This week's episode deals with a topic that is very near and dear to my heart and my brain, which is the intersection of sleep and mental health. More specifically, how a child’s sleep habits, particularly in the early days, have an impact on a mother’s mental health and her ability to cope.    To help explore this topic, I’m talking to Kayla Ginsler, a Child Sleep Consultant with Goodnight Sleep Site, who also happens to have her Masters in Social Work. Kayla is passionate about empowering families to feel confident in helping their baby or child achieve better sleep, and is well-versed in how mental health issues can play a role in this process.   In this episode, Kayla and I discuss:   - The link between lack of sleep and mental health, and why a lot of moms enter motherhood thinking that their sleep isn’t important - The long term effects she sees when families are dealing with sleep issues - Why mental health issues can make it even more difficult for moms to hold boundaries around sleep - Why sleep training is such a hot button topic for moms - Why so many mothers feel guilty about sleep training and also what the latest research is actually saying about it    I think this is such an important topic and we only scratched the surface. Whether you’re a new mom, or your children are older, I think you’ll find the discussion really interesting and if you are past the no sleep stage, I really hope you’ll forward this on to any new moms or pregnant friends so that they can get a head start on supporting their mental health during the early days of motherhood.   Enjoy!