Awake at 3am | Motherhood & Sleep

Jessica had already spent more than a year surviving on broken sleep with her first baby, Noah. So when her second baby, Portia, started waking hourly too, she knew she'd eventually need help.

What she didn't expect was to spend $1,000 on a sleep consultant, follow the advice for weeks, and end up feeling more exhausted, more defeated, and more alone than when she'd started.

Jessica is a mum of two, and she'd spent months following a sleep consultant online before deciding to trust her with Portia's sleep. But what she thought would be personalised support...

Sarah had no idea that stopping breastfeeding could leave her feeling so low, and nobody had warned her. She only found out when she Googled it.

Sarah is a mum of two under two, and for months bedtime with her toddler, Charlie, could take up to three hours, sometimes ending in screaming tantrums while she had a newborn in her arms. She’d tried two sleep consultants, car rides and the TV, and people kept telling her the gentle approach she wanted wasn’t possible.

In this episode, Sarah talks about the post-weaning low that hit...

Lory had a Taylor Swift playlist for labour. A birth version, and a separate one for a C-section, just in case.

What she didn't plan for was her blood pressure spiking to 190, an emergency caesarean, and 24 hours in and out of consciousness while her newborn son went to NICU without her.

Lory is a mum of one, and she thought the hardest part would end there. It didn't. Months later, she was diagnosed with postnatal depression, after telling herself for weeks that she was "so good at masking" how she felt that even she didn't...

Some nights, Sabrina was waking every thirty minutes to an hour.

She'd assumed she'd hit the jackpot, a newborn sleeping eight hours a night, barely one wake. Then four months hit, and it never really stopped. By seven months, some nights she was waking six to ten times. She told herself it was teething. It wasn't.

Before any of that, Sabrina spent ten years chasing a diagnosis for pain doctors kept dismissing. Stage four endometriosis, found only after a routine 45-minute surgery turned into eight hours on the table.

In this episode, Sabrina...

For three months, Jess convinced herself the night terrors would just pass.

Every night, roughly two hours after bedtime, her daughter Floss would start screaming, kicking, thrashing, eyes wide open, completely unreachable. Sometimes it happened every thirty minutes until 1am. In the morning, she had no memory of any of it. Jess's own GP had never heard of a link between night terrors and tonsils.

In this episode, Jess shares what actually led her to push past "wait and see," the nasal spray that worked for a month and then stopped, the moment an ENT...

This episode discusses infant loss, extremely premature birth, and a newborn's life-threatening illness. Please take care while listening.

Hannah carried her daughter out of the hospital in her arms. Olive had died two days earlier, at 22 weeks, after Hannah's waters broke and her medical team told her there was nothing more they could do.

Hannah is a midwife and mother of three girls. After a normal first pregnancy, her second ended when her cervix failed at 22 weeks, too early for her daughter Olive to survive. Hannah and her husband made the devastating decision to let...

I googled how long until sleep deprivation could kill me.

Natalie spent three years trying to become a mum through unexplained infertility and IVF. Then her husband's epilepsy meant that after their son Arlo was born, she had to survive every single night alone, because for him, sleep deprivation isn't just exhausting, it's medically dangerous.

Arlo wasn't sleeping. Ten, sometimes eleven times a night he would wake. Natalie was diagnosed with postnatal anxiety, started counselling through the Gidget Foundation, and still found herself Googling how long a person can survive on almost no sleep, genuinely...

Jamie tried everything to get her daughter to sleep. Rocking. Feeding to sleep. Singing. An item of her own clothing in the cot. Nothing worked for longer than a month.

Jamie is a mum of two, soon to be three, and has spent the last three years trying to understand why the sleep training that worked for her son in two nights did nothing for her daughter. She tried a gentle, non cry it out method from a bestselling sleep book that had worked perfectly the first time. She tried mother's group advice, desperate late night Facebook...

Can you trust your sleep consultant? Jess and Sophia unpack what parents should know before seeking help with their baby’s sleep. Jess shares her experience of being badly let down by a sleep consultant, while Sophia explains the red flags she sees in the industry and what parents should look for when choosing someone to support their family. They also talk about sleep deprivation, maternal mental health and why finding the right support can change everything.|

At three weeks old, Jordana's son stopped breathing in her arms. It happened without warning, no explanation, and the hospital sent them home with two words: BRUE, a Brief Resolved Unexplained Event. No cause. No certainty it wouldn't happen again, but it did.

From that moment, Jordana was too afraid to let him cry, which meant sleep training felt impossible even as the exhaustion became unbearable. She saw a sleep consultant at four months who told her to tuck her swaddled, rolling baby down under a sheet. It didn't work and it was very unsafe, and it...

As a sleep consultant, Amy-Lea thought she knew what a hard feed looked like. Then Max arrived, and every single bottle became a battle.

