Elizabeth has worked with thousands of families over the past 20 years. Here’s what a few of them have to say about her Gift of Sleep program and their successes with the e-Book …
Dear Elizabeth and team,
I don’t know where to start. I am amazed by the success I have had following your fabulous GOS routine and I cannot put into words how eternally grateful I am for you having shared your knowledge.
I first heard about you when good friend, Lisa Mayoh, had written an article in the Telegraph about the success she had with the gorgeous Leila with your technique. Unable financially to have you do the same for us, I have been desperate, to say the least!!! I was booked in for Tresillian with my beautiful 6 month old daughter, Isla in a couple of weeks time but felt I could not wait that long, I needed a fix and I needed it now!
Not that you need to hear my life story, but in short, I am a child care worker, I always saw myself doing something along the lines of what you are doing, helping families with their bubs, but was left feeling nothing short of a failure when I couldn’t settle my own baby! It has been a huge roller coaster of emotions, anxiety, baby blues and I honestly feel sleep deprivation has been the basis of all these things.
I began the GOS last week and after a horrid first night, I decided to persevere with night 2.. It was a miracle!! She went down within 10 mins without so much as a whimper. I heard a couple of low grizzles through the night but nothing that warranted knocking.
Wait for it… In 6 months to the day, Isla slept in her bed, without being wrapped, fed, without a dummy, a mobile, a pat, a rock or a shush from 640pm-635am. She didn’t even let me know she was awake, and every morning since, I go in at 7am and she is lying there happily waiting for me to come and get her! I love my new and refreshed and happy baby, she is such a different baby for you sharing this technique.
I have shared the GOS with my mothers group and we are all willing to donate nothing short of vital body organs (not literally:), to express our dear, sincere and honest thanks!
Isla has slept from 630/7pm-7am since night 3, I however still worry she is ok and breathing but cannot wait for my full nights sleep once my body rids this wakeful habit of attending to a crying baby every 2-3 hours!
I asked Lisa (Mayoh) to pass on nothing short of the biggest thank you she could next time you were in touch, but had to be sure, to be sure
that my utmost thanks was received.
Thank you again Elizabeth, my confidence as a mother and a child carer is slowly being restored.
Kind regards,
Niki, Andrew and Isla - 28 October 2012
Alexander
Hi Bec and Elizabeth,
Just wanting to give you both a big thank you to the both of you!
We are now in week 3 and are happier than we have ever been. Our family is in a completely different place than we were for the 6 months before starting the program.
For 6 months I was rocking Alexander to sleep at night and for every nap, and the naps only went for 30 minutes. Night time started in his bed but he always ended up co-sleeping. It was a haze of rocking, crying (him and me!) and no sleep. Alexander was grumpy all day every day, it was very draining and upsetting for both of us.
My mother saw the segment on the Today Show and I googled and found the eBook. My mother came to stay with me for a week to get me through. Night one was very hard as Alexander had never been left crying longer than a minute but by the second night we had made an improvement on both night and day sleeps. By the fourth night we were down to only one resettle and by night six I was doing one knock and the resettling wasn’t needed.
Now, week three and Alexander is going to sleep both at night and for naps within 10 minutes of putting him down. Sometimes we get a bit of a stop/start cry but nothing major. He sleeps from 6:30pm to 7:00am and if he does wake its only a few grizzles and than back to sleep.
Alexander is now a happy playful baby who can play alone, is laughing and quite content. He is eating better, we have a routine for naps, its amazing. We have so much fun now that when he is asleep I want to wake him because I miss his happy smiling face where as before the program I begged for him to sleep and was regularly on the phone to my mum in tears.
I am sooooo happy and our family is enjoying every moment with our happy gorgeous little boy who is now starting to crawl!!
Thank you!
Ebanie, Duraid and Alexander - 8 June 2012
Paula and Baxter
Hello Elizabeth, Mia and Rebecca
I just wanted to let you know The Gift of Sleep works! It actually works!
I’m on week two now of The Gift of Sleep and we follow the routine every day give or take 15 minutes. My little man is now going to sleep with not even a moan! He just places his head down, turns it the side and nods off. It’s like a dream!!
Rewind two weeks ago and this was a typical day… 4.30am/5.00am wake, feed then bright eyed and bushy-tailed ready for the day! I was feeding Baxter 5 times a day and I was lucky if he slept three times a day for 20-minute intervals. At night he would wake up 5-6 times and needed to be breastfed to sleep. This meant my husband could never have a turn (much to his delight). When my husband did look after him he couldn’t get our son to sleep without walking.
Now we can both get him to sleep: 1-2 hours during the day (twice a day!) and at night when he sleeps from 6.00pm-6.30am!!!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Bliss! The best $20 I ever spent. Bless you Elizabeth, Mia and Rebecca.
From one very relaxed and happy family after a long 9 months.
