SLEEP! One of the most sacred things for parents. Something that a lot of parents struggle with and lack for a variety of reasons. You'd think after having 3 kiddos that I would have a whole sleep routine and schedule down pat, but that is not the way it was working in the Camara Household! To be honest, all 3 of our kids are very different when it comes to sleep and they've changed a lot over the years as well. So we've kind of just taken their lead and rolled with the punches.
But this mama was starting to feel;
burnt out
exhausted
stressed & unable to function
And that's when I sought out the help from Sleep Serenity. My return to work was quickly approaching (about 1 month away from when we started working with Hannah) and I knew that to make this transition easy on all of us we needed to get Violet into a better sleep schedule and routine. One, so that I could get some sleep throughout the night finally and two, so she would nap properly for daddy while I was at work and he could get some work done during the day too.
I will be honest, I never thought I would use a sleep consultant. I was fearful of the expectations, being told about what to do with my child (because come on I am the expert when it comes to my kids) and investing in something that just wouldn't work for our family.
But boy was I WRONG! Yes, I was wrong and I don't say that often lol
Hannah debunked all those assumptions I had right off of the bat!
She started off by giving us a great outline of what her program looked like and how we would be apart of her team in making this a great experience for all of us. And in the end, Hannah only wants what's best for the families that she works with.
Here is a little bit about how our journey went;
1. We started off by tracking Violet's sleep for a week. When she woke up, napped, ate her meals, and any mood changes throughout the day. Then submitted that to Hannah and she came up with a few different options for what a sleep plan could look like for us. She worked with me to create something that met all of my goals for Violet and her sleep so that we could make a schedule that works best for us.
2. Then we had a zoom call where we went over everything and made any necessary changes to the schedule prior to introducing Violet to it.
3. Then we started sleep training Violet at bedtime for the first time. We did this for 2 weeks where we had Hannah's support. Within 2 days Violet wasn't waking up in the middle of the night, no longer required bottle feeds during the night and was falling asleep on her own at nap and bedtime! I was shocked. I couldn't believe how flawless it went for us. We had a few hiccups along the way but with Hannah's guidance we were able to easily address them and well before the end of the 2 weeks were in a great routine with Violet. We were also able to cut out her bottles completely and transition her to a sippy cup which was huge because I was getting up during the night multiple times to feed and console her.
I will say sleep training is a commitment. You and your partner must commit to staying home as much as possible and sticking to the plan/routine. Why? because it will benefit you in the end. It takes time for kids to adapt to new routines and schedules and if we don't commit we cannot expect them to. Now, that doesn't mean that if you fall out of schedule sometime that you'll get a slap on the wrist or anything - because parenting is not perfectly scheduled and that happens all the time. But, by committing to the initial phase it will make it so much easier for you in the end. And with Covid, this is the best time to try something like this - we are all home anyways!
I am so glad that we started this journey with Hannah. She's not only helped Violet but she's helped my husband and I to. I am able to get better sleep throughout the night, which in turn puts me in a better mood, I have less stress and am able to focus more on my daily tasks and enjoying my time with my family. And going back to work, I know that Violet is in a good routine which makes things easier on my husband and puts me at ease while I am out of the house.
Do you have kids? If so how many & age? Two kids: Braeden will be 2 years old in August, and Elora is two months old.
What's one thing people probably don't know about you? My husband is a farmer, so we spend a lot of time on the farm, seeing the animals. I love to travel. My husband and I can’t wait to show our children the world, and the culture that comes with going to new places and trying new foods.
Are you a stay at home mom? Right now I am on maternity leave, I am also a veterinary technician. In the future, my hope is to be able to stay home with my kids and to run my business exclusively.
What is your favourite thing to do for yourself? My favourite thing to do is go out with my friends, spend time on the water paddle boarding, kayaking and fishing. I am a very active person and love to play sports in my spare time as well.
What is your favourite date night activity? Fishing or bowling
What's one thing you couldn't live without? Besides my husband and children of course, one thing I couldn’t live without would be.. Garlic haha I LOVE garlic and I put it in every meal. There is never too much garlic, although my husband would say otherwise.
