Equipped and ready to handle challenges

The first couple of weeks after Noah was born, he wasn’t sleeping. Life was difficult. My partner and I were easily agitated and stressed. After five months of sleep deprivation and my partner’s challenges with sensory overload, we decided to try sleep school.

Coupled with this, I also came from a traumatic background, and this was a triggering experience for me too. We tried sleep school at Queen Elizabeth Centre, but with not much luck as Noah’s sleep wasn’t improving. By the time he was 14 months old, we had been to sleep school six times.

Noah wasn’t gaining the right amount of weight for his age; he would wake up every hour at night with very little naps during the day. Finances started to become an issue as my partner couldn’t go to work due to our chaotic and mentally draining life, and I needed more support to get through it. I also have three other children who live with me part-time, so I was juggling being a mom to them as well as to a newborn.

It felt like our world was turned upside down with little or no reprieve, and with no support network for me in the Western suburbs, I felt isolated and overwhelmed. I reached out to the Orange Door, who referred me to the Caroline Chisholm Society for parenting support.

Mal, the practitioner assigned to my case, helped establish a routine and a sleep plan. She provided us with baby clothes and nappies as needed. It also meant I got to speak to another adult during the day while caring for Noah, which made a world of difference.

Mal then connected me with Michelle their Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner, who, as I expressed, was the only psychologist able to make an impact in my life. I am forever grateful for the support I received from a mental health perspective, as that helped me manage and deal with the situation.

I also engaged in the Circle of Security program run by one of the senior practitioners, which helped immensely with my relationship with Noah. Circle of Security is an evidence-based parenting program based on attachment.

Mal has continued to support me in terms of connecting with the community, check-ins, and helping me achieve my parenting goals.

At the Caroline Chisholm Society, I believe in their wrap-around approach for mothers. They provide the tools needed in the early parenting journey that set us up for success.

Noah is 19 months now, and while it’s a different set of challenges we face, I feel equipped and ready to handle them with the knowledge and support I’ve received from the team at the Caroline Chisholm Society.