Paula - 31st May 2012
Declan (seated) and his big brother Jackson
Dear Elizabeth
I LOVE this book!!!! It actually does what it says it does on the cover!! I must confess, I was a bit sceptical when I read The Gift of Sleep could teach my baby to sleep in just 3 days, but I am now eating my words and I apologise- it literally happened overnight.
Declan (6 months) suffers from reflux and although the medication morning and night is helping him, he had developed a bad sleeping habit that I couldn’t break. Until now. He needed me for comfort to get to sleep – so when he woke every 1-2 hours overnight I had to feed him to calm him down enough to get him back to sleep. He wouldn’t take a dummy. I tried everything I had learnt in the past but nothing worked. (I have a 2 year old who still doesn’t sleep through the night who we took to sleep school when he was 7 months and again at 14 months and I have read plenty of other ‘sleep books’ in that time.)
I almost gave up trying and started thinking this was just the way it was going to be. More than one person has told me in the past that ‘some babies just don’t sleep, you’ve unfortunately had two babies who don’t sleep’. My sister-in-law saw Mia talking about The Gift of Sleep on tv and told me about it. I decided to give it a go. Why not?
Night one was what I used to call a good night- only up 7 times between 8pm-5.30am and Declan got back to sleep within 10-20 minutes each time. He survived without a feed until I caved in at 5.30am. He fell back asleep at 6am and i had to wake him at 8.30am when I woke up! Pretty good considering he’s never lasted more than 4 hrs without a feed and that was 9.5 hrs! Night two was amazing. Declan only woke up ONCE, at 4.30am. Night three and again he only woke up ONCE at 5.30am. He now has two good sleeps during the day of 1-2 hours each instead of catnapping or sleeping for a total of half an hour for the day. AND he sleeps through the night. I haven’t fed him overnight since starting the program a week ago. Truly Amazing!!! I could go on about it for ages. Very Happy!!
My 2 year old is next!!!
Olivia, Shane, Jackson and Declan - 30th May 2012
Six-month-old Grace
Hi Elizabeth, Bec and Mia,
I just wanted to write and tell you thank you so much for writing The Gift Of Sleep. My little girl is 6 and 1/2 months old and I was so tired and desperate for sleep! I was up 2-3 times a night for feeding and then in between those feeds sticking the dummy in. I was close to being up 15 times a night, and then forgetting: was I up for the dummy or was it a feed? Oh – I can’t remember, I’ll just feed her, rock her, sing to her, pat her and she’ll go back to sleep…. I had about 10 dummies in her cot for quick plug ins! I couldn’t even eat my dinner without having to rush to the nursery to put that dummy back in!
After reading so many sleep books, and being recommended so many other routines and sleep strategies I came across Mia’s YouTube video via Google, recommending this book. While I was watching the video I thought, hey she‘s been through what I’m going through now….I downloaded the book without hesitation.
Well, I started during the day as I wanted Grace to get used to no dummy to begin with. She had her first day sleep a little late than usual at 9.30am. She went down no problems as she was very tired. I thought great start! Then again in the afternoon 1pm went down a few grizzles. Night one began! Grace went to bed at 7.26pm, she cried for 5 mins, with a start/stop cry. I left her and thought this is good… she’s not screaming yet! And she went to sleep, by 7.31pm. My husband and I went straight to bed, thinking…. it’s going to be a long night yet! Grace awoke at 10.52pm grizzling until 10.58pm, we didn’t even get out of bed as it was just a start/stop cry – grizzle. And then back to sleep!!! She woke up again during the morning, but re-settled herself after a few grizzles. Then at 7am, she was up. Playing with her flat out bear! She even drank a whole bottle (which she hadn’t done for a few weeks now!) Day sleeps were a breeze – no dummies! Night two was an improvement on night one. She woke up less, and grizzled less, again resettling herself. We were worried about night 3 as we both play sport on Sundays and it was a big day for her, with only and hour and half sleep all day! I put her to bed at 7.23pm that night with her bear and she grizzled for 3 mins, but then straight to sleep. We didn’t hear from her until 3.53am – with a little grizzle and back to sleep, up and ready for the day at 6.30am.
Even after night one, Grace was happier, I was happier. We had both gotten more sleep than we have ever gotten. Grace is more content and can sit on her own and play without looking around for me or grizzling the whole time. I can enjoy her more and I can actually watch tv until 9.30pm with my husband and enjoy it!!! The book made sense, it was easy to read and it isn’t the type of book where you read and that’s it…. you’re on your own. You have the support from other mums, the Facebook support and comments page… I kept a close eye on your Facebook page and kept reading about other’s mum’s successes, and what night number they were on, and how it was going. I read the testimonials, over and over again. You answered any questions I had, and you just kept supporting myself and other mums! I liked how you made a baby’s cry sound like a protest – “hang on… what’s happening? This is not what I’m used to!” You made my husband and I realise baby’s cry – it’s what they do and how they communicate and a little bit of crying isn’t going to hurt them. Thank you so very much from the bottom of our hearts!
