Little Loves Infant & Child Sleep Consultant

A mum recently told me:

“My first baby was such a good sleeper. I never expected to struggle like this.”

And honestly?

That’s often what makes it harder.

Because when your first baby slept well, you assume you’ll know exactly what you’re doing the second time around.

Then suddenly you’re waking every 1-2 hours overnight and wondering what changed.

The truth is, babies are different.

What worked for one child won’t always work for another.

And struggling with sleep doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong 🤍

Have your children had completely different sleep personalities? Tell me in the comments 👇🏽

I think somewhere along the way, so many mums start believing that exhaustion is just part of motherhood.

That broken sleep is something they should simply push through while still parenting, working, functioning and carrying everything else too.

And while yes, seasons of disrupted sleep are normal…

Feeling completely depleted doesn’t have to be your permanent normal 🤍

Sometimes small changes, support, reassurance and understanding what’s actually going on can make such a huge difference.

I think one of the hardest parts of motherhood is how isolating sleep struggles can feel.

You can be completely exhausted, questioning everything, and still feel like everyone else is coping better than you are.

But behind closed doors, so many mums are navigating broken sleep, early mornings, short naps, bedtime battles and trying to function through it all.

You are not the only one finding it hard 🤍

And you don’t have to just “wait it out” or keep running on empty either.

I feel like the last week disappeared in a blur of daycare bugs, broken sleep, work, mum life and trying to keep up with everything 😅

And honestly… I know so many mums are feeling exactly the same right now.

Still functioning.
Still showing up.
Still carrying the mental load.

Usually while running on very little sleep themselves.

I think sometimes we normalise exhaustion so much that we forget how heavy it actually is 🤍

And while sleep won’t fix everything, the right support and a bit more rest can make such a huge difference to how motherhood feels day to day.

Early wakes can feel so frustrating 😅

And two of the biggest mistakes I commonly see are:

👉 pushing bedtime later
👉 bringing the first nap too early

Often, overtiredness is already part of the picture.

So trying to “stretch” the day with a later bedtime can actually lead to more unsettled sleep, split nights, and earlier mornings.

And consistently shifting the first nap earlier can sometimes reinforce the early wake over time too.

That’s why I’m usually looking at the bigger picture, sleep balance, routine timing, overtiredness, and overall sleep needs 🤍

Early wakes are often a symptom of something else.

Save this for later.
And don’t forget to follow for realistic, holistic sleep support and advice.

So many mums are functioning on broken sleep and just trying to survive the day.

Still working.
Still parenting.
Still carrying the mental load.

And honestly, I’ve felt that this last week too 😅

My youngest had some rough early wakes around 4am with congestion, sometimes taking over an hour to resettle, and adding in an extra daycare day this week has definitely caught up with him.

Broken sleep impacts everything.

Your patience.
Your energy.
Your ability to feel like yourself.

And somewhere along the way, exhaustion becomes normalised.

But it shouldn’t have to feel this hard 🤍

If sleep has been feeling really heavy lately, you’re always welcome to reach out and chat.