Awake at 3am | Motherhood & Sleep

Jess Zids and Sophia Masur
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Parenting
  • Updated Weekly

They told you it was normal. We ask if it really is. If you've ever been awake at 3am wondering why your baby won't sleep or why everyone else seems to be coping better, you're in the right place. Hosted by infant sleep consultant Sophia Masur and mum of two Jess Zids, we share real stories and evidence-based conversations on baby sleep, sleep deprivation, postnatal depression, food intolerances and maternal mental health—so no mum feels alone.

  1. Sep 8

    30 | I Carried My Daughter Out of the Hospital in My Arms | Hannah | Infant Loss at 22 Weeks, Extremely Premature Birth & NICU

    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 her go peacefully rather than pursue interventions with almost no chance of a good outcome, and spent 24 hours with her before saying goodbye. Two years later, her third daughter Nora was born at 28 weeks after months of preterm labour and a second cervical stitch. Nora survived, but contracted meningitis three separate times in her first months of life, spending weeks in NICU and undergoing multiple surgeries before finally coming home well. In this episode, Hannah shares what it actually looked like to carry a pregnancy knowing her baby wouldn't survive, why she started making ceramic urns by hand for other bereaved families, and how she found her way back to feeling like herself after loss most people can't imagine surviving. This episode explores: Infant loss and pregnancy loss at 22 weeksCervical insufficiency and cervical stitchExtremely premature birth and NICUMeningitis in newborns and premature babiesRetained placenta and postpartum complicationsGrief, memory making and honouring a baby who diedExplaining loss to an older siblingRebuilding a family after infant lossIf you've experienced the loss of a baby, are navigating a high risk or extremely premature pregnancy, or simply want to understand what this kind of grief actually looks like, this conversation will stay with you. Support is available.🇦🇺 Red Nose Grief and Loss Support: 1300 308 307 SANDS Australia: 1300 072 637🇺🇸 Star Legacy Foundation 🇬🇧 Sands UK: 0808 164 3332 Follow Hannah and Olive & Kin, and follow us at Awake at 3am and Sophia's Sleep School for more real stories of motherhood, sleep and survival.

  2. Sep 1

    29 | I Googled How Long Until Sleep Deprivation Could Kill Me | Natalie | IVF, Postnatal Anxiety, Epilepsy & Sleep Training

    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 afraid of the answer. In this episode, Natalie shares what it actually took to get help, why she turned down three personally recommended sleep consultants and went with her gut instead, what the first night of sleep training looked like when her husband physically could not be in the room, and how her marriage was tested under the weight of resentment neither of them wanted to feel. This episode explores: Unexplained infertility and IVFHigh risk pregnancy and gestational diabetesEmergency c-section and birth traumaPostnatal anxiety and postpartum mental healthEpilepsy and sleep deprivation risk in a partnerFrequent night waking and contact nappingSleep training when one parent can't helpModified Ferber and space soothingGidget Foundation counselling and perinatal supportResentment and relationship strain in early parenthoodIf you've ever felt like the only person carrying the night alone, or wondered if you're the only one who's googled something that dark, this conversation will change how alone you feel. To learn more about today's episode follow us at @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more real stories of motherhood, sleep and survival.

  3. Aug 18

    28| My Husband Had to Tell Me I Had Postpartum Depression | Jamie | Toddler Sleep, Adenoids, Undiagnosed Postpartum Depression & Sleep Training

    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 posts, physios and chiropractors. Some nights her daughter woke more than a dozen times, and the one thing left on the list wasn't a method at all. It was her daughter's tonsils. In this episode, Jamie shares what it actually took to get her daughter's toddler sleep under control, from an ENT assessment that revealed enlarged tonsils and adenoids, to the moment she called the surgeon in tears, convinced she was making the wrong call. We also talk about the undiagnosed postpartum depression she didn't recognise in herself the first time around, the one her husband had to name for her, and how a completely different second baby forced her to throw out everything that worked the first time. This episode explores: Toddler sleep and frequent night wakingEnlarged tonsils and adenoids affecting sleepSigns your child may need an ENT assessmentTonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in toddlersSleep training that works for one child and not anotherUndiagnosed postpartum depression and postnatal depressionPostpartum anxiety and identity loss in motherhoodMouth breathing, snoring and poor sleep quality in toddlersManaging a newborn, a toddler and working full timeSecond and third pregnancy after postpartum depressionSetting boundaries as a working parent If you've ever wondered whether your toddler's tonsils could be the reason nothing else has worked, or you've suspected you had postpartum depression and no one confirmed it, this conversation is for you. Follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool to learn more about infant sleep!