Emma, Dan & Grace xoxoxo - 28 May 2012
Natalie & Ella
Hi Elizabeth, Bec and Mia
Thank you so much for sharing The Gift of Sleep.
We started the program exactly a week ago. I can’t believe how much better life is in that time. I’ve just finished tucking my relaxed and content baby into her cot for the night. I can hear her chirping away and I know sleep is on its way.
My 10-month-old baby was waking repeatedly at night for a breastfeed and/or cuddle. I called myself ‘Ninja Mum’. Ninja Mum would quietly stalk the halls at night, cradle baby to sleep, then gently try to lower her into the cot and creep out without her waking. The trouble though was baby was wise to me. Her cry seemed to say, “No I wasn’t really asleep, don’t go anywhere!” Over time my baby was getting more tired and finding it harder to unwind and sleep. Her one daytime sleep was only half an hour. Our sleep (or lack there of) was a constant worry.
After 3 days thinking about it, I bought The Gift of Sleep. Making a change is a scary proposition. Once I bought it, I read it that night. Elizabeth’s gentle method of teaching your baby to self settle sounded so sensible. My hubby is working overseas and I don’t have any family living nearby. So having the online community of parents also doing the program made me realise I was not alone. I felt reassured that that my baby and I could do this. I was a bit nervous about how well my baby would react. The reality of the first night turned out easier than I feared. My baby let me know her disapproval and it was tough hearing her protest cry. But I resisted the quick fix. I remembered the big picture and kept calm. That first night we both had more sleep than we had in months.
Since that first night, it’s only gotten better. I’m absolutely delighted with the huge blocks of sleep we’ve had. When she does wake up, it’s a grizzle or a sigh and then she settles herself back to sleep. We’re both enjoying the best sleep we’ve had in her lifetime!
My naturally happily and active baby is now even more so. Rather than falling asleep in the highchair at dinnertime, she entertains me with her giggles and wiggles. Two decent daytime sleeps were an unexpected bonus, as I read these can take a bit longer to establish. She even sounds better when she’s sleeping. Her breathing is deep and loud. I could write pages about how much better things are! I would not have thought such a positive change could be possible with so little effort or angst. It’s as if sleeping angels have visited and blessed our house with a sprinkling of sleeping dust!
Without this program we would be going on the way we were. I can’t even imagine being on that road again! Ella and I say a BIG “thank you”!
Natalie & Ella xxx - 26th May 2012
Baby Alice
Dear Elizabeth, Bec and Mia
I subscribe to Mamamia and just assumed The Gift of Sleep was another controlled crying program with a few new bells and whistles.
My third daughter is 7.5 months old, she was feeding all night long and ended up every night in our bed. I was exhausted and realised my cranky pants were negatively affecting my family. We finished the three- night program last night. What I have realised over the three nights is that I didn’t give Alice a chance to learn how to sleep by herself - I was up and out of bed within seconds of her waking.
Over the three nights Alice cried for no more than twice for 5 minutes. And it wasn’t hysterical crying, just protest. Now to tackle the three-year-old who won’t go to sleep in her bed and also ends up in our bed every night (somehow I don’t think she will be so easy!). Thank you Elizabeth, Bec and Mia! I think of all the sleep I missed out on with my eldest two. Now when my boobs have got used to not producing milk during the night I look forward to some sleep.
Jacqui X - 25th May 2012
Katie & Charlotte
Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks so much for putting pen to paper and producing The Gift Of Sleep. Like many others I was silently starting to crumble, following many exhausting nights over the past few months trying to settle and resettle my eight-month-old daughter to sleep.
I haven’t helped her cause – we have been traveling for the past 6 weeks (both domestically and to the States) where breastfeeding her to sleep was my only answer to her constant waking throughout each night. To read Mia’s article on your beliefs, and subsequently the book you have written could not have come at a better time.
We didn’t rush into it. Having purchased your book on a Monday, we decided as a family that Friday would be it. (Even mum came to stay, ready to swing into action the following morning so I could get some sleep following the dreaded night one.) Flat bear ready, room rearranged, sleeping bag on … and what happened next astounded us all!! She cried for a total of 20 seconds. And then silence. For the next 12 hours, our little girl ‘woke up’ twice – we held our breath, thinking I would have to start your process and she then proceeded to resettle herself on her own and was quickly back to sleep. We couldn’t believe it!! She was such a happy baby that next morning – and like other mums, I also noticed her increased appetite. Surely that was just a fluke and the tough times were ahead for night two??
