I am extremely grateful for all the kind words that I have received over the years from parents and carers that I have had the privilege to work with. Please feel welcome to read the following to get an idea of how I like to work alongside a family to help support your early parenting journey.
“As a first time mum, I initially wanted to gift my baby the ability to self-settle and enjoy sleep. Little did we know how many factors play into sleep! My husband and I first read both of Dorothy’s books upon a friend’s recommendation and started the settling approach 2 weeks after birth. I was reassured of the nurturing and holistic approach she took, however our boy had colic, silent reflux, dairy and egg intolerance and subsequent eczema, and I had low milk supply, at which point we started to consult with Dorothy over zoom.
After implementing her recommendations and working with her trusted herbalist as well as our GP, his eczema cleared up, his colic symptoms improved once I stopped eating egg and dairy, she helped us get the right prescription formula to top up low breastmilk supply and we had a changed baby.
After listening to us, we also worked on wake windows and daytime routine, which to my surprise worked wonders and meant that we routinely had up to 4h of consistent daytime naps aka downtime! Being a clinical psychologist, I was impressed by Dorothy’s ability to formulate our multifaceted and complex health problems and tailor solutions to our unique family situation. We ran into more tummy troubles when we introduced solids and it was lovely being able to continue with Dorothy’s support, who felt like she knew our family.
Dorothy was an advocate for us, a shoulder to cry on, a wise aunty and an incredibly knowledgeable professional with decades of real life experience with babies that not many professionals in this field can compete with.
We are beyond grateful that you offer this holistic, kind and nurturing service to families in New Zealand and worldwide. “
Julia
Google, 2024
“I first reached out to Dorothy when my daughter was around 10 months old and waking multiple times in the night. I read Dorothy’s first book and her approach to parenting resonated with mine so I was confident she was the right person to help.
After talking through our routine and making some tweaks, like having solids before her first feed, she was sleeping through the night and has done ever since. She’s now 4.
When I was pregnant with my second child I vowed to myself to not wait so long to reach out for help if I needed it. At five months old my son was still waking multiple times a night and I was struggling with his day routine during lockdown as we got stuck in a cycle of contact cat napping and feeding to sleep. He only wanted me and refused a bottle. I was exhausted and once again reached out to Dorothy.
She didn’t promise an overnight fix and warned it would be hard work and the first ten days were the hardest. But I kept meeting with Dorothy every ten days and sure enough we started seeing progress and within a month we went from having a baby who was inconsolable until he was breastfed to being well established on solids, napping and resettling in his cot, taking a bottle and sleeping around 10 hour stretches at night.
When we‘ve had a few bumps in the road I’ve contacted Dorothy and she’s always quick to offer some solutions.
There are so many textbook solutions out there that are one size fits all but I know even from my first baby to the second they are all so different and Dorothy takes the time to find out about you, your baby and wider family in order to work on a plan. She has never been judgmental and is very generous with her time. I’m so grateful for the support and guidance.”
Lisa
Google, 2023
“After months of sleep deprivation, feeding to sleep every 2-3 hours, and my daughter unable to self-settle, I was at breaking point. As a Nurse myself, I am used to coping with lack of sleep from shift work, high stress situations and challenges. However nothing prepares you for motherhood and the detrimental effects lack of sleep has on every part of your life.
I joined a mums Facebook group to get some advice and try relate to other struggling, sleep deprived mums. I was asking for recommendations for sleep consultants and if they actually work? A mum recommended Dorothy to me after she had experienced what I was going through. She said her son slept through the night after 4 days and the service was very affordable compared to many other Sleep Consultants online. I was so overwhelmed with the amount of varying information about babies and sleep on the internet. One consultant said you must do this but the another would contradict that information. I thought what have I got to lose?
I purchased Dorothy’s one off video support, and had a 1 hour Zoom chat. Prior to this, I filled out a form with various questions for Dorothy to gain an insight into our situation. Dorothy is very knowledgeable, she looked at everything we were doing holistically. Dorothy could easily pin point what we were doing in our routine that was not right for our daughter. Some things we altered were, increasing the amount of solids and really focusing on nutritional based foods, changing what times to feed, extending awake windows, dropping to two long naps a day and teaching our daughter to self-settle. Dorothy was very honest and realistic. She didn’t pressure us to do exactly what she suggested, just whatever worked for our family.
We liked her gentle approach, none of this cry it out business. Don’t get me wrong there were tears but it was in a supportive, comforting environment. The first 2 nights were very challenging, as we had to physically teach our daughter to self-settle. She was previously fed to sleep every few hours. The hard work paid off, by incorporating all of Dorothy’s suggestions, by night 3 she slept through the night, we couldn’t believe it. Dorothy gave us an extensive amount of education and sent us information about various things, including sleep, teaching to self-settle videos, milk, solids, recipes, cradle cap, supplements, teething and much more. We had a follow up call from Dorothy after a few weeks, with email support in-between.
Dorothy reminded us that, although a baby may sleep through the night, that their sleep can change all the time. They could be teething, have an upset tummy or just need an extra cuddle from mum and dad. This was extremely important for me to hear as its not perfect all the time, and I like perfection!
I couldn’t recommend Dorothy’s service enough. We are finally getting well deserved sleep! Thank you Dorothy.”
Talor
Google, 2024
Case Studies
Sleep deprivation, food and confidence
After struggling with sleep deprivation and feeling like a failure as a parent, a mum sought help from Dorothy when her second child’s sleep became challenging at four months old. Through personalised advice, including addressing diet and communication cues, Dorothy empowered mum to develop her own nurturing approach to sleep, leading to significant improvements in her baby’s self-settling abilities and the confidence in her parenting skills.
Dream Start to Nightmare Sleep
After a dreamy start everything changed when her baby reached four months. Sleepless nights became the norm, and she found herself exhausted and desperate for a solution.
Despite well-meaning advice from friends and family nothing worked. It was then she discovered Dorothy and now as her daughter approaches her first birthday, she reflects on her journey with gratitude. Dorothy’s expertise and support were instrumental in transforming their lives and this Mum hopes her story will offer encouragement to others facing similar challenges.
Navigating Postnatal Depression
In this heartfelt message, a mum shares her journey through postnatal depression, highlighting the challenges she faced with a difficult baby and personal struggles. She emphasises the importance of genuine support, including the impactful role of Dorothy, whose caring approach and direct questions provided much-needed validation and support. Through a combination of professional help, self-care practices, and the support of loved ones, she found her way through the darkest moments and encourages others to seek help and support in their own journeys with mental health.