN'T sleep, I spent hours every day pounding the streets with him in a sling or pram to try and give him some rest, he was a miserable baby - turns out he had food allergies, cows milk protein allergy (CMPA) was the main issue for him.

I read lots of books, which at the time were too complicated in my exhausted mind, eventually I came across Dana and the Sleep Sense™ Program, this totally changed my life and in such a short time. This is still one of the best DIY programs for better sleep I have come across.

I am now happily working as a baby sleep coach - sharing the steps I took almost 5 years ago. I have added to my Sleep Sense Certification since then and offer a variety of approaches based on a wide range of degree level and accredited training in infant care and sleep, my most recent being accredited at Level 5 with OCN London as a Holistic Sleep Coach. . My approach takes into account your unique family values and circumstances - which even the best DIY package can't.

The Change

I remember the feeling of utter disbelief on the first night of sleep changes I made with my son.

We made the suggested changes and he slept from 7:30 pm to 5:30 am A.M.A.Z.I.N.G for what we had been experiencing.

I even took 3-months additional maternity leave so I could spend more time with my son, I felt like I missed out on so much up until that point.

Once I returned to work, I was telling everyone who would listen about my sleep discovery and what I had learnt, I would light up telling other parents my tips and was always referring onto Dana and her program.

The time came when I thought, you know what, I want to personally help people. What I was looking for when I was experiencing sleeplessness was a real person who could talk to me face to face, so I decided to train and qualify to do exactly that, and now I have helped 100's of families in Scotland in person and even do lots of remote support around the UK and Europe.

MY SON'S SLEEP TRANSFORMATION

I went from having a little boy who would hardly sleep day or night to:

Settling to sleep after an enjoyable bedtime routine within about 10 mins
11 to 12 hours sleeping happily during the night
2 naps in his cot every day for 90 ,mins each – the best bit about this was I was able to spend quality time with my Daughter every afternoon
It took around 10 days to consistently change the bedtime settling, night waking’s and early mornings.
It took us a wee while longer to sort naps as we were going through a transition of needing 3 naps to 2 naps but I felt in control of the whole situation.

Everyone wants to know how, and the easy answer is I had a plan and support and that is what I offer families - a step by step plan and daily support - yay!

Nadia's Credentials

Foundation Degree in Birth and Beyond with NCT and University of Worcester. This includes breastfeeding, weaning, facilitating parent groups, the transition into parenthood, the fourth trimester, mental health, postnatal and antenatal work. I am part way through with A and B grades

Holistic Sleep Coaching Programme
A 12-week programme (over 70 hours training), which focuses on supporting and empowering parents. It provides education on gentle strategies (based on evidence), which never involve leaving babies to cry alone. It is accredited with Open College Network London at Level 5 which is equivalent to a 2nd year Uni.

Paediatric First Aid.

Scotland's Mental Health First Aid. (SMHFA)

Child Protection in Scotland with NSPCC.

Infant Nutrition, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University.

Baby Mindful Coach, Story Massage Instructor and Relax Kids Coach.

UK Degree Level Qualification
in Advanced Sleep training with Babyem and OCN London at level 4

Overview of sleep biology
Safe sleeping
Reasons why babies and toddlers wake in the night
Sleeping behaviours in older children
The impact of attachment on sleep
What factors influence the approach we take to sleep problems
Creating the right sleep environment
Working as a sleep coach with families

Hand in Hand Parenting, Professionals Intensive Course.

Sleep Scotland, Pediatric Study Day

Sleep-disordered breathing with Dr. Patricia Jackson, Pediatrician and Honorary Fellow, University of Edinburgh
The place of Melatonin in sleep management with Dr. Patricia Jackson
Autism and Sleep with Jane Ansell. CEO, Sleep Scotland
Epilepsy and Sleep with Professor Frank Besag, Consultant Neuropsychiatrist, East London NHS Foundation Trust
ADHD and Sleep with Dr. Chinnaiah Yemula, Consultant Community Pediatrician

The Sleep Sense Consultant Certification Program

3 days of in house training:
Topics included, newborns, toddlers, adults and babies, common and less common sleep challenges, as well as marketing, working with clients and setting up your business.
3 Months of Intensive Mentoring, with tutorials going deep into each topic, as well as bi-weekly live calls to field questions and discuss client cases.
Once certified a special 1st Year mentorship programme for 12 months