Night two = exactly the same. Another 12 hours, resettling herself (without me having to get out of bed!). I managed to get the best night’s sleep I have had since she was born (the previous night I just lay awake all night wondering if something was wrong with my sleeping girl!). Night three and then the game started. She took 75 minutes to resettle, but following your process, the waits, knocks and resettles finally worked. She slept again for the rest of the night until 7am.
Even though I feel I have had a smooth run so far (except for one night), I am sure it will change and she will test me – however I feel absolutely confident that your system works, and that I really am giving my girl a gift. Just watching her play, eat and go about her day after a good night of sleep is proof enough for me. I feel it is as if she has sensed something has changed and has adapted beautifully.
Thanks to you, Mia and Bec again. An easy to read, accessible book which made more sense to me than anything else I have read along the journey.
Warm regards,
Katie & Baby Charlotte - 23rd May 2012
Dear Elizabeth
Over the past 7 months we have bought every snuggle suit, every product, tried every sleep program we could find and had not one but TWO sleep experts spend a full day with us. Our son Fred has struggled with sleep from the day he was born. At eight-weeks-old when friends’ babies were sleeping through the night, Fred had never slept more than two hours at any one time. With endless persistence we have had some limited success but just as soon as Fred showed some sign he was getting it, he’d just as quickly completely lose it. Now I know it was because he just couldn’t grasp the self-settle.
Almost all of the advice we have received (including the suggestions from the sleep experts) and read about was based on variations of ‘patting’ at regular intervals and in regards to re-settling we were advised to pat Fred back to sleep. For the record neither sleep expert was able to settle or re-settle Fred using these techniques. I was however advised to be persistent and eventually it would work.
I have patted my little man like a maniac for days, weeks, months on end. Would he eventually get to sleep? Sure, but it was taking longer and longer and he was still up every night not able to re-settle when waking. His day sleeps were worse. It would take me longer to get him to sleep than he would actually sleep.
Needless to say I have been pushed to my mental and emotional limits. What was at month 2-3 a little distressing was veering closer and closer to depressing.
I read about The Gift Of Sleep, jumped online and bought the e-book ready to start on Friday night. We did the programme exactly as instructed including buying a Flat Bear and when we put Fred into bed and tucked him in, I just knew he was going to get it together. Fred was asleep 6 minutes later. He slept through that night. Over the course of the programme we haven’t had it that easy every time, but the difference has been incredible. In the first week, he slept through 5 out of 7 nights. We are now in week 2 and whilst he has woken a couple of times, he has re-settled himself within 5-10mins without any assistance from us.
Our day sleeps have also improved, in fact on a couple of occasions I have heard him wake after 45mins, chat to himself for 10mins and then go back to sleep. Amazing.
My husband and I are very grateful for this programme. For the first time Fred is getting it together. I can put him into bed (day or night) and 9 out of 10 times never have to re-visit him until he’s woken from a good sleep. Those times that he does need a little help, we only ever have to knock once or twice and then he is asleep.
Even in the 2 weeks since we’ve been doing The Gift Of Sleep I can literally feel the stress leaving my body. I feel like myself again. I’m enjoying my days with Fred. I’m getting some sleep. As my husband commented a couple of days ago, ‘You haven’t cried in over a week!’
Thank you Elizabeth, Rebecca, Mia and The Gift Of Sleep.
Sincerely,
Lauren and Frederick - 21st May 2012
Georgia
Hi Elizabeth, Rebecca and Mia,
I just wanted to let you know that I implemented the Gift of Sleep system on Wednesday night and our little girl, Georgia was self settling by 12.30am that night.
Last night she went down at 6.30pm and woke today at 6am. Without a whimper from her.
Today we are the happiest baby and mum ever. I can’t thank you enough for following up the issues I was having with the internet.
You have made my last two nights an absolute dream and me a happy mum again. Words can’t express how grateful I am.
Thank you again.
Renae, Peter and Georgia - 18th May 2012
Dear Elizabeth,
Tammy & Emily
Our 10-month-old daughter Emily had us (well, me) wrapped around her little finger. All of a sudden I found myself doing all the things I said I would never do as a parent. Letting her fall asleep in my arms, giving her a dummy, bringing her into our bed…the list goes on! In the end, she would only ever fall asleep if I was holding her or she was cuddled up next to me in bed. I was in a trap of sleepless nights and I had no idea how to get out of it.
Then The Gift of Sleep came along and it was like a miracle from the Sleep Gods! Although I was convinced Elizabeth’s techniques would not work on my daughter, who had NEVER gone to sleep while put into her cot awake, I was at my wits end and knew it was worth a try. Once I took that step of committing myself to the program, we haven’t looked back. The first night was tough. Hearing my baby cry for me, both our hearts broken, was absolutely terrible – but I knew that once I got through the initial crying and protest, it would get easier. And it does! After 3 nights, Emily is sleeping in her cot all night from 7pm until 6-7am. No dummy, no holding, no rocking. Miracle! We still have the odd wake up during the early hours of the morning, but she settles herself within a few minutes.
