I thought I'd never feel normal again.After a traumatic premature birth and weeks spent in NICU, Aine believed she was simply struggling to adjust to motherhood. But as the weeks passed, the darkness grew deeper. She became isolated, convinced she would never feel like herself again, and too afraid to take the antidepressants that had been prescribed.In this deeply honest conversation, Aine shares what postnatal depression really felt like, why it took her two months to ask for help, how medication helped her recover, and the guilt, grief and loneliness that followed becoming a mum.Today, Aine is using her experience to raise awareness through KYNDR, a clothing brand supporting conversations around perinatal mental health and helping parents realise they are never alone.If you've ever felt like you've lost yourself in motherhood, this episode is a reminder that recovery is possible.In this episode we discuss:- Postnatal depression (PND)- Postpartum anxiety- Traumatic birth- Premature birth and NICU- Maternal mental health- Antidepressants in the postpartum period- Recovery after postnatal depression- Preparing for pregnancy after trauma- Supporting parents through perinatal mental healthFind out more about KYNDR @kyndrthelabelFollow @awakeat3am.podcast & @sophiassleepschool to learn more about all things baby sleep!

Lauren never imagined that her toddler's sleep would make her question the career she had worked so hard to build.For two years, her daughter would only fall asleep while holding Lauren's hair. Work trips became impossible. Bedtime could take hours. Every night was filled with screaming, exhaustion and the constant fear that something was medically wrong.She saw GPs, paediatricians and sleep specialists. They ruled out everything they could think of.Nothing explained why her daughter wouldn't sleep.As the sleep deprivation dragged on, Lauren began questioning whether she could keep the job she loved. She wondered if becoming a mum meant giving up the career she had fought so hard to build.The turning point wasn't finding a miracle solution.It was finding an approach that worked for her family, her child and their reality.This episode isn't about creating the perfect sleeper.It's about the invisible cost of chronic sleep deprivation, the impossible expectations placed on working mums, and the guilt of feeling like you're failing at both work and motherhood.We talk about toddler sleep, sleep deprivation, toddler sleep problems, working motherhood, parental preference, sleep associations, identity, marriage, medical investigations and why getting more sleep can give you far more than better nights.If you've ever wondered whether your toddler will ever sleep, or whether you're the only parent quietly falling apart while trying to hold everything together, this conversation will remind you that you're not alone.To see more of Lauren, follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more stories, support and sleep tips.

Mez was certain how she wanted to parent: co-sleeping, following her baby's lead, the connected motherhood she'd always imagined.Instead she was awake every 30–45 minutes, in bed by 7pm just to survive, and convinced this was simply what motherhood demanded. The hardest part wasn't the sleep deprivation ... it was the shame of admitting co-sleeping wasn't working for her family anymore.On the first night of sleep training, Mez sat alone in the garage with the baby monitor, crying harder than her baby was, terrified she was making a mistake.This episode isn't about telling you to co-sleep or to sleep train. It's about what happens when the internet insists there's only one "right" way to be a good mum — and what it takes to let that guilt go when your baby, your mental health and your family need something different.We talk about co-sleeping, the decision to start sleep training, mum guilt, perinatal mental health, and letting go of the motherhood you imagined for the one that actually works.If you've ever laid awake wondering whether you're failing because motherhood doesn't look the way you thought it would, this conversation will stay with you.To see more of Mez, follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more sleep tips!

Dani is a paediatric nurse, sleep consultant and mum of two. She thought years of medical training meant she'd know if something was wrong with her own baby.Instead, it took months to work out why her daughter cried constantly, woke hourly, struggled to gain weight and was repeatedly dismissed. The answer was cow's milk protein and soy intolerance.... missed despite her medical background. Once it was identified, everything changed: the hourly wakes stopped, her daughter's sleep transformed, and Dani finally understood how deeply chronic sleep deprivation had affected her family.In this episode, Dani, Sophia and Jess unpack why so many babies are labelled "bad sleepers" when there's an underlying medical cause and why even a paediatric nurse can miss it in her own child. We talk about postnatal depression, parenting two under two while managing grief and POTS, and what it really takes to get an accurate diagnosis when a baby won't stop waking.If you've ever wondered whether allergies or food intolerances could be behind your baby's sleep problems — or just needed to hear that even the experts miss things sometimes — this conversation is for you.In this episode we discuss:• Cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI) and soy allergies in babies• How food intolerances get missed, even by medical professionals• Hourly wakes, reflux, eczema and poor weight gain as warning signs• Postnatal depression and parenting through chronic exhaustion• Parenting two under two while navigating grief and POTS• When to push for further medical investigation into sleep issuesFind the wonderful Dani ⁠@sleep.nurse.dani⁠or on her website at: ⁠https://www.sleepnursedani.com⁠⁠Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) ⁠is Australia's peak body in perinatal mental health. COPE provides families and health professionals with evidence-based perinatal mental health screening, resources, education and pathways to care.⁠EmergeCare⁠ - Helping new and expectant parents confidently handle first aid for babies and beyond, and care for their own emotional well-being along the way.

