Anna has two children. She has a gorgeous three year old daughter Isla who bounces around the house all day and a beautiful six month old boy called Sid who wakes up every hour of the night. So when friends asked her what she wanted for her birthday this year her reply was honest and instant: “Sleep!”
“I adore my children but six months without sleep nearly broke me! I was crying most days and felt like a terrible mum because I kept losing my temper with my little girl. I even wondered if I had post-natal depression. I knew friends who had used sleep consultants to help them in similar situations but spending £300 for professional help seemed completely ridiculous whilst on maternity leave when money is so tight.”
So of course Anna was delighted when her friends got together to ‘patchwork the problem’ of newborn sleep deprivation. From a cup of hot chocolate to a session with a specialist, friends could choose a range of sleep related gift items from £1 to £50 and together contributed the £300 needed to pay for professional help.
A month later and Anna says she feels like a different woman: “It was a difficult week of sleep training but I did it, and actually the fact that my friends had contributed made me even more determined. My baby now sleeps for 11 hours a night and I feel human again. I’m a better mum and I am so much happier – as is my baby! Cheesy as it sounds, I can honestly say that Patchwork changed my life and saved my sanity!”
Thanks for sharing your story Anna. We’re just so glad we could help.
If you like this gift idea check out our Parent and Baby patchworks here.