I’m forever grateful to Elizabeth, Bec and Mia for teaching us that our babies really can sleep on their own! Don’t be scared to give Elizabeth’s program a go. Just remember the three c’s and DON’T GIVE IN. Your baby will thank you.
The biggest of thanks from Tammy, Richard & Emily. - 17th May 2012
Angie & Fletcher
Hi Elizabeth
I just wanted to send you a message to say a HUGE thank you for providing me with some direction in getting my 9 month old son to sleep through the night. I know you are probably receiving a stack of thank you’s after the release of The Gift of Sleep ebook recently- because it works and I am not alone in being extremely grateful.
Fletcher is a great baby however he was waking 3 times a night for a breastfeed, and although I knew it wasn’t the right thing to do, I fed him so that he would settle quickly and go back to sleep without waking his 2 year old sister (who slept through the night at 6 weeks so this was a shock for me second time around!) Perhaps my pride was getting in the way a little (I think most of us like to pretend we know what we are doing) and also the fact that I secretly enjoyed my cuddles with him during the quiet of the night.The Gift of Sleep ebook was the answer to my prayers and your ideas, combined with the talents of Bec and Mia, made the book easy to understand and follow. I found myself saying “yes, Yes! that is exactly what I am going through”…. so many times throughout the book, so it was nice to realise that I was not alone and was not an incompetent mother! It was so well written and far less complicated than any other parenting book that I have read. I had no hesitation in trialling your program because it just made so much sense….. it gave me confidence and belief. I did have to gather the courage over a few days in order to begin the program because I get a little anxious at letting either of my kids cry, and although I dreaded night 1, I discovered that Fletch wasn’t hysterical, but merely grizzled a little as he learnt the new skill of resettling.
We just had night 4 and Fletch slept from 6:45pm-4:00am so I will now work on stretching him out longer (I think he may have gotten cool in the early morning). He is sleeping better during the day and is eating more also.
My husband may in fact propose to you!!! Or he might just enjoy the fact that I can stay awake past 8pm at night!
After being an elite athlete for 10 years before I started my family, I am not afraid of challenges, but I was starting to struggle to get through the day with any sanity because of lack of sleep. I have competed at the Olympics on 3 occasions, but that was far easier than motherhood (and far less rewarding!) If you could now pen the manual for all of the other developmental challenges children (and parents) face in the years ahead I will buy the advanced copies!!!I love being a mother more than anything in the world, and you have brought the joy back to every day as I feel a renewed sense of energy. I will recommend your book and services to anyone who needs the little boost to get their babies sleeping through the night!!
Thank you for sharing your gift.
Angie - 14th May 2012
Dear Elizabeth, Rebecca and Mia,
Jacqui & Ava
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I’ve just finished night 3 of the sleep program with my 21 month old daughter, Ava. And I want to cry… I’m so relieved! She is going to sleep on her own, without her bottle (her previous addiction!) and soothing herself back to sleep when she wakes during the night.
I downloaded your book on Monday after reading about it in Mia’s column (thanks Mia – love your work!). I was at wits end. I work full-time, as does my husband who travels for work. So sleep is precious. Ava has not been sleeping well since last August and we’ve tried everything… or so we thought. She was waking 3 to 4 times per night. I figured hey, I’m smart, surely I can fix this… Well no I couldn’t and that just made me feel worse. I’d actually become quite ill and rundown. Besides being just well, plain grumpy!
And for the price of my weekly coffees, your book has solved the sleeping crisis. Ava is eating better. Breakfast had previously been a battle. And yes, it is only day 4, but I know that we have a happier and brighter little girl. Even though she was always happy. She just seems happier in herself. And I feel human!!!
And even though the book suggests having support at home to get through it, I didn’t as my husband was away (he is a pilot) as were my parents. I say this not to brag, but to say to all the Mum’s out there thinking about it, YOU CAN DO IT! Yes it is a challenge, but the improvements are immediate and enough to get you through the next day and the next. I couldn’t put it off another day so I just started and it worked!
I had so much more energy last night that I baked a cake and painted my nails… Now that hasn’t happened in a very long time!
Thanks again… I’m off to wipe my happy tears!
