For the first year of her son’s life, Shona Thomson admits she barely slept.
The exhaustion impacted her mental health, relationship and ability to perform basic tasks.
In desperation, just before her maternity leave was due to finish, she contacted an infant sleep coach – and her motherhood journey was ‘transformed’.
Inspired to help others, the Perthshire teacher started her own sleep consultancy business in early 2024 and has already helped dozens of families.
Shona, 33, who lives in Auchterarder, underwent training to become a Certified Infant Sleep Coach before launching Twinkle Twinkle Sleeping Star.
The busy mum-of-one, whose son Harry is now three, works part-time at a primary school and uses her days off to run the business.
After a successful first year, she is ready to take on new families.
Her packages range from £80 for a ‘sleep MOT’, where she provides an individually tailored sleep plan, to a full three-week support programme for £275.
Shona was embarrassed to admit she had reached out to a sleep coach when Harry was a baby – for fear of judgement.
Babies are not left alone to cry
She is keen to dispel the myth that sleep training means leaving babies and children to “cry it out”.
She said: “Before I worked with an infant sleep coach, I’d heard people saying babies were left to cry.
“It is one of the reasons it took me so long to seek help and kept it to myself.
“But I soon realised it didn’t have to be like that at all. You can help your child learn to sleep better in a gentle way.
“I don’t advocate leaving children to cry it out and I wouldn’t work with a family who wanted that.”
Shona doesn’t think expectant parents are properly educated on how young babies sleep.
She has been asked to give a talk at The Mum Club Stirling’s next mum-to-be event next month.
Shona, whose partner works shifts, said: “When Harry was a baby, I cried every evening shutting his blinds as I dreaded the nights.
“He woke so often and it nearly broke me. Sleep deprivation is very tough and studies have shown it can actually be dangerous.
“I was the first person in my friend group to have a baby and didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t know anything about newborn sleep.
“In the early days, wakes are normal. But it doesn’t have to be as hard as I had it.
“I wish I had sought help sooner as it would have helped me enjoy my first year of motherhood more.”
Sleep coach can ‘change parents’ lives’
She added: “After I worked with a sleep consultant and Harry’s sleep improved so much, I became fascinated with sleep.
“I now have so much knowledge and want to share it with as many people as I can.
“When I first talk to families they are often at their wit’s end and their relationships are struggling.
“By the end of the three weeks they are so much happier and I’ve been told I ‘changed their life’.”
Shona can be contacted via her Twinkle Twinkle Sleeping Star Instagram page or by emailing twinkletwinklesleepingstar@hotmail.com.
Conversation