Amy-Lea is an early childhood educator turned sleep consultant, mum to Isabella and six month old Max. With her first baby, feeding was easy. With Max, every bottle turned into screaming, back arching, biting, and projectile vomiting, sometimes for over an hour, several times a day.

She saw her GP four times. She saw her paediatrician. She saw two different speech pathologists. Everyone checked his tongue tie, his reflexes, his coordination...

I thought I'd never feel normal again.

After a traumatic premature birth and weeks spent in NICU, Aine believed she was simply struggling to adjust to motherhood. As the weeks passed, the darkness grew deeper.

Aine is now the founder of KYNDR, a clothing brand supporting conversations around perinatal mental health. Use code AWAKEAT3AM for 15% off, and follow @kyndrthelabel to see what she's building. You can also follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more on all things baby sleep.

She became isolated, convinced she would never feel like herself again, and too af...

Lauren never imagined that her toddler's sleep would make her question the career she had worked so hard to build.

For two years, her daughter would only fall asleep while holding Lauren's hair. Work trips became impossible. Bedtime could take hours. Every night was filled with screaming, exhaustion and the constant fear that something was medically wrong.

She saw GPs, paediatricians and sleep specialists. They ruled out everything they could think of.

Nothing explained why her daughter wouldn't sleep.

As the sleep deprivation dragged on, Lauren began questioning whether she could...

Mez was certain how she wanted to parent: co-sleeping, following her baby's lead, the connected motherhood she'd always imagined.

Instead she was awake every 30–45 minutes, in bed by 7pm just to survive, and convinced this was simply what motherhood demanded. The hardest part wasn't the sleep deprivation ... it was the shame of admitting co-sleeping wasn't working for her family anymore.

On the first night of sleep training, Mez sat alone in the garage with the baby monitor, crying harder than her baby was, terrified she was making a mistake.

This episode isn't about te...

Dani is a paediatric nurse, sleep consultant and mum of two who shares how baby food intolerances, allergies and a missed diagnosis led to months of chronic sleep deprivation, hourly wakes and declining maternal mental health. 

In this episode, we explore baby sleep, postnatal depression, cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI), soy allergies, sleep training, evidence-based parenting and why sometimes a baby isn't "just a bad sleeper." 

After years working as a paediatric nurse, Dani thought she was prepared for motherhood. Instead, she found herself desperately searching for answers as her daughter cried constantly, woke hourly, st...

Dani is a paediatric nurse, sleep consultant and mum of two who shares how baby food intolerances, allergies and a missed diagnosis led to months of chronic sleep deprivation, hourly wakes and declining maternal mental health.

In this episode, we explore baby sleep, postnatal depression, cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI), soy allergies, sleep training, evidence-based parenting and why sometimes a baby isn't "just a bad sleeper."

After years working as a paediatric nurse, Dani thought she was prepared for motherhood. Instead, she found herself desperately searching for answers as her daughter cried constantly, woke hourly...

Dani is a paediatric nurse, sleep consultant and mum of two. She thought years of medical training meant she'd know if something was wrong with her own baby.

Instead, it took months to work out why her daughter cried constantly, woke hourly, struggled to gain weight and was repeatedly dismissed. The answer was cow's milk protein and soy intolerance.... missed despite her medical background. Once it was identified, everything changed: the hourly wakes stopped, her daughter's sleep transformed, and Dani finally understood how deeply chronic sleep deprivation had affected her family.

In this episode, Dani...

Episode 19: Abbey, Hourly Waking, Baby Food Allergies & Surviving Sleep Deprivation

What happens when your baby wakes every 45 minutes, food allergies turn every feed into a really scary moment, and the village you thought would support you never arrives?

In this powerful episode of Awake at 3am, Abbey shares her experience of severe sleep deprivation, hourly waking, infant food allergies, maternal burnout and the reality of modern motherhood. After an unexpected pregnancy, Abbey found herself navigating newborn sleep, frequent night waking, false starts, feeding to sleep, co-sleeping, baby sleep challenges and the overwhelming mental load that...

Taylor never imagined she'd be preparing for life with three children under two and a half and the pressure that would put on her relationship.

But behind the excitement of another baby was a story very few people knew. Severe sleep deprivation had taken its toll, and Taylor found herself trapped in a cycle of postpartum anxiety, overwhelming health anxiety about her own body, and constant fear that something was seriously wrong.

In this episode, Taylor shares what was really happening behind closed doors. We talk about postpartum health anxiety, sleep deprivation, postpartum rage, the...

What happens when sleep deprivation hits harder than infertility ever did?
Sheila Vijeyarasa spent years navigating IVF, multiple failed cycles and donor egg conception before becoming a first-time mum at 47. But nothing prepared her for the reality of newborn sleep deprivation.