Jacqui xoxo - 14th May 2012
Hugo
Hi Bec, Elizabeth and Mia
I don’t even know where to start. THANK YOU is probably the best place! Your ebook release timing could not have been more perfect – my 6 month old son Hugo was a dummy addict. I’d breastfeed him to sleep each night, then pop the dummy in. He’d usually sleep through from 7.30pm til about 12.30am, then from that time til morning I would usually be up at least 3 or 4 times during the night, popping the dummy back in or breastfeeding him again to get him to fall back to sleep. In the 3 or so nights before your book was released I couldn’t get him to fall back to sleep so was bringing him into our bed, which is something we definitely did not want to encourage. When I saw the book was available, I bought it straight away and read it in one sitting late that night. We had a friend staying with us though, so we only started the program 3 nights ago. AMAZING! The first night was pretty trying on my Hugo and I – it took about 45 mins to get him to settle at the beginning, but we followed the steps perfectly and got there in the end. Then he woke at about 12.30am, and didn’t settle til almost 2am, however slept through until 7.30am! Day sleeps were good – only a few minutes of crying then off to sleep. The next night was easier – only 12 mins to get him off, then a period of only about 10 mins during the night where he was awake. Then last night at 7.30 he cried for a minute, then fell asleep. I heard him stir at 6am, then he put himself back to sleep! It’s now 7.30am and my little boy is waking up – I can hear him blowing raspberries in his cot through the monitor!
I honestly feel like I have a new little boy. He really does seem happier and more content, and has a much bigger appetite now! I gave him lots more food yesterday and he wolfed it down, must be to do with all the sleep he is now getting – and the fact that he’s no longer getting milk during the night. Also we are now 3 days dummy-free and that is amazing!!! I realise now that I had been abusing the dummy, and feeling like I needed it more than he did. So in the last 2 days I didn’t even bother taking it to places where I thought I’d need it – the shops, a doctors appointment – and he was perfect, didn’t ”need” it at all.
For what it’s worth, I don’t care if these methods are or aren’t similar to those advocated by Tizzie Hall or Gina Ford (or any other author for that matter) – I haven’t bought those books, but I found your format the best – a quick simple read (that’s all it should be), that I can read on my Kindle and iPad/iPhone late at night.
I can’t thank you all enough. The program is so easy to follow and it has worked for us. Next step for me – dealing with my massive boobs in the morning that aren’t used to not feeding during the night!
Robyn xxx - 14th May 2012
Hi Mia, Bec, and Elizabeth,
Sam & her daughter
Every feed was lasting for at least forty five minutes, thirty minutes of that would be a fight. I knew it wasn’t working, I knew I needed to do something else, but I didn’t know what, or how. This combined with some old issues that had reared their head resulted in a lovely diagnosis of post-natal depression.
Then, you released ‘The Gift of Sleep’. I never thought that controlled comforting was something I would do, until I tried it. My little girl fell asleep within half an hour that first night, and slept until 6 the next morning. She has only woken up twice during the night over the last week. For the last three days there isn’t even grizzling before she falls asleep. She babbles to herself for about two minutes and then is asleep. It’s amazing!We are both more rested. We are both more relaxed. My hubby is no longer on tenterhooks wondering when I will snap/melt down next. I now enjoy my little girl again.
I can’t believe how much my life has changed in just a week. I honestly can’t express just how thankful I am. I don’t know how I would have survived another night with no sleep. You’ve saved my family.Thank you, I owe you more than you’ll ever know.
With love,
Sam. - 12th May 2012
Bev
Hi Elizabeth, Mia and Bec
Before starting The Gift of Sleep our twin girls (Ruby & Anisha) were waking up in excess of 20 times a night and ultimately sleeping in our beds from about 3am onwards. We tried patting, rocking, music, dummies feeding them & taking them into our beds just for some sleep. Nothing was working! The small amount of sleep they were getting was diminishing & during the day they were not happy campers – sleeping if we were lucky 45 minutes the whole day. It was overwhelming for us all.
On Sunday I picked up the paper and was flicking through it not really reading and saw an article The GIFT of Sleep, I went onto the website downloaded the e-book and read it. I begged my husband to offer any amount of money to Elizabeth to come and help us!! He said we should try it ourselves first. Discouraged I said I would think about it (surely someone else doing it would be easier). How wrong I was.On Tuesday at 7pm with both girls crying and not showing any signs of sleep I decided there and then to start the program — anything was better than this. I followed the program word for word, sitting on a chair in the hallway book in hand waiting for the hysteria. It did not come. Forty minutes later and both babies asleep. A few resettles and some knocking during the night and our 2 beautiful babies woke up happy — no signs of trauma from the night. The next day following the same principles they both slept for 3 hours in total!! I was overjoyed! On night two, with some trepidation as they had slept so well during the day, I did not believe they would settle as easily. Within 8 minutes & one resettle both babies were asleep. That night they only needed to resettle a few times and they slept until 6.30 am. That day 3 hours sleep again when I got home from work I noticed a change in my babies — they looked brighter and happier playing independently and full of energy.Night three and both babies were asleep within 5 minutes of putting to bed, no crying no grizzling. Nothing! Not a peep! For the first time in 10 months we have had a full night’s sleep. Our precious babies woke up at 6.15am in their own room in their own cots. We went and got one each and yes took them back to our bed where they played happily.I am thankful to Elizabeth and the team at Mamamia!Bev, Ruby & Anisha - 11th May 2012
LINDSAY, DEAN & MILA
At six-months-old Mila was waking up every two to three hours – I couldn’t settle her without feeding. As a result, I was exhausted in the mornings and had to have energy for my very active three-year-old son. I wanted to give him attention but was always irritable and tired due to interrupted sleep with the baby at night.
