By Kate Kleven
Hey there, tired friends. I’m Kate, a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist and Baby-Led Sleep and Wellbeing Specialist.
I am a wife, a daughter, a friend, and a mother to two active boys, and I live with my family in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. I love being outside as well as cooking (when I don’t have to do it every day), and my hobbies include showering alone, taking naps, watching any TV besides Paw Patrol, and trying to keep my plants alive.
I’m not in this work because I have all the answers to parenting and sleep figured out.
Not at all.
Truthfully, my experiences in early motherhood were immensely difficult when it came to sleeping and feeding. My firstborn did not sleep well until after he turned two, due to underlying health issues, and my second was not much better.
I wish I could have been given accurate information about normal infant sleep, help understanding the cause of sleeplessness, and encouragement in nurturing my tiny human all day and night.
Because sleep deprivation is wildly disheartening!
I remember how lonely, anxious, and vulnerable I felt when it came to discussing our sleep with other people, and now I am thrilled to offer compassionate and practical support to parents in a similar place.
I believe that, while I might have a lot of education on infant feeding and sleep, parents are the absolute experts on their unique baby and on themselves!
I also believe that sleep training is not the answer. By “sleep training” I am referring to cry-it-out method, AND any other approach that pushes a baby toward independence too early, that requires parents to override their instincts to respond to their baby, or that desensitizes a baby to their biological need for attachment.
Sleep is not a behavior we can control or train, but rather is a neurological process that happens in a part of our brain we cannot access consciously.
Therefore, we need to first understand a baby’s brain and biology if we are going to try to influence their nervous system toward rest.
Spoiler alert: one of the most powerful influences on your baby’s nervous system is the nurturing relationship between the two of you.
THIS is the foundation of the sleep support I offer and is the reason your baby’s attachment to you is of such importance to me.
In our work together, I will be encouraging you to lean in to your relationship with your child, and tune in to your own powerful instincts, as I give you practical strategies for improving sleep for all involved.
Whether you choose to work with me or not, I wish you better sleep, peaceful snuggles with your little(s) today, and joy on your parenting journey! ~ Kate
Kate Kleven is a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist, plus she holds a gentle infant sleep coaching credential from Isla-Grace. Through Mama Bear Family Care, Kate provides in-person support alongside the IBCLC’s, online support for clients via messaging portal, plus virtual visits for sleep. She also leads various free support groups and gives the best hugs.
Learn more about Kate and the Mama Bear team: www.MamaBearFamilyCare.com.
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