32 - What You’re Really Paying For When You Hire a Sleep Doula

In this powerful, no-fluff episode of Doula Talk: Postpartum, Babies, and the Battle for Sleep, Doula Deb is pulling back the curtain on what really goes into a sleep consult—and spoiler alert: it’s not just nap tips and a “good luck” email. If you’ve ever wondered why working with a sleep doula feels like a big investment, this is your kitchen-table heart-to-heart (complete with coffee-stained yoga pants and snack crumbs).

Deb walks listeners through every step of her personalized sleep support process—from that first cozy (and free!) chat to the deep-dive into your baby’s rhythms, a two-hour sleep foundations session, a two-hour sleep coaching session, a custom-written sleep plan, daily support, and more. We’re talking 15–30 hours of guidance, science, cheerleading, and troubleshooting—all tailored to your family, your baby, and your parenting values.

You’ll hear how Deb co-creates every plan with intention, compassion, and zero judgment (no cry-it-out mandates here unless it’s your choice). She shares exactly what you get: handouts, follow-ups, video summaries, and text support to help you ditch the guesswork and gain real confidence—even during a 2 a.m. meltdown.

👶 And guess what? Families typically see improvement in just 3–5 days. No magic wand required—just support that actually works.

🎉 Special Sneak Peek: The Rooted Rest Course

Not quite ready for 1:1? Deb also teases her upcoming 8-week Rooted Rest Sleep Foundations course—designed for parents who want expert guidance and flexible learning. This self-paced course includes weekly Q&A calls with Deb herself, empowering you to build better rhythms, troubleshoot regressions, and reconnect with your intuition—without judgment or overwhelm.

💛 Freebies & Support Mentioned in the Episode:

• Free 30 minute sleep intake chat: Book here
• Coming soon: Rooted Rest – An 8-week course blending expert teaching + live support
• Join the waitlist & follow Deb on Instagram @doula.deb for first access when the course opens
• Explore custom sleep consults: douladeb.com

So if you’re pacing the living room with your third cup of reheated coffee and wondering if things have to be this hard—hit play. This episode is your invitation to reclaim rest, restore confidence, and remember: you don’t have to do this alone.

Chapters

• 3:08 The Process of a Sleep Consultation
• 5:58 Creating a Personalized Sleep Plan
• 9:08 The Value of Ongoing Support
• 12:12 Introducing Rooted Rest Course

Transcript

Deb (00:40)
Hey friends, welcome back to Doula Talk, postpartum babies and the battle for sleep. Today, we are pulling back the curtain on what actually goes into a sleep consult. And yes, it might seem like a big investment, but you are getting so much more than just a couple nap tips and a good luck email.

So if you are listening while sipping on your reheated coffee number three pacing with a baby strapped to your chest, this episode is for you. Let's talk about what you're really getting when you hire me as a sleep doula.

All right, here's the truth bomb. When you hire a sleep consultant, you're not just buying a sleep plan. You're investing in peace of mind.

confidence in someone showing up with you in the middle of the parenting trenches flashlight in hand helping you find your way out of the sleep deprived fog now I know there are budget considerations babies are expensive diapers onesies that breast pump that sounds like a sad saxophone I get it

but let's break it down like we're sitting at your kitchen table in our yoga pants with snack crumbs stuck to our sleeves, okay? So let's talk about the time. The first time we talk is that initial free chat and that is 30 to sometimes up to 60 minutes and that is absolutely free to you. We kick things off with a cozy chat

This is where we get to know each other. I get to hear all about what's going on. I want to know your story, your baby's quirks, and your parenting style and what led you to call me. This is not a cookie cutter support and we build everything around you and what you want out of this sleep consult. After that,

If we decide to work together, then You're going to fill out an evaluation all about your baby's sleep, their birth, your postpartum recovery, how you're doing, what are your parenting styles, what are your intentions with getting sleep help, and what that ideal situation might look like, and then what currently is happening.

I'm also going to ask you to fill out a three to five days of feeding and sleeping log. So once I get all of that back, I will review your intake form and those sleep logs. This takes me somewhere between one to two hours. This is where I completely nerd out. I delve into all the juicy details you provide. And so I can uncover the patterns that are behind the chaos.

that you might not be noticing. after that, we will schedule our sleep foundations consult. That can be anywhere from one to two hours where we connect. Typically, it's gonna be virtually where we're gonna deep dive into the science of infant sleep. We're talking wake windows, feeding rhythms, environment, routines, and then we're gonna tailor all of that to your baby.