Essentially Mila went down at 7 pm, was up again at 9 pm and had a feed. Then she slept till 11 pm or midnight. Then she was up again at 3 am and then again at 5 am. She was wide-awake at 5 am so I had to get up with her. I did attempt to re-settle before feeding but didn’t want to let her cry because I was afraid she would wake my son.
Elizabeth taught Mila how to self-settle. We are definitely happy that we went through a sleep program as Mila now sleeps from 7 pm until 5 am/5.30 am. Although Mila still wakes earlier than we would like, we are still ecstatic that she can sleep through the night without waking.
It is extremely important to stick to the ‘3 C’s’ – to be calm, consistent and committed to the program. This will ensure that your baby can easily self-settle.
STEVE, GABRIELLA, WILLIAM & XAVIER
When we met Elizabeth, we were exhausted and I felt like I wasn’t functioning properly in daily life. William (six months) was waking three to four times during the night. I would breastfeed him to get him back to sleep every time. He had no self-settling ability whatsoever and zero routine in terms of bedtime.
The second time round with Xavier things weren’t as bad, however by five and a half months he was still waking once or twice a night and I was getting up to feed him.
Elizabeth completely turned our lives around. From the first night she came into our home there were no more night feeds. My boys could both suddenly go 12 hours straight without a feed! William learned how to self-settle. I could now place him in the cot awake and unwrapped and walk out of the room without him letting out a single cry! It was like a miracle. He became a poster child for sleeping- both in the days and the nights. Within days he developed a huge appetite for solids which until then he hadn’t been overly interested in.
Having Elizabeth come and do a sleep program was one of the best things we have ever done and worth every cent.
JOHN, REBECCA & EVIE
When Elizabeth came to us I was feeling completely fed up! I was cranky, sleep deprived and not enjoying life. At nine-months-old Evie was waking up just twice a night. But as she was getting older she was taking longer and longer to get back to sleep (through breastfeeding), so often I would be up for an hour at a time at least.
I felt like a new woman after Elizabeth came. And Evie was a much happier baby too! It completely changed our lives. The fact that we were all sleeping well at night completely changed our family dynamic (no more cranky mum!).
The best thing for me is the confidence I have that whatever has happened in the day I know that when I put Evie down to sleep at night that she will stay asleep until the morning and wake up a happy and refreshed baby. And even though we’ve had illnesses and overseas travels since the program, Evie gets back on track quickly and easily which again I see as testament to how effective the program is and continues to be.
MICHAEL, TANIA & BABY EVA
Before Elizabeth arrived I was feeling very anxious about my baby Eva (six-months-old) not being in a good sleeping pattern. The whole house felt chaotic and stressed. I couldn’t function with the lack of sleep. I also felt guilty to my two other kids and husband for being so cranky and moody and emotional.
Essentially, Eva would wake every three hours and I found it very hard to stretch her further.
Elizabeth would walk in the door at 9 pm, take Eva and work her magic. Eva responded immediately to the sound of her voice and her touch as if she was saying ‘thank you’ to Elizabeth for coming and giving her the gift of sleep. She was able to immediately settle her and put her down to sleep for a good four-hour stretch. This became longer and longer until she was almost going through the night.
When Elizabeth was in the home I felt an instant calmness. She was someone whom we could both trust with our precious baby. One hundred percent.
The program has been a real success with all three of my children.
There are no words to say thank you!
JOHNNY, LOUISE & SONNY
Sonny had never been a great sleeper from birth. We’d spend hours walking him in the pram whilst he screamed the neighbourhood down. He used to sleep for as little as 20 minutes sometimes. If he hit the magic 40-minute mark we were over the moon. At night he was awake for what seemed like the whole night sometimes. Night blended into day without us getting a wink of sleep. It was pretty horrific. We read every book going on the subject and tried every technique but nothing seemed to work. It appeared we were blessed with a beautiful baby boy that was full of energy and bags of personality but that was unfortunately allergic to sleep! It didn’t help that all the other mums and dads we knew had perfect little snooze machines. This only added to the frustration.
It was all a bit of a fog at the time. We struggled and it caused big moments of tension and stress between mum and dad. We were angry, sad and bloody tired! We were at our wits end as we tried to battle through it all. Life was happening all around us, as we got more and more tired. It was pretty heart-wrenching to hear your first-born scream so much at night, for him to be so tired and for us to be so helpless. When both of us were back at work that became even harder. Sleep deprivation is so debilitating and it felt like it would never end.
