Sleep deprivation is an actual form of torture. Literally.

And just because you’re being woken up every hour or so, night after night, by your sweet baby boy, doesn’t mean you are any less knackered.

So after a few months of Sonny Jim deciding sleeping at night was overrated, I decided to talk to an expert.

How to get babies to sleep is a contentious subject. Personally I think you do whatever feels right for you.

I’m not up for controlled crying. Yep, it works for a lot of people – my parents included. But it’s not for me.

And as much as we co-sleep when I admit defeat after two hours of trying to get Sonny Jim back in his cot at 2.30am – I don’t really want that to be how we roll for the next however long either.

Which is why Kerry “care it don’t cry it out” Secker (www.careitout.com) proved to be something of a godsend.

She’s not a sleep fairy. She didn’t have a magic trick that suddenly saw Sonny Jim sleeping 12 hours straight. But she did manage, after an hour’s chat, to spot some basic things that would help him sleep better. In short, he was overtired.

One week on and Sonny Jim’s sleep had improved. A lot. A month on and we’ve had three nights on the spin where he’s pretty much slept through the night. I know. Amazing.

Of course this has coincided with him seemingly now wanting to drop his afternoon nap… so we’re going to be back all over the place again now I’m sure. But still.

Most importantly though, chatting to Kerry gave me confidence back. Made me stop beating myself up over the fact my baby didn’t sleep. Encouraged me to listen to my instincts above everything else.

So to all the other mamas out there up in the wee hours (I feel your pain!)…you’ve got this. I promise. And maybe stop the baby napping past 3pm…

This post was first published in the Echo newspaper on Friday, July 21, 2017: www.echo-news.co.uk