I’m Moorea, The Sleep Witch.
I’ve worked with tiny humans for 25 years, and as a sleep consultant and lactation educator & counselor for over a decade. In that time I have helped thousands of babies (and parents) to sleep.
I had my own wakeful baby, too- the inspiration for my life’s work. My kiddo seemed to need less sleep than any other baby I knew and woke every hour for many months. I re-read all the books I had used as a postpartum doula and night nanny, and the only method that sat right with my education and values (Dr. Jay Gordon’s method) actually seemed to make things worse!
Waiting-it-out was making me delirious with sleep deprivation. In fact, I experienced a short period of postpartum psychosis when night-waking was at its worst. But I still couldn’t bear to let my baby cry in a room alone (even with ‘check-ins’).
One day I found myself with a RedBull in one hand and a child I resented in the other. We were not cute. I had lost all sense of agency, creativity and personal power that I’d work so hard to cultivate in my life pre-parenting.
So I took everything I knew about infant and toddler development, lactation and human cultural anthropology and dove deep into the research on infant sleep biology (why wasn’t this in the sleep books?!) and created a method that would work for all families: especially co-sleeping and breastfeeding / chestfeeding ones.
It was an experiment that turned out to be a miracle for my mental health and then a miracle for my friends’ families. I started teaching little classes that grew. Ten years later, Sleep Savvy has saved a thousand parents from exhaustion and the brink of mental health crisis.
I know that parents can get their own needs met and still parent gently and attentively. We can acquire habits of communicating our needs, to model self care and boundaries for our children.
Any good witch will tell you that consistency is an often-overlooked magical practice. Creating wellness, peace and ease takes trust, commitment and dedication. There is no easy potion. The magic is in you. I’m just here to guide you with my experienced wisdom.
You can expect to feel good about this process and you can expect it to go more smoothly than you imagined; but you must also expect to put in some work to support your baby!
There’s no better feeling than learning to hold boundaries while your baby learns to sleep with less help from you. Sleep Savvy is about empowerment!
I was put on this planet to help you find that balance too.
- PMH-C certified in Perinatal Mental Health
- LEC Lactation counselor and educator
- Bringing Home Baby (Gottman) Educator
- In process of Masters in Mental Health Counseling
- BA in Psychology with a family and gender concentration
- Associate degree in Early Childhood Education
Exclusive Podcast Episode!
How to Stop Being a Sleep Martyr & Summon Your Parenting Power!
Still sleep deprived even though you know something needs to change for your wellbeing?
How to Stop Being a Sleep Martyr & Summon Your Parenting Power!
Listen to the episode and subscribe to my mailing list!
Listen to the episode and subscribe to my mailing list!
I feel like the happiest person on earth right now! I was immediately at her side, put my hand on her back and she fell right back asleep! And then the same thing again with no nursing, no carrying, no rocking. Thank you so much for the sleep plan and thank you for being so helpful and supportive!
The Discipline workshop gave me clear ideas about what to expect for the preschool age, and a few guidelines plus specific tips on how to handle disagreements. I also like having a frame in which to look at this age. I liked the emphasis on language, and emphasis on a general approach, symbolized in the time-out/ time-in scenario.
Moorea has an uncanny ability to connect with children, create a safe and loving environment, great communication, and tremendous skill in getting children on track emotionally and behaviorally. She is one of a kind and we feel lucky to have her in our lives.
Questions? Talk to me! If you're not sure about the best way I can serve you, tell me a bit about your challenge here. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions about services, workshops or speaking engagements. Please fill out the form below and I will reply as soon as possible.