  4. Aug 11

    27| I've Watched Parents Get Hurt By Bad Sleep Advice | Jess & Sophia | Red Flags, Warning Signs & Finding the Right Help

    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.|

  5. Aug 4

    26| I Paid A Sleep Consultant and My Baby Still Woke 12 Times A Night | Jordana | Sleep Training & Toddler Sleep

    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 left her too scared to trust anyone else for months. By ten months old, he was waking twelve times a night and refusing to nap for longer than thirty minutes, always in motion, always in her arms. In this episode, Jordana shares what it's like to carry health anxiety into motherhood, why the wrong sleep advice can do more damage than no advice at all, and what actually changed once she found an approach built around safety and her son's stubborn, strong-willed nature. It took one night to fix his sleep. The naps took a lot longer. This is for the mums who are too scared to sleep train, who've already tried once and it didn't work, or who are stuck getting in and out of the cot fighting for a nap that won't stick. To learn more about today's episode follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more sleep tips!

  6. Jul 28

    25 | My Baby Refused Every Bottle and No One Could Tell Me Why | Amy-Lea | Bottle Feeding Aversion, Reflux & Tongue Tie

    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. Nothing was wrong, and yet nothing was working. In this episode, Amy-Lea shares what it actually took to get a diagnosis of bottle feeding aversion, why so many health professionals hesitate to name it, and the two simple changes, cue based feeding and a strict thirty minute limit per feed, that turned things around within twenty four hours. We also talk honestly about the postpartum anxiety that came with it, the guilt of feeling like feeding wasn't the bonding experience she expected, and why being a sleep consultant herself didn't make any of it easier. Sometimes you need someone outside your own home to tell you what your baby is actually asking for. If your baby fights the bottle, arches away, or brings up full feeds and you have been told everything looks fine, this conversation will make you feel a lot less alone. Follow: Amy- Lea @tailoredsleepco @awakeat3am.podcast & @sophiassleepschool

  7. Jul 21

    24 | I Thought I'd Never Feel Normal Again | Aine | Recovering from Postnatal Depression After a Traumatic Birth

    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 afraid to take the antidepressants that had been prescribed. In this deeply honest conversation, Aine shares what postnatal depression really felt like, why it took her two months to ask for help, how medication helped her recover, and the guilt, grief and loneliness that followed becoming a mum. Today, she's using her experience to help other parents realise they are never alone. If you've ever felt like you've lost yourself in motherhood, this episode is a reminder that recovery is possible. In this episode we discuss: Postnatal depression (PND)Postpartum anxietyTraumatic birthPremature birth and NICUMaternal mental healthAntidepressants in the postpartum periodRecovery after postnatal depressionPreparing for pregnancy after traumaSupporting parents through perinatal mental health Use code AWAKEAT3AM for 15% off at KYNDR, and follow along for new episodes every week. ...These conversations could save a life!

  8. Jul 14

    23 | I Almost Quit My Dream Job | Lauren | Toddler Sleep, Sleep Deprivation & Working Motherhood

    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 keep the job she loved. She wondered if becoming a mum meant giving up the career she had fought so hard to build. The turning point wasn't finding a miracle solution. It was finding an approach that worked for her family, her child and their reality. This episode isn't about creating the perfect sleeper. It's about the invisible cost of chronic sleep deprivation, the impossible expectations placed on working mums, and the guilt of feeling like you're failing at both work and motherhood. We talk about toddler sleep, sleep deprivation, toddler sleep problems, working motherhood, parental preference, sleep associations, identity, marriage, medical investigations and why getting more sleep can give you far more than better nights. If you've ever wondered whether your toddler will ever sleep, or whether you're the only parent quietly falling apart while trying to hold everything together, this conversation will remind you that you're not alone. To see more of Lauren, follow @awakeat3am.podcast and @sophiassleepschool for more stories, support and sleep tips.

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About

They told you it was normal. We ask if it really is. If you've ever been awake at 3am wondering why your baby won't sleep or why everyone else seems to be coping better, you're in the right place. Hosted by infant sleep consultant Sophia Masur and mum of two Jess Zids, we share real stories and evidence-based conversations on baby sleep, sleep deprivation, postnatal depression, food intolerances and maternal mental health—so no mum feels alone.

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