Dani is a paediatric nurse, sleep consultant and mum of two who shares how baby food intolerances, allergies and a missed diagnosis led to months of chronic sleep deprivation, hourly wakes and declining maternal mental health. In this episode, we explore baby sleep, postnatal depression, cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI), soy allergies, sleep training, evidence-based parenting and why sometimes a baby isn't "just a bad sleeper." After years working as a paediatric nurse, Dani thought she was prepared for motherhood. Instead, she found herself desperately searching for answers as her daughter cried constantly, woke hourly, struggled to gain weight and was repeatedly dismissed. Despite her medical background, it took months before baby food intolerances to both dairy and soy were recognised. Once those food intolerances were identified, everything changed. Her daughter's sleep improved, the hourly wakes finally stopped, and for the first time she began to understand just how profoundly chronic sleep deprivation had affected her family.In this episode, Dani shares the emotional reality of parenting through chronic sleep deprivation, postnatal depression, grief, parenting two under two and living with POTS. We talk honestly about what sleep deprivation does to your mental health, your relationships and your confidence as a parent, and why so many mums are left believing they simply have a "bad sleeper" when there may be an underlying medical reason contributing to their baby's sleep.Together, Dani, Sophia and Jess unpack one of the biggest misconceptions in modern parenting: that every baby who wakes frequently simply needs sleep training. Dani brings the perspective of both a paediatric nurse and sleep consultant, Sophia shares the latest evidence as a paediatric sleep consultant, while Jess asks the questions every exhausted parent wants answered after navigating the realities of motherhood herself. Together, they explore what the research actually says about infant sleep, why social media has created so much fear around sleep training, and why good baby sleep is never about ignoring a baby's needs. It's about understanding the whole child, recognising when poor baby sleep may have an underlying medical cause, and helping families escape the cycle of chronic sleep deprivation with compassionate, evidence-based support.Whether you're navigating hourly wakes, wondering if allergies or food intolerances could be affecting your baby's sleep, struggling with postnatal depression, or simply trying to make sense of conflicting advice online, this conversation is filled with practical, evidence-based information and the reassurance that you are not alone.In this episode we discuss:Baby food intolerances and baby sleepChronic sleep deprivation and maternal mental healthPostnatal depression and parenting through exhaustionCow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI) and soy allergiesHourly wakes, reflux, eczema and poor weight gainEvidence-based sleep training and infant sleepPaediatric nursing, motherhood and becoming a sleep consultant Parenting two under two while navigating grief and POTSWhy some babies aren't "just bad sleepers"When to seek medical advice for persistent sleep concernsFind the wonderful Dani ⁠@sleep.nurse.dani⁠or on her website at: ⁠https://www.sleepnursedani.com⁠⁠Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) ⁠is Australia's peak body in perinatal mental health. COPE provides families and health professionals with evidence-based perinatal mental health screening, resources, education and pathways to care.⁠EmergeCare⁠ - Helping new and expectant parents confidently handle first aid for babies and beyond, and care for their own emotional well-being along the way.

Episode 19: Abbey, Hourly Waking, Baby Food Allergies & Surviving Sleep DeprivationWhat happens when your baby wakes every 45 minutes, food allergies turn every feed into a really scary moment, and the village you thought would support you never arrives?In this powerful episode of Awake at 3am, Abbey shares her experience of severe sleep deprivation, hourly waking, infant food allergies, maternal burnout and the reality of modern motherhood. After an unexpected pregnancy, Abbey found herself navigating newborn sleep, frequent night waking, false starts, feeding to sleep, co-sleeping, baby sleep challenges and the overwhelming mental load that comes with raising a baby who simply wouldn't sleep.At her lowest point, Abbey was surviving on broken sleep whilst managing multiple food allergies, navigating relationship strain, struggling with her mental health and trying to be the mum she wanted to be. Like so many exhausted parents, she found herself questioning whether she was doing something wrong and wondering why nobody talks honestly about how hard sleep deprivation can be.In this episode we discuss:• Baby sleep and infant sleep challenges• Hourly waking and frequent night waking• Sleep deprivation and maternal burnout• Baby food allergies and feeding challenges• Co-sleeping and feeding to sleep• Maternal mental health and postpartum anxiety• The mental load of motherhood• Relationship strain after having a baby• Parenting without a village• Sleep training and finding a path forward• Why exhausted mums need support tooIf you've ever searched for answers about baby sleep, hourly waking, sleep regressions, food allergies, sleep deprivation, maternal mental health, newborn sleep, co-sleeping, feeding to sleep or how to survive the early years of parenting, this episode is for you.Awake at 3am is the parenting podcast for exhausted parents navigating baby sleep, toddler sleep, sleep training, maternal mental health, postpartum anxiety, motherhood, infant development, parental burnout and the realities of raising children in today's world.Follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool to learn about todays episode.

