Kate, 37, Adelaide, first heard about Dr Brian Symon aka ‘The Babysleep Doctor’ via a friend who too, had a three-month-old baby who had experienced sleeping problems. Kate visited Dr Symon with her baby, Ashley, who is now four-and-a-half years of age and sleeping soundly. This is her story.
Kate was initially hesitant to visit Dr Symon because she was unfamiliar with his methods and mistakenly thought Ashley would eventually settle into a good sleeping pattern.
However, at her wits-end following a stay at a residential unit in Adelaide designed to assist parents and their infants with unresolved feeding, settling and sleeping issues in infants, she turned to Dr Symon in desperation.
“I tried every child resource available,” said Kate.
“I maintained breastfeeding, fed Ashley pure, organic food, bought various contraptions designed to promote calmness, and even stayed at a residential unit for infants.”
Finally, when Ashley was seven months old, Kate emailed Dr Symon to make a booking.
“I was utterly shocked when he replied straight away that there was a time available within the next two weeks,” Kate said.
During the first consultation with Dr Symon’s colleague, registered nurse Chris Lowings, Kate was advised gently, that Ashley wasn’t getting sufficient complex carbohydrates to sustain her.
“It’s quite confronting to hear that what you’re doing as a parent isn’t quite right,” said Kate.
“Chris explained that babies have a small battery pack and that you’ve only got a couple of minutes from when they first starting showing signs of tiredness to get them into bed, otherwise that ship has sailed.”
Even after receivi
ng this advice, Kate was doubtful that Ashley would eventually settle.
“I told Chris that Ashley was going to break the record for the longest crying period,” Kate said.
To Kate’s surprise, that night, Ashley cried for only 15 minutes before nodding off to sleep.
“Within 24 hours of seeing Chris and employing The Babysleep Doctor strategy, it was like flicking a switch. It was that simple,” said Kate.
“It was hard for me to process that Ashley’s simple needs were not being met, because we felt we were investing 250 per cent into providing sufficiently for our child.”
Ashley is now four and a half years old, and has a little sister Emily, who is 7 months of age. They are both happy children who maintain great sleeping patterns.
“Dr Symon literally saved our lives,” Kate said.
When Kate first heard about the recent negative media surrounding Dr Symon, in particular linking his method to child abuse, it hit a raw nerve.
“As a child who grew up in an abusive environment, I was completely outraged to see people calling Dr Symon’s methods anything of the sort,” said Kate.
Kate credits Dr Symon for reassuring her that she was a great mother.
“As a first-time mum, I lacked a lot of support and confidence. Dr Symon helped me so much with that,” Kate said.
Kate is very pleased with the outcome, and her only regret is that she didn’t visit Dr Symon earlier.
“We visited Dr Symon when we were at the end of the line and had exhausted all of our options,” said Kate.
“Dr Symon should have been our first option, rather than our last resort.”
Thats me in the photo! around 5 years ago .