We are not here to sleep shame and we're gonna talk real solutions, okay? This is where you get to decide what feels good for you going forward. We can go ahead and jump in to the sleep consult where we talk about a sleep method that might feel like a good fit for you or better yet, you might want to take a week or two and work on these sleep foundations.

to see how far you can get with them. This is my preferred method because we can work on wake windows, we can make sure that there's feeding adequately during the day, we can adjust their sleep environment and then create some really solid routines before we even talk about sleep methods okay?

And in that consult, you're going to receive tons of handouts. I'm going to be double checking my notes, making sure that I have every single piece of information we need to make a really solid plan moving forward. I bundle up all those resources for you and I make sure that you are set up for success before we even begin. You will receive a video and a full summary.

of everything we talked about in that consult in a follow-up email, including all the handouts within 24 to 48 hours. This gives you the chance to kind of let everything settle and take the pieces of advice that feel right for you and implement them that week right away.

Okay, so we might take a week or two break, like I said, and we're gonna have follow-up phone calls in between there. And then if it feels right, or when it feels right, we are gonna schedule the big coaching session. That can be two hours, sometimes a little longer, sometimes a little less, but we customize it to whatever you guys need. ⁓

in that consult we're going to figure out what was working well, figure out what didn't work so well, we're going to adjust our plan, and then we're going to talk about your coaching method. And this is where everything gets buttoned up and the magic happens. We co-create a sleep plan that honors your baby's temperament and your parenting values, keeping in mind your goals.

and don't worry about a cry it out mandate. I do not have one. We are all about fitting a method that works for you and your baby. And this plan is completely yours. So

We might take a little bit of different methods and blend them all together to make the perfect plan for you and your baby. Now, after that, I'm gonna spend about two hours plus on writing your sleep plan. I don't just go and Google baby sleep chart and hit print.

I actually write a full customized plan for you and your family and your baby I take everything we talked about and put it into a beautiful document that you can refer to as many times as you want in the future.

You will get it in your email within, you know, 24 to 48 hours after your coaching session. And then the magic is in the follow ups, right? So you get daily text and email support that might be about 15 to 60 minutes a day. And that's where I'm with you

cheering you on, we're troubleshooting and helping you pivot when is needed. You never have to do this alone. That is where the magic happens because we might come up with a plan and your baby is like, nope, I don't think so. That doesn't work for me. So what happens when that happens? Well, that's what we do in those follow up calls. These are your check ins where you can ask questions. We tweak the plan, we troubleshoot and yes,

we 100 % celebrate our wins, even the tiny small ones. They all matter. So how many hours is that that we're spending together? We get real deep together. And when you add it up, there's somewhere between 15 to 30 hours that we are in contact. And I'm working behind the scenes for you.

That is all my energy, my expertise, emotional support, and there's so much more than meets your eye than just a few hour consults.

here's the part I want to shout from the rooftops. You are not just buying my hours. You're investing in your rest, in your baby's well-being, In your mental health.

You're reclaiming your evenings, your confidence, and your ability to actually enjoy parenthood because you're not so wiped that brushing your teeth feels like a victory. And bonus, most families I work with start seeing progress within three to five days. Not because I have a magic wand, although that would be so great, but because I help you cut through the noise and find what actually works for your baby and you.

So yeah, hiring a sleep doula is a big decision, but it's also a big act of care for yourself and your family. And you don't have to do this alone, guessing your way through every sleep regression or wondering if you're doing it quote unquote right. There is no such thing as right. It's whatever is working currently for your family, for your baby in the moment.

You deserve this real support, thorough, thoughtful, and totally judgment free. And if you're looking for a more guided experience without jumping straight into a one-on-one consult, I have something really special coming your way very soon. I am creating a full course called Rooted Rest.

This is an eight week Sleep Foundations course that blends self-paced learning with a live community support. each week we'll delve into essential pieces of baby sleep from rhythms to routines to regressions and real life troubleshooting. And then we're gonna wrap it up with a live Q &A session where you can get all your questions answered directly by me each week.

It's designed to help you build confidence, get better sleep, and feel more rooted in your intuition as a parent, even when things are unpredictable. This isn't just a course, it's a supportive container for growth, rest, and connection. If your gut is whispering, this might be exactly what I need, make sure you are on my email list and following me on Instagram, and that's at doula.deb so that you're the first to hear when the doors open.

And of course, if you're ready for more personalized support now, just go ahead, cut the line, head over to douladeb.com and check out my sleep consult options. We can get you rest sooner than you could ever think. So until next time, take care of yourself, sip that coffee while it's still warm or at least lukewarm. And remember, you are not alone in this and you deserve to rest.