In this episode, Sheila shares her journey through infertility, donor egg conception and pregnancy after 45.... and the profound shock of sleepless nights, breastfeeding struggles and identity loss that followed. We talk about how improving her son's sleep transformed her marriage, mental health and ability to function again.

This episode explores:
• Donor egg IV...

Libby made a decision many mums are scared to say out loud: she chose not to breastfeed.

As a solo mum by choice through IVF, Libby knew protecting her own mental health mattered as much as her baby's wellbeing. That decision came with judgement and unsolicited opinions — but she's never regretted it.

In this episode, we go behind that decision: the guilt, the pushback, and how she built her own version of motherhood — from becoming a solo mum through IVF to setting up a newborn sleep routine that worked for her family, without following anyone else...

⚠️ Trigger warning: postpartum psychosis, suicidal and intrusive thoughts, and thoughts of harm to a baby. Emily never imagined she'd develop postpartum psychosis. She had no history of mental illness. She loved her baby. She desperately wanted to breastfeed. But after a traumatic birth, severe sleep deprivation and overwhelming breastfeeding pressure, her mental health began to unravel in ways she never expected

In this episode, Emily shares the story nobody saw behind closed doors. We talk about postpartum psychosis, sleep deprivation, breastfeeding pressure, suicidal thoughts, intrusive thoughts and the warning signs she wishes every new parent knew.

Af...

"I know it sounds terrible... but for a little while, I almost felt free."

When Gabriella's marriage ended, she wasn't just navigating divorce. She was trying to parent a toddler who was still waking multiple times a night while rebuilding an entirely new life.

In this episode, family lawyer, author and mum of two Gabriella Pomare shares the story nobody saw behind closed doors. We talk about divorce, co-parenting, sleep deprivation, blended families, parenting after separation and the complicated emotions that can come with sharing your child.

Gabriella also opens up about introducing...

Sleep training is one of the most debated topics in parenting, but what does the scientific evidence actually say?

In this episode, GP, mum and sleep consultant Dr Francesca Brewer separates science from social media. We unpack the research behind infant sleep, sleep training safety, attachment, cortisol, responsive parenting and maternal mental health, and why so many exhausted parents are left feeling terrified to make any changes.

If you've ever wondered whether sleep training is harmful, whether responding differently at night could affect your bond with your baby, or how to separate evidence from opinion...

Belle thought her baby was just a bad sleeper.

Colic from the start. Waking every 30-60 minutes, she followed every piece of advice, stuck to the routine and even worked with two sleep consultants.

Nothing worked or improved her daughters sleep!

At some point it stopped making sense to. So she stopped looking for better routines… and started pushing for answers through the medical field.

When she finally got them, it was obvious why nothing had worked.

Her daughter hadn’t been a “bad sleeper” at all, she had a seriou...

Megan’s baby woke every single hour… for a full year.

Then at 12 months… he suddenly slept through.

She went from a career woman to completely exhausted, isolated, and questioning everything she ever thought to be true about being a mum.

In this episode, she shares what that year really looked like… and why, the second time around, she did things very differently. She engaged Sophia and got her second son on a routine from very early on and started sleep training him from 4 months of age.

If you’re stuck in hourly...

If you haven't already, listen to Episode 11 first. That's where Sophia's story begins.

At 21 years old, Sophia became a mum in a brand new relationship. Within a few short years, severe sleep deprivation, relationship breakdown and the reality of single motherhood completely changed the course of her life.

After years of surviving on broken sleep, Sophia developed PTSD and became convinced she would never have another child. It would be another 15 years before she became a mum again.

In this episode, Sophia shares what really happened behind closed doors, how sleep deprivation destroyed...

Jess had 2 under 2 and was running on no sleep.

Out of pure exhaustion, she made a decision she now calls the biggest parenting mistake she’s ever made.

In this episode, Jess shares what led her there, what happened next, and the reality of what severe sleep deprivation can do to your mind.

This is an honest conversation about motherhood, overwhelm, and the kind of exhaustion that pushes you to your limits.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re not coping, you’re not alone.

follow @awakeat3am.podcast...

This is where Sophia's story begins.

At 21 years old, she unexpectedly found herself pregnant in a brand new relationship. Overnight, her life changed from international flight attendant to first-time mum, completely unprepared for what early motherhood would demand of her.

In this episode, Sophia shares what really happened behind closed doors. She talks about becoming a young mum, postnatal depression, the isolation of early motherhood, losing confidence in herself, and the relationship breakdown that changed the course of her life.

This is an honest conversation about growing up while raising a baby, relying...

Ep 9: Simone, Second Baby, Colic, Sleep Deprivation & Two Kids Under Two

Simone thought she knew what to expect.

