The Message I'm Finally Ready to Share With the World

I don't share this often, but I want to tell the story that led me to become a baby sleep coach, because I think it matters, especially to the parents, doulas, therapists, and healthcare providers who show up for moms and babies every single day.

My Mother's Story

When my mom had me, her first baby, she didn't have much support. She spiraled into postpartum depression. She wasn't sleeping well, and neither was I. The weight of it became too much, and when I was one year old, I was placed into foster care.

For years, I felt embarrassed to share this part of my story: my mom, foster care, all of it. But I've come to realize there's nothing to be ashamed of. It's part of what shaped me, and part of why this work matters so much to me now.

Breaking the Cycle

Years later, when I had my own children, I made a decision: I was going to be intentional about sleep from the start, for them, and for me. I taught my babies how to sleep through the night, and in doing so, I protected my own mental health too. I didn't experience postpartum depression the way my mom did.

I want to be clear: postpartum depression is complex, and sleep deprivation isn't the only factor behind it. Hormones, support systems, trauma history, and many other things play a role too. But sleep is one of the most significant, modifiable pieces, and I don't think it gets talked about enough.

The Message I Want to Put Into the World

Take your baby's sleep seriously, and take your own sleep seriously too.

If your baby is healthy, at least 14 pounds, and 4 months or older, they are developmentally capable of sleeping through the night for 10–12 hours. Healthy sleep habits can be taught, gently, safely, and without cry-it-out, no matter how old your baby is right now.

To the Professionals Who Support New Moms

To every pediatrician, therapist, counselor, doula, and lactation specialist reading this: you are often the first person a struggling mom turns to. I hope this story is something you can hold onto, and maybe even share, with a mom who needs to hear that sleep is not a luxury, it's protective.

To Every Expectant or New Mom

You deserve support. You deserve rest. And it is possible to build healthy sleep habits with your baby, starting today.

If you want help getting there, I'd love to work with you. Schedule a complimentary consultation here.

Nesta Lumpkin is a certified baby sleep coach, author, and mom of three. After experiencing severe sleep deprivation with her first baby, she developed a blueprint that's helped babies sleep through the night more than 8,000 times — no cry-it-out required.