I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE
I'm Lauren, your Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant.
I am a Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Family Photographer, College Instructor, Wife, and Mother of two children. In 2014, I graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with my Masters of Education degree. My research was based in transition theory. I was specifically interested in helping others navigate through and make meaning of their own life transitions. In 2017, I began my role as an Adjunct Faculty member teaching First-Year Experience to new college students. That same year I also started Lauren Winterbotham LLC a photography and education consulting company. As a photographer, I have worked with over 1000 families. While I enjoyed the art of photography, what made my work the most meaningful were the relationships I built with my families.
In 2020, my life forever changed with the birth of my first child, my son. Being a mother was the identity that I have held on to the strongest out of all the roles in my life. However, we had to navigate through various health issues with my son such as reflux, torticollis and plagiocephaly, a tongue tie, asthma, eczema, and severe allergies. We were exhausted and so depleted. In addition, I was diagnosed with postpartum OCD and anxiety mood disorders. I felt alone and uncertain of how we would navigate these issues. Once we were able to get a handle on his health concerns, I was able to connect with a group of sleep consultants that forever changed our lives. My son started to sleep and we felt more confident. We realized he was so dysregulated prior to sleep training because he was overtired from getting such poor sleep. And as his mother, I was in a better headspace and getting rest. I learned through this process that researchers have found no connection between a child's attachment with their parents and sleep training. But do you know what did have a major effect on attachment? Maternal mental health. It all made so much sense and saved our postpartum experience. When I had my daughter two years later, it was a completely different experience. We implemented healthy sleep foundational skills from birth and I felt confident and happy. Sleep training changed our lives for the better. Now I don't bat an eye when it comes to going on vacations, noise levels, nap schedules being pushed back, or an off day with sleep. Instead, we focus on the things that matter and being the best parents we can to our children.
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In 2023, I began my journey to help families like your own thrive and be well rested. I embarked on a year long certification process where I was trained to become a pediatric sleep consultant. In 2024, I opened up Sleepy Beginnings- my own sleep consultant company. It has felt so right finding a way to combine my research in transition theory, education, and my love for helping families.
I have been where you are now. I wanted to find a popular sleep training technique off the internet and magically apply it to my kids. But I quickly find out that when it comes to sleep training, there isn't a "one size fits all" approach! Every child is different with unique needs. Let's work together to find creative solutions for your family so you all can get back to living your life.