Who's your IG inspiration? Becca Campbell, she runs our Sleep Sorority as well and has been a huge inspiration and has helped me a lot with my business.
What advice would you give your younger self: Listen to your gut not your heart. Everything happens for a reason and brings you exactly where you need to be.
Where is business located out of? I work from home in Brighton ON, but I work virtually with my clients all over the world.
How did you choose the name for your business? It was not easy when it came to choosing my business name. I had 2 or 3 that I liked and I got my friends and people on instagram to vote for their favourite. Serenity, to me, means calm, peaceful and untroubled and, although sleep training can be difficult, I want to help my clients to get their child to sleep calm and peacefully so they can all feel rested.
How do you balance having kids & running a business? It is not easy, I work every nap time and after they go to bed. Some days my husband takes my toddler for half a day if I need to get a lot of work done, but I mainly work any time they sleep. With covid, I don’t have any plans, so I mainly work 24/7 taking care of my children and building my business to where I want it to be.
Where can people find your products? My website is www.sleepserenity.ca or you can follow me on instagram or facebook @sleepserenityconsulting
What advice can you give someone looking to start up their own business? Work hard, don’t give up and invest in yourself. It takes time to build a business, but it is also okay to ask for help, especially in areas you aren’t as strong in, to help your business grow.
What sets your business apart from others alike? I am very invested in my clients, I am always available if they have questions and I try to go above and beyond to help them. I like to be very personable, create a friendship, while still being professional. I approach each case from the heart and truly care about the wellbeing of my clients.
What is the most challenging part of running your business? There is so much that goes into a business and running your social media is a job in itself. It is hard to keep up with all the social media, blogs and website, all while still maintaining clients and taking care of my children.
What does a typical day look like for you? My schedule has changed now that I had a baby and I am on maternity leave. Right now, I wake up in the morning, my husband gets Braeden, feeds him and plays with him in the morning. I will nurse the baby and sit with them at the table while I go over sleep logs, and message my clients. After that we all play, and dad goes to work. We have lunch at 12 pm, and I put Braeden down for a nap around 12:45 til around 3pm. This is the time I will eat lunch and work, doing client calls, all while trying to keep Elora happy and fed (the carrier comes in handy). After nap time we have a snack, then play again. Dinner is at 5:30pm, and bedtime routine starts around 7 ish, and bed at 7:30pm. My husband tries to be home for bedtime. He does a lot of the bedtimes with Braeden and while he puts him to bed, I snuggle Elora. I have video calls most nights with clients so my husband will hold her while I do that, then I will nurse her, do bedtime routine then bed. After that I don’t have much spare time to myself, but I try and relax a bit, watch tv, or catch up on work stuff then go to bed. Life is a bit more busy now that we have Elora, so our routine is a bit off, but we go with the flow most days and Braeden has adjusted so well to the new changes. Through all the craziness I keep his feeding and sleep schedule the same to make it easier on him. I do like to be busy, so we go to the farm to see my husband, or we go to my moms to play outside when we are able.
Favourite song: right now my favourite song is Driver’s License.
Dream Vacation: my next dream vacation would be Bali, it may be a bit much for our first trip with the kiddos, but it will happen one day!
Favourite Book: I don’t really enjoy reading and I don’t really have time at this stage. I do want to start getting into audio books, fiction with a touch of romance would be my choice!
Dream Job: My dream job was always to be a Veterinarian, but I decided I didn’t want that stress or lifestyle. Right now I am living my dream, and I am exactly where I want to be. I hope one day I can help more people by having courses and have other sleep consultants work with me.
Favourite Podcast: I am a part of a Sleep Sorority and we have a private podcast that I listen to which helps me with my business.
Dream Car: GMC Acadia, it used to be the Hyundai Santa Fe sport, but I do like their new 7 seater. I refuse to drive a minivan, but I want a 7 seater SUV, for my kids, my dog, and a lot of space for sports equipment, and camping stuff.
Favourite Smell: I love the smell of my essential oils, Bergamot is my favourite.
Dream meal: Chicken fried rice, with extra garlic in Thailand
Favourite item of clothing: A nice comfy hoody.