Sarah first came to Tweddle with her incredibly sleep-resistant and highly sensitive baby when he was 7 months old. Now, nearly two years later, she is actively contributing to continuous improvement and quality at Tweddle by participating in the Consumer Advisory Group.
After being referred to Tweddle by her Maternal and Child Health Nurse, Sarah’s Nan mentioned that Sarah’s dad had also spent a few weeks at Tweddle as a baby, back in 1957.
During a recent visit, we were thrilled to capture a special moment with three generations: 1957 Tweddle baby David, his daughter and Consumer Representative Sarah, and her son.
Sara recently shared her Tweddle journey with us.
What challenges were you experiencing when you first contacted Tweddle?
My son was 4 months old when we were originally referred after going through the MCHN sleep and settling program. It took hours to rock him to sleep day and night. Once he was finally asleep he’d often wake after just 20 minutes.
With severe colic, he was really only happy when being held upright and walking. Pram and car naps were out of the question, with intense crying until he threw up. We didn’t manage a happy pram ride until he was 6-7 months old.
When did you first attend Tweddle?
We were meant to go to King’s Park, but after a particularly rough 24 hours with only 5 hours of on/off sleep, we called in desperation and were able to get a spot at Bacchus Marsh that week.
How did you find the Day Stay program? Have you sought help through any other of Tweddle’s programs?
We didn’t find the day stay program to be as beneficial as we hoped, but it was a good stepping stone for us to realise we wanted to take part in the residential program. It was extremely validating to meet other families in the same situation and have the staff recognise that sleep was difficult after months of being told things were “normal”.
We were put on a cancellation list for the residential stay and received a call the Monday before Christmas 2022 for a condensed 2-night/3-day program. While we made some progress, we were able to return for a full program in March 2023 for the full 5-day stay.
This was a turning point for us as a family, we could build on what we learnt through the week and from our previous programs to go home with confidence. For the first time, we had consistency with naps and nights also began to improve.
In late 2023/early 2024 none of our settling techniques were working and unfortunately, we were again experiencing waking every 45 minutes overnight and split nights. I self-referred to the residential program and was called by the intake and assessment team while I was en route to the library for Toddler Time in February.
We were offered a spot to begin that day in the new Wyndham facility. I turned the car around, called my husband and told him to pack the bags and we were all at Wyndham within 2 hours. We were extremely fortunate to be supported by clinicians who we met during our previous programs, and continued to help us achieve our sleep and other goals.
“A few weeks after his 2nd birthday, my son slept through the night for the first time ever (of course my husband and I didn’t!)”
What feedback would you offer to other parents about Tweddle?
Tweddle was key to improving our family life with our incredibly sleep-resistant and highly sensitive baby, who is now a happy and thriving toddler. The non-judgemental support from the staff (not just limited to sleep) was invaluable.” I think the key to getting the most out of Tweddle is to keep an open mind, get involved in the activities, and be honest with the clinicians about your goals and what you are willing to try during your program.
Tweddle is grateful to Sarah for sharing her Tweddle story and for her invaluable contribution as a member of Tweddle’s Consumer Advisory Group.
“The Consumer Advisory Group is an opportunity to provide feedback while helping to shape the future of Tweddle and make an impact on the lives of babies, toddlers and their families. In this capacity, I’ve attended the opening of Wyndham, joined the Quality Committee, taken part in a mock audit and been part of a group that provided feedback for the Strategic Service Plan.”
“We are so grateful to have been able to attend the programs at Tweddle. Being a Consumer Representative is a way I can give back, with a level of commitment that I can choose and fit in around busy family and work life.”
