Penny, 32, Port Headland, WA, credits Dr Brian Symon aka The Babysleep Doctor for awakening her little boy’s true personality and boosting her confidence as a mother.
Penny and her husband gave birth to Archie, now 7 months old, in March, 2014. The joyous event for the young family soon lapsed into a hopeless situation when Penny simply couldn’t get her baby to fall asleep.
In desperation, and at her friend’s recommendation, Penny sought advice from Dr Brian Symon in May, 2014.
“I had absolutely no confidence anymore in my ability to get Archie to sleep, let alone my ability as a mother.
“Every time I put Archie to sleep, I was terrified knowing he would soon wake up again’, Penny said.
Archie was unable to sleep longer than 20-to-30 minutes during the day, with his longest sleep record being one hour, leaving both mother and child exhausted. Penny turned to a plethora of books, magazines and online forums for advice, to no avail.
“For more than three months I was constantly anxious and on-edge.
“It got to a point where I had lost all of my confidence and Archie was so tired that I was really concerned about his overall development”, Penny said.
Penny then booked the first of three ‘online consultations’ with The Babysleep Doctor.
“During my first consult, I cried my eyes out for one hour in desperation,” said Penny.
“He was wonderful at supporting me personally and kept reassuring me that I was the best mum for my child.
“He gave me confidence in my ability as a mother again,” Penny said.
“My experience with The Babysleep Doctor was incredibly useful.
“Dr Symon suggested only a few things, but each made a huge difference to our lives,” said Penny.
“Importantly, we introduced solids to Archie to boost his nutrition, which increased his satisfaction, happiness and allowed him to play.
Penny also implemented different sleeping routines, including two sleeps lasting for 45 minutes and 90 minutes respectively. The aim was to let Archie sleep and rest throughout the entire sleeping period, which was much needed.
“The moment we got Archie’s sleep under control, his development caught up quickly,” Penny said.
“Suddenly Archie was happier, ate better and his true personality began to shine.
“He started also started rolling and crawling,” said Penny.
Not only was Penny grateful for Dr Symon’s professional advice, but also for his genuine support, care and reassurance of her as a mother.
“Dr Symon’s approach to mothers and women is definitely under-valued,” Penny said.
Penny acknowledges there are different approaches to parenting and appreciates the quality of scientific and clinical evidence underpinning The Babysleep Doctor’s strategy.
Dr Brian Symon represents one of many international care providers utilising a ‘behaviour modification’ approach as opposed to an ‘attachment parenting’ model. Penny and her husband both appreciate the effectiveness of behaviour modification in improving infant sleep, and Dr Symon’s approach, which is rooted in science.
“The Babysleep Doctor strategy allowed us to achieve a healthy, happy and independent baby,” said Penny.
“Dr Symon never advised me to close Archie’s door and not re-enter his room until 7am the following morning.
“To the contrary, Dr Symon has always encouraged me to do what I feel I can cope with,” Penny said.
“He armed me with useful tools and evidence-based measures to help me make better-informed decisions.
“So I now choose to do what I consider to be best for my baby,” said Penny.
“Dr Symon has helped us care for our precious baby, who is now sleeping, crawling and playing.
“As a result, Archie is now very happy and well-developed”, Penny said.
Penny recently sought Dr Symon’s advice again to prepare Archie for a trip overseas. She also plans to seek his assistance once more when reduces his sleeps from three-to-two per day.
