Sleep Support with Marlee

Sleep deprivation can be one of the toughest parts of parenthood. I’m here to help.

I love to support families in finding a rhythm for both daytime and nighttime sleep. Rather than a one-size-fits-all model, I work with each family to develop a customized sleep plan to help everyone in the household get more rest.

Comprehensive Package (most popular): $1450

I’ll hold your hand through every step!

This package is especially wonderful for people who are first-time parents, and people who have any conflicting feelings about wanting to implement sleep changes. Think of this package as booking a “sleep doula”!

Planning Phase

• Detailed intake appointment to understand your family’s situation (up to 1 hour)

• Personalized sleep plan we will create together (PDF will be emailed to you)

• 1-2 hour planning session to review your custom sleep plan and prepare for implementation

• 1-2 hour emotional preparation visit to process any anxieties you’re experiencing about getting started with your plan

• 1-hour lifestyle planning visit to help you make practical arrangements for your implementation phase

• Optional: 1-2 hour lactation/feeding check-in to ensure you and your little one are ready for this next step

Implementation Phase (1-2 weeks)

• Daily text check-in, feedback, and support to answer your questions (up to 1 hour of messaging per day)

• 4 30-minute support sessions you can use as needed during this phase

• 1-hour wrap-up session at the end of your implementation phase

Let’s work through this together!

Basic Package: $850

Steady support as you move forward

This package offers basic support as you prepare for and implement changes to get more sleep. This package focuses on practical questions and logistics - there isn’t much time built in for emotional support.

Planning Phase

• Detailed intake appointment to understand your family’s situation (up to 1 hour)

• Personalized sleep plan we will create together (PDF will be emailed to you)

• 1-2 hour planning session to review your custom sleep plan and prepare for implementation

Implementation Phase (1-2 weeks)

• Daily text check-in, feedback, and support to answer your questions (up to 20 minutes of messaging per day)

• 2 30-minute support sessions you can use as needed during this phase

• 1-hour wrap-up session at the end of your implementation phase

Ready to get more sleep?

DIY Package: $550

Support for creating your sleep plan

If you’re ready to make some sleep changes but you’d prefer to mostly go it alone with a little guidance to get you started, this is the option for you. This is a great path forward for parents who feel confident moving forward independently once they have a plan in hand.

Planning Phase

• Detailed intake appointment to understand your family’s situation (up to 1 hour)

• Personalized sleep plan we will create together (PDF will be emailed to you)

• 1-2 hour planning session to review your custom sleep plan and prepare for implementation

Implementation Phase (1-2 weeks)

• 2 30-minute support sessions you can use as needed during this phase

Get started today!

What sets my sleep support apart?

As a lactation counselor, my approach to sleep is first and foremost supportive of breastfeeding/chestfeeding (if that is how you are feeding your baby). Many sleep consultants, sleep trainers, and sleep educators are not lactation specialists, and it can be easy to disrupt milk production by making changes to assist with sleep challenges. I am always forthcoming with my clients about the ways feeding your baby can be affected by the changes you may choose to make in order to get more or better sleep.

Another important aspect of my work is paying close attention to parents’ mental health. Sleep plays such a huge role in mental health, and it’s important to me to make sure that mental health needs are being met where sleep is concerned. I strive to help parents find a balance between mental health, sleep, and maintaining the nursing relationship.

One of my passions is educating parents about biological sleep needs for infants and toddlers (including safer sleep options). Often I find that helping parents to understand their little ones’ biological needs when it comes to sleep can help them make more sense of what’s been going on, and what they’d like to change.

Can you help me if I’m bedsharing with my little one?

Absolutely! Working with families who are cosleeping and/or bedsharing is one of my specialties. I love to help parents make sure their set-up is safe according to the research we have available if they choose to have their baby sleep in bed with them. Parents often don’t get accurate information about safely bedsharing from any other source, so I’m always glad to be of help.

I can also help bed sharing families make a plan for transitioning their child to their own sleeping surface, whether it’s a bassinet or crib in the parents’ room or in another room.

Is this a “cry it out” approach?

Far from it! I’m trained through Moorea Malatt’s Sleep Savvy program for postpartum professionals. This approach is based on the science of sleep learning and lactation, with lots of flexibility to accommodate for the unique needs of each individual family.

Most of my clients want to avoid “cry it out” or “extinction” methods, and I can fully support you in doing just that. Whether you are bed-sharing, room-sharing, using a crib, using a co-sleeper… we will work together to identify the challenges your family is facing and find ways to make age-appropriate adjustments to help everyone get more sleep.

What does “sleep consulting” really mean?

As a sleep consultant and educator since 2018, I am here to help families assess where they currently are in terms of daytime and nighttime sleep, where they want to be, and help them develop strategies to get there.

As an experienced postpartum doula and lactation counselor, progressing into sleep consulting has been very natural for me. I love to help parents understand the science behind infant and toddler sleep needs (in plain English!) and help them figure out ways that feel good for them to help everyone get more sleep. There is no one-size-fits-all method here - just biology and ways to make it work for you rather than against you!

I am not a sleep trainer with the goal of taking extreme or drastic measures to get your baby to sleep through the night in one or two days. Instead, I work with my clients to make small, age-appropriate changes to help facilitate better sleep for your baby (and for you!). My approach is based on the idea that babies need some help from their parents to learn better sleep habits, and I love helping parents become confident in providing that support to their little ones!

How old does my baby need to be to work with you?

I work with families of newborns through toddlers (typically up to around age 3).

With families of newborns, there’s usually a big focus on helping parents understand infants’ sleep needs for little ones under 3 months old (especially for breastfeeding/chestfeeding families). Helping parents to have a good foundation in sleep cues and the biological needs of their little one is so, so helpful as they grow, because parents can set themselves up to encourage good sleep habits right from the beginning.

With babies a little older, we might be working through a sleep regression, trying to help a baby get better naps during the day, working to develop strategies to help babies need a little bit less involvement from their parents overnight when they wake up naturally, or any number of other things.

I can also help families with toddlers who are having a tough time with sleep to learn what might be going on developmentally, and use that knowledge to make some adjustments that can help children and parents alike to get more sleep.

And of course with all ages, I can help families create a safer sleep set-up for their little ones.

What if I can’t afford your services?

Sleep is so important, and I feel strongly that personalized sleep support should be available to everyone who wants it.

I offer scholarships for free and reduced cost services on a limited basis. If you qualify for Medi-Cal, SNAP benefits, TANF, or WIC and want to work with me, reach out so we can discuss details.