u/Remarkable_Crow8373

We’re getting admitted to Tresillian Nepean for a 4-night stay and I honestly don’t know what to expect.

My baby is 6 months old, a very “velcro” baby, and currently only contact naps and co-sleeps. It’s been working in the short term but it’s not sustainable for our family anymore, especially with sleep getting worse recently.

We’ve reached the point where we need help to gently transition him into independent sleep, but I’m feeling a bit anxious about what the process will actually look like in practice and how intense it might be.

If anyone has been to Tresillian (especially Nepean), I’d really appreciate hearing your experience:

• What did the 4-night stay look like?
• How did they help with sleep training / settling?
• Did it actually make a difference long term for your little one?

Any advice or honest experiences would be really appreciated.

I have a 6-month-old baby, and I honestly don’t know where to start with sleep training.

He’s always been a very clingy baby. When he was only a few weeks old, he started what seemed like breath-holding spells whenever he became extremely upset. Because of that, we got into the habit of picking him up before his crying escalated.

As a newborn, he actually slept really well at night in his bedside bassinet while swaddled. We had the occasional rough patch, especially during the 4-month sleep regression, but the past couple of weeks have been by far the hardest.

We had to transition him to his cot because he can now roll, and it’s been an absolute nightmare. On top of that, I had surgery about six weeks ago and wasn’t allowed to lift him. My husband works night shifts, so the only way I could safely care for him overnight was by co-sleeping while I recovered, as it meant I didn’t have to keep lifting him in and out of the cot.

Now that I’ve recovered, we’ve tried moving him back to his cot, but he’s been waking every hour. The only way he’ll sleep for a longer stretch is if he’s lying next to me. I’m worried I’ve accidentally created this habit, and I’m scared it can’t be undone.

I also really struggle with any form of cry-it-out. Hearing my baby cry makes me incredibly anxious. We’ve tried putting him down drowsy but awake so many times, but it always backfires. As soon as he’s laid down, he cries, and it quickly escalates.

Last night, while my husband was home, he spent over two hours trying the drowsy-but-awake approach. Every time he picked our son up, he’d calm down immediately. The second he was laid back in the cot, he’d start crying again. This cycle went on for more than two hours until I finally asked my husband to stop because I couldn’t listen to him cry anymore.

Daytime sleep isn’t any better. He only contact naps. If I try to transfer him, even when he’s in a deep sleep, he’ll wake almost instantly. There have even been days when he’s skipped naps because every transfer failed.

I’m completely exhausted and so sleep deprived. I feel like I’ve failed him. I keep blaming myself and wondering if I’ve caused all of this. I’m also scared that my exhaustion, combined with co-sleeping, could put him at risk, even though it’s currently the only way either of us gets any sleep.

I’ve read so much about baby sleep. We have a consistent bedtime routine, I follow age-appropriate wake windows, I make sure he’s getting enough milk and solids during the day, and his room is dark with white noise and a comfortable temperature. Despite all of that, nothing seems to help.

I feel completely stuck. Every evening I become anxious because I know bedtime is going to be another marathon. More than anything, I just want my baby to be able to sleep safely in his own sleep space, but right now it feels impossible.

Has anyone been through something similar with a baby who only contact napped, needed to co-sleep after unavoidable circumstances, or couldn’t tolerate being put down awake? What finally worked for you? I could really use some advice or even just some hope that this won’t be forever.

Hi everyone,

I recently applied for a nursing position with NSW Health that I believed was a permanent role. Today, I received a call from the NUM offering me a temporary part-time position for 12 months instead.

When I asked about the prospects after the contract ends, she mentioned that in her experience she hasn’t had anyone who wasn’t able to have their temporary position extended. However, I’ve spent the last 10 years working in a private hospital, so I’m not very familiar with how things work in the public system.

Is it common for NSW Health to initially offer temporary contracts, with staff then applying for permanent positions when they become available? Or is it more likely that temporary contracts are extended over time?

I’d love to hear about others’ experiences. Thanks!