Her first baby woke every two hours for months. There was no routine, no predictable sleep and very little rest. Like so many exhausted mums, she spent her days surviving on broken sleep whilst trying to convince herself things would eventually get easier.

But then came baby number two.

This time it wasn't frequent night waking that challenged her most. It was colic, feeding difficulties, juggling two children at once and the overwhelming...

Kate and Jess met in their first mothers’ group when their daughters were just days apart — navigating newborn life, sleep deprivation and the shock of early motherhood side by side.

In this episode, Kate shares her experience with two very different babies and how her mindset around sleep changed dramatically between them. With her first daughter, Isabelle, sleep became something she felt she had to get “right” — often at the expense of getting out, living life and protecting her own mental health. With her second baby, Oscar, she approached things completely differently.

We talk about reflux, to...

Ep 8: Jess, Split Nights, Sleep Deprivation & The Sleep Advice She Regrets Following

In this episode of Awake at 3am, the tables turn.

Jess, usually the interviewer, shares her own experience of severe sleep deprivation, split nights, frequent night waking and the parenting decisions that still sit heavily with her years later.

After successfully sleep training her first daughter, Jess expected a similar experience with baby number two. Instead, she found herself navigating endless night wakes, conflicting sleep advice, multiple sleep consultants and a level of exhaustion that slowly eroded her confidence as a...

What happens when your baby wakes every hour, you've seen doctors, sleep specialists and even lived in an infant sleep clinic, yet you're still being told, "This is just who your baby is"?

In this episode of Awake at 3am, Maddy shares her experience of raising a baby who woke every hour for the first nine months of life. Like so many exhausted parents, she desperately searched for answers. She sought support from healthcare professionals, explored concerns about tongue tie and feeding, attended an infant sleep clinic and tried everything she could think of to improve her b...

For months, bedtime took three hours. Every. Single. Night.

Jacqui had seven-month-old twin girls and every evening felt like survival. One baby would finally fall asleep, the other would wake. Just as she settled one, the other needed her again. Night after night, she wondered if this was simply life with twins.

In this episode, Jacqui shares what those evenings really looked like, the exhaustion, the constant second guessing and the feeling that she was doing everything she could, yet nothing seemed to help.

She talks about the moment she stopped collecting random...

Ep 5: Ash, Reflux, Colic, 45-Minute Wakes & Sleep Training

Ash is a writer, mum to Archie and the voice behind You Wanted This, a platform dedicated to validating the reality of modern motherhood.

In this episode of Awake at 3am, Ash shares her experience of raising a highly unsettled baby whilst navigating reflux, colic, frequent night waking, 45-minute wake cycles and the relentless sleep deprivation that so many parents are told is simply part of having a baby.

Like countless exhausted mums, Ash found herself trapped in a cycle of broken sleep, constant settling...

Ep 4: Amelia, Toddler Night Wakes, Sleep Deprivation & Pregnancy Fatigue

What happens when you're heavily pregnant with baby number two and your first child still isn't sleeping through the night?

In this episode of Awake at 3am, Amelia shares the reality of navigating toddler sleep problems, frequent night wakes, pregnancy fatigue and the relentless exhaustion that comes from growing one baby whilst still caring for another.

Like so many mums expecting their second child, Amelia found herself caught between the physical demands of pregnancy and the emotional toll of ongoing sleep deprivation. Nights were...

What happens when your baby hits the 4-month sleep regression, has CMPI, and everyone tells you it's "just a phase"?

Krysten thought she was doing everything right, but as her baby's sleep unravelled, so did she.

What began as frequent night waking and broken sleep slowly became postnatal depression, postnatal anxiety and an overwhelming fear that sleep training might harm her baby. Desperate for answers, she found herself caught between protecting her baby's sleep and protecting her own mental health.

In this episode, Krysten shares the story nobody saw behind closed doors. We...

Savannah's baby woke every 10 minutes.

What followed was severe sleep deprivation, postpartum rage and a version of herself she barely recognised.

Like so many mums, she kept telling herself this was just part of motherhood. Instead, the constant night waking slowly began affecting her mental health, her relationships and her confidence, until she realised she couldn't keep surviving on broken sleep.

In this episode, Savannah shares the story nobody saw behind closed doors. We talk about postpartum rage, sleep deprivation, frequent night waking, maternal mental health and the hidden impact of a baby...

In our very first episode, we’re sitting down to properly introduce ourselves and share why Awake at 3am exists in the first place. We talk about the conversations that live in your head at night, the parts of motherhood that feel heavy, confusing or lonely, and why we wanted to create a space for the honest stuff nit the polished version. This is the beginning of it all: who we are, what we care about, and the kinds of conversations we’re here to have.

For more honest conversations about mother...