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Original poster

Naturally nurturing sleep clinic

36 replies

ionesmum · 16/04/2005 12:00

Has anyone tried this? It's been featured in Junior. I can't decide between this one and Millpond, and can't afford to get it wrong.

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Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 12:31

Bump!!!!!!!

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MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 12:34

Have you tried speaking to your health visitor to be referred to the sleep clinic. My council runs one which you don't get charged for but have to be referred to.

Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 12:43

Hi, thanks for your reply, our hv does do a sleep clinic but only offers a CC programme which isn't for us.

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MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 12:45

Sorry to be thick but what is a CC service?

Seona1973 · 16/04/2005 12:46

controlled crying I would think (i dont agree with it either)

MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 12:48

Mine didn't. The way they worked was they asked you to fill in a sleep diary for a week. In this I had to also include any drinks and food and the times. She looked at my diary and rearrange the meal times and we got a nights sleep again. It was great.

blossom2 · 16/04/2005 12:49

I'm using them at the moment to help with DD's (3 years) sleep problems.

Chireal is really nice to talk to on the phone. W've gone with the programme (£135) which includes 2 x 1 hour consultations and a programme which you implement. It takes about 2/3 weeks to work. I called them after reading the article in Junior as well. We must have talked for a good 30 minutes before i made my choice. Also felt it wasn't that expensive. I'm playing in installments as well rather than all upfront.

I was at the end of my nerves with DD's sleep problems and it was really nice to speak to someone about it - especially a professional. She's helped me understand DD more, give me some really good practical advice (eg giving DD more responsibility). We've adapted the programme more to our needs but its handy to have the programme because we can always use it again later. We're into the second week and its going well. DD is sleep going down at bedtime really well. Much much better than before.

How old is your child? have you read any sleep books? I didn't want to read a book since i felt their techniques for a 3 year old were too harsh. Talking to Chireal has helped me lots.

You can CAT me if you want to know more and I'll know how we do!

MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 12:52

What do they do that is different?

blossom2 · 16/04/2005 12:58

in my situation and since DD was that bit older, it was very much about how i communicated with DD. And teaching her about consequences and giving her responsibility for her day. That was new to me and refreshing to hear.

blossom2 · 16/04/2005 12:59

we've also recently moved to paris, and don't know the system. if we were back in the UK, then i would have spoken to a HV first before forking out any money, but i don't think there is such a system here.

Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 13:27

Very interested, blossom, I will do that. The only thing that worries me is that dd2 is only 13 mo, but as she had her success wit hher four mo old twins maybe that wouldn't be an issue. their prices are cheaper too. My dd's problem is bfeeding to sleep.

Yes, CC is controlled crying. Fair play to those it works for but we don't agree with it. When the hv came round and said to do CC, I said, 'What else can I try' and she said that there is no alternative.

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MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 13:31

Its sounds very interesting, how does it work with younger children?

lockets · 16/04/2005 13:34

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Message withdrawn

Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 13:37

Hi lockets, tried pu/pd for one evening and after an hour and a half I caved. Poor dd2, she sounded like Tom waits from all the screaming!

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blossom2 · 16/04/2005 13:39

I don't think controlled crying works with every child. You might want to get Tracey Hogg's (baby whispher person) latest book out of the library and see what she says about sleep problems for a baby that age.

But I know how you feel ionesmum. I was so desperate to sort out DD's sleep problem and so sleep deprived myself. I felt i'd read and tried everything and nothing was working. I felt so down and got angry then felt guilty. I was crying alot and just felt so hopeless and useless. I'd just run out of ideas and didn't have the strength to go on looking for more ideas. it was nice to talk to someone and have her give me those ideas. I wasn't in a state to look at things objectively. i'm also pregnant.

I chose her mainly because she was great to talk to and had ideas on different ways to do/say/look at things. She helped me look at DD from a different light - which i was unable to do before because i could not see the wood for the trees.

lockets · 16/04/2005 13:43

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Message withdrawn

Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 13:44

No, I firmly believe that CC doesn't work for everyone. And I so know how you feel about losing perspective. This morning I left my house keys in church, then got home to find I hadn't locked up anyway, then didn't have a clue where I'd put them and had mad dh on the phone from the church asking me where to look, and all because I'm so tired!!!!!!Dh and I are crabby with each other, we look about a hundred, and we need some sleep!