We used to run Sonny ragged all day in the hope of tiring him out for a good night’s sleep. We had a routine in place before bedtime. Bath time, milk, into his sleeping bag, dropping him into his cot, then wafting a blanket over him before we used to leave. He screamed straight away. We put an extractor fan on as white noise. Sometimes he would then go off to sleep for a while but he was pretty much up and down. We tried control-crying, tag teaming the responsibility throughout the night, holding his hand for hours … he would wake up the moment we let go. We used to whisper downstairs for fear of waking him up and watch the television with our noses six inches from the screen. More often than not one of us would end up in the spare bed with him, eventually falling asleep through exhaustion. When he did wake up in the morning he was always overtired and miserable. This went on for two years!
We were expecting another baby and had reached breaking point so Elizabeth was our last resort. To be honest we were skeptical at first about how effective Elizabeth could possibly be, but she came into our lives like an angel from heaven. She sorted Sonny out in three tough days. He started sleeping 11 to 12 hours straight! We were blown away and we haven’t looked back. Sonny sometimes wakes in the night but will self-settle and go back to sleep. We don’t have to tiptoe around the place. We all sleep and Sonny wakes up in great form in the morning. We’re all happy. Life is normal.
We can’t thank Elizabeth enough. She has a very special gift. She gave us confidence, some proper ground rules but most importantly happiness.
GAYE, PETE AND TWINS GWEN & MAX
Elizabeth came to my husband and I through a referral within our network. She had conducted sleep programs for a number of our friends and everyone was ‘raving’ about this woman with the magic wand. We had just been blessed with twins (our first newborns) and my husband and I were struggling to find a balance between their needs and our needs as a couple … the reason … a lack of sleep!
We met Elizabeth and from the moment of introduction, my husband, the twins and myself felt a genuine connection … upon reflection, quite extraordinary really. Elizabeth so empathetically understood the desired outcomes we wanted to achieve, pacified our concerns of ‘doing something wrong’, mapped out a definitive plan (sleep program) then delivered on it.
The results were immediate and the behavioural changes across both twins from a sleep perspective were profound … as in the next 24 hours! And most importantly for us, it has remained sustainable. As first time parents we also took advantage of her email support and follow up sessions. It has been wonderful to know Elizabeth is available to support us in the very specific issues relating to our family.
If you are challenged with a similar issue (lack of sleep due to your baby’s immediate needs), STOP NOW, search NO further. Elizabeth is the one.
SOPHIE, CHRISTOPHER & BABY WILLOW
Initially we experienced some issues when we brought Willow home; I couldn’t feed her and she was losing weight. Once we had her on a bottle she slipped into a good routine, sleeping through from about 10 weeks. But then we encountered the house of cards that was Willow’s allergy, reflux and subsequent sleeping issues.
At four-and-a-half-months things started going pear shaped. At first Willow was waking three times a night then every two hours. Then every hour. Then multiple times an hour. As for day sleeps, well, they were non-existent. In the end we had tried projectors, dummies, and an hour-long nighttime routine (which we stuck to feverishly), co-sleeping, pram sleeping, couch sleeping. We worked out that we were averaging four hours or less of broken sleep a night. It was affecting our work performances, our social lives and our relationship but most importantly it wasn’t allowing us to enjoy Willow as completely because we were all so damn tired.
I finally managed to get Willow’s allergy under some control and as soon as this happened (at 10 months) I called Elizabeth. From our first conversation she reassured me. Elizabeth, like us, didn’t like controlled crying and was ready to help.
Now I must be honest, sleeping through didn’t happen straight away (it took a month), although the improvements were immediate. One month later Willow was sleeping through the night and was even having two naps a day. Is Elizabeth a miracle worker? ABSOLUTELY!
CHARLOTTE, MATT & OLIVER
We were up every two to three hours to Oliver. I was still feeding at 3.30 am. Six months had passed and we were all very tired. Including bubba.
Oliver was a good sleeper in the day but then he became restless night and day. Then he became addicted to the dummy! I was up every few hours popping it back in. He was going down at about 7 pm and would ALWAYS wake about an hour afterwards. We’d have to throw down our dinner before he woke so one of us could hold him until he went to sleep again. We had eeeeeverything to try and make him sleep … a singing lamb, patting, warm milk, tip toeing around the house etc. Crazy!
Implementing Elizabeth’s Gift of Sleep program was the best thing we ever did. Oliver is now almost two-years-old and never, ever wakes in the night. Sometimes I hear him stir and he goes back to sleep in a flash! My husband calls it the ‘best investment’ we ever made. Our nights are full of sleep. Our days are full of action. And best of all, our baby flourished and we have no doubt that’s because he was well slept.
Elizabeth saved us!