Taylor never imagined she'd be preparing for life with three children under two and a half and the pressure that would put on her relationship.But behind the excitement of another baby was a story very few people knew. Severe sleep deprivation had taken its toll, and Taylor found herself trapped in a cycle of postpartum anxiety, overwhelming health anxiety about her own body, and constant fear that something was seriously wrong.In this episode, Taylor shares what was really happening behind closed doors. We talk about postpartum health anxiety, sleep deprivation, postpartum rage, the guilt of feeling overwhelmed, and how improving her baby's sleep became one of the first steps towards getting her own mental health back.Taylor also shares what it was like raising two little ones while building her business, Posy, and the shock of discovering she was pregnant again just weeks after welcoming her second baby.If you've ever experienced postpartum health anxiety, postpartum anxiety, sleep deprivation, or found yourself constantly worrying that something was wrong with your own health after having a baby, this conversation will remind you that you're far from alone.Follow Taylor and Posy:Instagram: @posyintimates @sophiassleepschool @awakeat3am.podcast

What happens when sleep deprivation hits harder than infertility ever did?Sheila Vijeyarasa spent years navigating IVF, multiple failed cycles and donor egg conception before becoming a first-time mum at 47. But nothing prepared her for the reality of newborn sleep deprivation.In this episode, Sheila shares her journey through infertility, donor egg conception and pregnancy after 45.... and the profound shock of sleepless nights, breastfeeding struggles and identity loss that followed. We talk about how improving her son's sleep transformed her marriage, mental health and ability to function again.This episode explores:• Donor egg IVF and becoming a mum at 47• Pregnancy and motherhood after 45• Newborn sleep deprivation and frequent night waking• Postpartum anxiety and identity shift after infertility• Baby sleep routines that actually helpedIf you're navigating donor conception, becoming a parent later in life, or the exhaustion of newborn sleep deprivation, this conversation will leave you feeling far less alone.Follow Sheila @sheila_v__

Libby made a decision many mums are scared to say out loud: she chose not to breastfeed.As a solo mum by choice through IVF, Libby knew protecting her own mental health mattered as much as her baby's wellbeing. That decision came with judgement and unsolicited opinions — but she's never regretted it.In this episode, we go behind that decision: the guilt, the pushback, and how she built her own version of motherhood — from becoming a solo mum through IVF to setting up a newborn sleep routine that worked for her family, without following anyone else's rules.Follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more real stories of motherhood, sleep and survival.

⚠️ Trigger warning: postpartum psychosis, suicidal and intrusive thoughts, and thoughts of harm to a baby. Emily never imagined she'd develop postpartum psychosis. She had no history of mental illness. She loved her baby. She desperately wanted to breastfeed. But after a traumatic birth, severe sleep deprivation and overwhelming breastfeeding pressure, her mental health began to unravel in ways she never expectedIn this episode, Emily shares the story nobody saw behind closed doors. We talk about postpartum psychosis, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding pressure, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts and the warning signs she wishes every new parent knew.After repeatedly asking for help, Emily was eventually admitted to a specialist Mother and Baby Psychiatric Unit in Sydney, a decision she believes saved her life.This is an honest conversation about postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health and why these illnesses don't always look the way people expect. Many women continue caring for their baby while silently becoming more unwell.If you've ever searched for postpartum psychosis, postpartum mental health, sleep deprivation after having a baby, breastfeeding pressure or wondered how to recognise the warning signs of severe maternal mental illness, this episode is for you.Support is available🇦🇺 AustraliaPANDA – 1300 726 306Lifeline – 13 11 14Emergency – 000🇺🇸 United StatesPostpartum Support International – 1-800-944-4773988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline🇬🇧 United KingdomSamaritans – 116 123Emergency – 999 AustraliaPANDA: 1300 726 306Lifeline: 13 11 14Emergency: 000United StatesPostpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineUnited KingdomContact your GP or local Perinatal Mental Health TeamSamaritans: 116 123Emergency: 999