Another thing that appeals about this clinic is that they look at the whole day, we have a bedtime routine but by dau we pretty much wing it, and dd2 sometimes ends up missing meals because she's fallen asleep at a funny time, or because she's had a bfeed.

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blossom2 · 16/04/2005 13:46

I think Natural nurturing devises a plan based on a consultation with the parents, so its very tailored and personalised. We had an hour's consultation where lots of questions were asked (if you're in london, i think she does visits as well), before we received the programme.

blossom2 · 16/04/2005 13:50

I also posted a couple of threads about DD's sleep issue on MN before using Natural nurturing.

can i ask what exactly is the issue with your DD's sleep??

apart of me does feel guilty that i've needed to get in a professional to do this but sometimes you just need to speak to someone who can be objective and not pass judement on you.

marbeth · 16/04/2005 13:57

Ionesmum

Have you tried the book solving childrens sleep problems A step by step Guide for parents
Author DR Lyn Quine.

it is an excellant book with a variety of sleep programmes for different problems.As a student health visitor I have found it invaluable as not all parents want CC

MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 14:03

From what you've said it doesn't sound very different form the sleep clinic I attended but they charge.

I know how awful you feel when you haven't had a sleep and how it affects every aspect of your thinking. Trying to sort out your childs sleep problems when you feel like that might as well be a mountain. I've been there and recently my friend was too. I went around for 3 nights got her boy off to sleep and stayed. She then had 3 nights sleep and she was feeling a bit stronger and ready to continue what had already been started. Her difficulties were far more problematic than he doesn't sleep, he was prem and therefore had difficluties with getting off to sleep. He has breathing problems and she carries a lot of guilt about him and his health conditions. With all of that and sleep deprevation it must have seemed an impossible job. He is still getting up in the night but she can get to sleep in his own bed for at least half the night. The rest will come when she is feeling she can leave him.

blossom2 · 16/04/2005 14:06

your sleep clinic sounds great btw Marypop1. Just wished they had them more around the country. My HV in the UK also used CC and there's wasnt even a sleep clinic!

highlander · 16/04/2005 20:38

Can I stick my penny worth's in?

DS (now nearly 8mo) started to be a terrible sleeper from 4 months and it got really, really bad as he went through teething (espec the top 2), 2 colds and the trots. It reached its peak a couple of weeks ago and after a consultation with the HV about his terrible constipation, she reckoned dehydration and a painful bowel was at least part of his night-time wakening. He now gets BF 3X as much during the day, gets all of fruit purees diluted with 50% prune juice and sips a lot of water with his meals (except breakfast). He's a lot more settled and only wakes up twice at night for boob, which I'm more than happy to give.

In the midst of all this I was coming under soooooo much pressure to do CC, but I've always maintained it's a cruel method for infants, as they can't vocalise what's wrong.

I don't know if any of this is of any use to non-sleepers!

Original poster
ionesmum · 16/04/2005 20:47

Blossom, dd2 bfeeds to sleep, then at every waking. Some nights she's permanentky latched on. I could just about handle it but now she's waking in the evenings, too, which is awful as I'm a SAHM and this is the only adult time I get. Also she co-sleeps at night and I'd like her to be in her cot. I don't really mind the idea of calling in a professional, I kind of like the reassurance and the one-to-one care.

Lockets, well done for sticking it out. Maybe dh woul dbe better than me, but I know I'd be really bad at leaving him to it and if it got really tough he'd come and get me.

Marbeth, thanks for that, I will check it out on Amazon. You will be a great hv!!!

Mary about your friend. Hope she and her little one are okay.

Highlander, very interested - dd2 has got awful constipation since starting to take more solids, she doesn't eat puree at all and so doesn't really eat much fruit. I have been told to cut back bf in order to get her to eat more but maybe I should be getting her to drink more and then worry about the food afterwards.

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MaryP0p1 · 16/04/2005 20:50

I don't hink it will get a better anytime soon because she having to go to London for at least 2 weeks as her other son is having surgery and will need at least that time before they wil allow him home.