BABY LED SLEEP vs SLEEP TRAINING ft. HeySleepyBaby, Rachael Shepard (Ep. 160)

Welcome back to Brunch with Desb! Today, I am excited to welcome Rachel Shepard, a.k.a Hey, Sleepy Baby to the show! Rachel, a sleep specialist and mom of three, has a Bachelor's and a Masters in Elementary and Special Education, and has worked as a K-5 teacher and Education Specialist over the last 9 years. When her first baby was born in 2017, she became obsessed with his lack of sleep. Her own sleep deprivation and the outside pressure to get his sleep under control had her struggling with undiagnosed postpartum anxiety. The messages she was receiving from friends, family, coworkers, doctors, and social media made her think she was doing everything wrong. All of the pressure led her to try sleep training, which did not work out, so she surrendered and let it go.  In this episode, Rachel will tell us what inspired her to become a sleep specialist, the sleep techniques she’s used on her children, and some of the resources she offers to parents. Then, we’ll dive into the idea of baby-led sleeping vs. sleep training, including: Contact napping and trying to get things done while baby is sleeping Wake windows Things you can do during the day that may help yours and your baby’s sleep Whether there is a correlation between breastfeeding and your baby not wanting to sleep Nursing to sleep Last but not least, we’ll also touch on postpartum anxiety, including the sunset scaries, and the importance of doing your own research and doing what’s best for you and your baby. Remember that you have choices! To learn more from Rachel, visit her website here: https://heysleepybaby.com/ or find her on social media: @heysleepybaby on Instagram and @heysleepybaby on TikTok. ---- FIND ME HERE: https://shor.by/DESB  MY YOUTUBE: Https://www.youtube.com/desireescogginfitness  LATEST VID: https://youtu.be/aP0KDtc_Ec4 DM me on IG: www.instagram.com/brunchwithdesb  ___ Join betterhelp today - www.betterhelp.com/desb code “desb” for 10% off your first month! #ad #sponsored OPEN FACEBOOK FITNESS COMMUNITY: www.facebook.com/groups/dbftcommunity