Sleep and Settling

Do I need guidance with sleep and settling?

There are a variety of reasons that sleep patterns change as babies and infants develop. Each individual child has different sleep needs which can feel overwhelming when they go from sleeping well for extended periods, back into frequent waking. This can happen around 4 or 5 months of age.

Midwife Alex empowers parents with the knowledge and tools they need to support healthy sleep patterns and settling techniques for their newborns and infants. We understand that sleep is crucial not only for your baby's well-being but also for your own peace of mind. We are here to help you create a nurturing and secure environment where your little one can thrive.

Midwife Alex uses the Neuroprotective Developmental Care (NDC) approach to sleep and settling created by Dr Pamela Douglas, the author of “The discontented little baby book”. Midwife Alex is an accredited NDC practitioner, trained by Dr Pamela herself.

The NDC Approach by Dr. Pam Douglas

Dr. Pam Douglas, a pioneer in the field of infant sleep and well-being, developed the Neuroprotective Developmental Care approach to support both the physiological and emotional needs of newborns, infants and their parents. This approach focuses on creating an environment that respects your baby's unique developmental stage while promoting healthy sensory nourishment, sleep patterns and settling techniques.

Key principles of the NDC approach include:

Responsive Care: We emphasize the importance of responding to your baby's cues promptly and lovingly. By understanding your baby's needs and signals, you can establish a strong bond and trust that is essential for healthy sleep.
Sensory Nourishment: We provide guidance and strategies to fufill sensory nourishment appropriate to the developmental stage of your child.
Understanding Infant Sleep Cycles: By learning about the natural sleep cycles of infants and sleep pressures, you can start to understand what may assist your child to sleep.
Supporting Developmental Milestones: Our approach recognises that every baby is unique and reaches developmental milestones at their own pace. We help you tailor sleep strategies to your baby's specific needs.
Understand The Impact Feeding Has on Sleep: In the early months, feeding can impact greatly on sleep. Unsettled cry-fussing behaviour may be impacting sleep and may need to be looked at closely.