AIBU to think sleep consultants should face tighter regulation?

[Scottishmamaagain]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce84e1vn1l2o?fbclid=PAZnRzaARmvAtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAacDn6rsYEKRMArxhz_1WQP6AzOSKDkZnLJaoTVlRBJImR2lA5CUdWIgBUh-6g_aem_DbnPAo3Q3ojIcymce2AkFA

Predatory sleep consultants are praying on desperate sleep deprived parents, giving unsafe advice and making them feel like there is something wrong with their baby for only sleeping for shorter stretches when it is in fact biologically normal.

I have had friends pay out hundreds of pounds which they couldn’t really afford for online consultations for very little information they couldn’t already get online. Similarly out of desperation I paid £40 for an online course on how to get my breastfed baby to take a bottle, there was absolutely no new information on it and I was pissed off at myself for getting ripped off.

Surely the government needs to introduce regulation on this, but in reality it is squarely their fault. Health visiting services have been stripped back so much parents feel like there are inconveniencing their HV for contacting them about stuff.

Similarly support for breastfeeding is so inconsistent, slow and at times just plain wrong that the private lactation consultant business seems to be thriving, although at least there does seem to be a governing body for this.

Social media also no doubt plays its part, parents sold the highlight reel of life, babies sleeping through the night, where they are sitting there wondering what on earth is wrong with their 6 month old still waking once or twice throughout the night.

Absolutely and maybe we should tell the truth as well that poor sleep is a part of having young children.

Is there anyone that doesn't know to expect to get no sleep with new babies? Isn't that one of the most famous facts around becoming a new parent? They don't sleep, so you're exhausted?

I think very few people expect to get much sleep with a newborn. But then people also expect them to start sleeping through the night a lot earlier than they are biologically capable of. I remember Molly Mae stopping breastfeeding at 3 or 4 months because it was ‘stopping’ her baby sleeping through the night. Whereas it’s normal for even a one year old to wake throughout the night. Even my 3 year old is about 50/50 as to whether she will sleep through.

Yes, plenty who believe it won't happen to them. And so many parents who just couldn't believe it would be that bad. Then a sleep consultant comes along and tells them there's something "wrong."

The sleep deprivation is usually something that can reasonably be borne by two people between them, each considering the other and acting lovingly towards them. It’s usually not something that can be borne by one person without detriment to their health, both mental and physical.

That’s the other message that needs to be out there!

There's no sleep and there's no sleep. My youngest got up every hour or so as a baby, but quickly fed back to sleep, took seconds, all fine.

I hadn't realised my eldest was so tricky until I realised people with frequent wakes were describing what my youngest did. My eldest took an hour to get to sleep, woke 45 minutes later but woke up completely. Had to be entirely resettled for 1-2 hours. Never slept more than an hour at a time until he was approaching 2. Didn't sleep through until 3 and then sporadically. Anyway he has a neurological condition and is medicated for sleep now thank God but I often think of how I was that couple of years and how much 'sure noone sleeps when they have a baby's and realise noone listens when you describe how bad it can be, noone believes you.

Almost every time a health visitor is mentioned on Mumsnet, they are slagged off. Parents are told regularly that they can refuse the services of a HV team. It’s no wonder people turn to unregulated consultants.

Health Visitors are registered nurses or midwives who have completed further training. They are registered and accountable to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

YANBU. I saw this report on TikTok and it was horrendous. Giving out downright dangerous advice and pretending it’s fine.

I agree. It’s money for old rope. Sleep deprivation is part and parcel of having a baby for the vast majority of parents.

another example of social media being the Wild West and ‘influencers’ posing as experts being allowed to flog plans/guides/consultancy with no checks or balances. Then you’ve got a big influencer endorsing and sharing these people’s services which no doubt implies there’s something legitimate about them.

they should ban the term ‘sleep consultant’ and anyone using night nurse or midwife unless they are qualified and registered.

I also think there’s a regulatory piece that could be solved by AI. Anyone posting about baby sleep/feeding/safety practice should get an auto disclaimer added by the social media platform to state this person may not be qualified and to consult your health visitor or the lullaby trust.

they managed to do this during covid where posts with key words or content flagged a disclaimer so why isn’t this being used wholesale??

could also be used for influencers giving out fitness/nutrition/weightloss/financial advice. which is another area where someone with no qualifications can give out dangerous or even illegal information.

I think people have such a poor view of them because many people have direct or know someone who has had poor, out of date or even just completely wrong advice/ instruction from their HV. But I would be much more inclined to trust anything they said over an unregulated sleep consultant, but a lot of people won’t.

I don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to think that sleep consultants should be regulated, in fact experienced, ethical consultants would welcome it. But this isn’t going to happen over night.

I AM a Children’s Sleep Consultant and have been for 11 years BUT I am not OCN Level 6 accredited which is now being suggested that parents look for when hiring a consultant. But what I do have is this; I am Sleep Sense certified, a member of the Association of Professional Sleep Consultants, 11 years’ experience, have worked one-to-one with over 1100 families, have 5-star reviews throughout, and ALWAYS follow the safe sleep advice from the NHS and the Lullaby Trust.

Parents who need help are now feeling confused as they don’t know who to trust. Suddenly booking a call with a sleep consultant feels dangerous. Most parents that I speak to are at rock bottom due to lack of sleep and I now fear that parents will not seek the support they need due to fear. Do ethics and conduct count for nothing? Is it just qualifications? If the answer to the latter is yes, then I would like to point out that that Lucy Letby was a qualified professional. Horrifying. What a confusing place to be in if you are a desperate parent suffering from sleep deprivation because your child doesn’t have the tools to sleep well.

If you are looking for a consultant, get recommendations, look at qualifications and or training, read reviews, most good consultants will offer a free call to start with so you can get a feel for them and you can ask what ever questions you need, and ALWAYS ask if they follow safe sleep advice.

Absolutely I expected to get little sleep with a newborn. I was actually pleasantly surprised as it was better than is thought. Then regressions hit and it all went wrong. I'm still surviving on 4-5 hours often broken sleep now, and they are both in school, and that's with one being medicated to sleep.

Everyone expects bad sleep from newborns but people often think it gets better in a linear fashion. No one talks about how 1 year olds can sleep worse than newborns, or how sleep deprivation can go on for years, not weeks or months.