About Me
Katie Cortés: Certified Holistic Sleep Coach & Registered Midwife
Once upon a (very sleep-deprived) time, my mornings started with a bed full of kids. I have 4, btw. I loved babywearing, co-sleeping, and feeding to sleep, but as my little ones grew, so did my exhaustion… and my resentment.
Back then, I thought there were only two choices: co-sleep or sleep-train. Since I was not comfortable with the idea of sleep training, I resigned myself to years of broken sleep, assuming it was just part of the deal. If only I knew back then, what I know now.
Let's fast forward almost 2 decades later. (It's a long story but you can hear it here if you're curious.) I'm now a full time infant sleep consultant with a 25yr midwifery career forever in my heart, and still maintain the view that parents and baby need nurturing as one. For babies to thrive, we need thriving mums & dads. We need feeding to feel relaxed, and for developmental needs & mental health to be priorities instead of after-thoughts.
It's never as simple as a single fix-all sleep strategy and I see this clearly now. Despite a small regret that I could have easily improved sleep for myself and my own babies without risking our attachment; today I am able to support others in avoiding the same exhaustion and misinformation that kept me feeling stuck.
So I'm here to tell you that (if you want to)...
You can still co-sleep.
You can still baby-wear.
You can breast feed throughout the night.....but you know what? Turns out, this doesn't have to be every 45mins for the next 2years!
I'd love to show you how.
Yes...they are my twins!!
I am the first registered OCN level 6 Holistic Sleep Coach in Melbourne
I achieved this most recent accreditation through the Holistic Sleep Coaching Program by Lyndsey Hookway. It is a comprehensive, evidence-based training course for professionals who want to support families with sleep in ways that are responsive, developmentally appropriate, and attachment-focused.
The course aligns with attachment theory, responsive parenting, and biological sleep norms while also providing strategies to support parents in improving sleep without resorting to sleep training methods.
The Holistic Sleep coaching programme is one of the few to be proudly endorsed by the 'Beyond Sleep Training Project' and involves more than 100hrs of study.
I am also a 'Newborn Mother's' graduate and educator?
Newborn Mothers is an educational platform founded by Julia Jones, an Australian postpartum doula, author, and educator. She focuses on supporting new mothers through the transition into parenthood using traditional wisdom, Ayurveda, and modern neuroscience.
If you fancy a career change or you're already a post-partum professional seeking further knowledge, I welcome you. Click here, to find out more.
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How I support my clients
A big part of my job is reassuring parents that they haven’t created “bad habits” around sleep, despite what well-meaning friends, relatives, or the mainstream media might suggest.
Many parents feel embarrassed to admit they co-sleep, rock, or feed their babies to sleep, convinced they’ve made a rod for their own back! But when I congratulate them for following their instincts and using the same time-tested approaches that have comforted babies for thousands of years, there’s often a stunned silence. The truth is, meeting a child’s biological need for closeness isn’t a mistake—it’s exactly what they need and what parents are hard-wired to do.
I'm certain there is widespread belief that sleep professionals like myself love to chastise exhausted parents before prescribing a strict regime of zero sleep props and independent, solitary settling. To be brutally honest, I'm aware that many still do, though where the current evidence for recommending such practises lies, who can say? Perhaps somewhere back in the 1800s, alongside beliefs that fathers were not welcome at the births of their children!
Fortunately, time has marched on, and natural parenting practises are being embraced once more. However, this is not easy within a low nurture culture that maintains the continued assumption that babies who sleep all night are the good ones, and those who don't... are NOT! This is usually where exhausted parents reach out for my support.
Embracing normal
I love to provide perspective and celebrate what's already working well.
I offer clarity on normal infant behaviour and help identify health or feeding challenges that may warrant specialist advice.
I also help families normalise the beautiful chaos that often comes with newborns while optimising their own rest.
I reassure parents at the half year mark that its ok to release a bit of control and surrender to the wonders of this stage, even though sleep may suffer for a time.
I also remind mums and dads that toddlers are supposed to push boundaries and challenge us. They are exercising their autonomy as nature intends, whilst testing our ability to handle their big emotions and be the calm, confident leaders they need us to be.
Babies don't need to be taught how to sleep. Sleep is a big part of their watery world, long before they arrive earth-side. However, they often need help to relax and surrender once they get here. They need our help to feel safe at all times. They may even need us to identify any causes of discomfort. They have limited ways of communicating, so we MUST listen carefully.
Inviting sleep not forcing it.
Once all physical and emotional needs have been addressed, with age appropriate expectations we can begin the gentle art of coaxing better sleep for all. Some children welcome changes easily while others like to take their time. Either is fine by me.
As the resident experts on their own children, I deeply respect the months of hard work and determination parents have invested prior to seeking my guidance with their family's sleep. My aim is to empower them to complete the puzzle, so they can feel the pride and confidence that comes from their own achievements. I simply lend them my knowledge and experience, to craft sensitive solutions and compromises that will align with their values & parenting style.
If this sounds like the type of support you've been looking for, please click one of the buttons below to find out more or take the next step.
