I did the math. When my daughter Sophia was 13 weeks old, it took me 1 hour and 45 minutes of constant crying to put her down for a 15 minute nap.  With 3-4 naps per day, I ended up spending 5-7 hours of my day rocking her to sleep, nursing her to sleep, or cuddling her to sleep.  The situation was unsustainable.  What’s worse, my daughter was developing poor sleep habits and experiencing poor quality sleep.  The duration of her naps was getting shorter and, after several weeks of sleeping through the night, she had begun night waking.  Her temperament was changing too.  Once a happy, alert, and interactive baby, she was cranky, irritable, and unable to focus during the day and inconsolable at night. I knew that if I allowed things to continue as they were, the situation would only get worse.

I had read all the books.  I had researched and tried all the methods: “controlled crying” (with which I wasn’t comfortable), “check and console” (which didn’t seem to work)! and the like.  Deborah visited our home and watched me put Sophia down for a nap.  She suggested a method that I hadn’t found in the literature or considered intuitively.  And she told me to expect some progress after 4 days.  Instead, I saw progress after 3 naps!  Without the trauma of abandonment, and instead with my constant presence and reassurance and my consistent naptime and bedtime behavior, Sophia learned when it was time to go to sleep and how to settle herself.  The time it took to put her down for a nap quickly collapsed from 1 hour and 45 minutes to just 20 minutes. Within 2 days, she started sleeping through the night again.  It is now two weeks later, and Sophia is thriving.  She is taking longer naps, sleeping through the night, and settling or re-settling herself within 10 minutes. She is happier and more alert.  And I have regained 4.5 to 6 hours per day of productive time for myself.  There is no doubt about it, Deborah and The Sleep Clinic at Annerley are worth their weight in gold.

Gina Hertel, Asia Regional Director, Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions, Mother to Sophia, Age 3 months, August 2007

I worked with Hulda as my doula for the births of both my sons.  Austin is now three, and Jamie is a month old. (2007). Both were born at Matilda Hospital.  Even though Matilda provides excellent midwife care, I found Hulda's support during my labors to be invaluable, especially since I was determined to experience medication-free deliveries.  And as much as I trust my doctor and the staff at Matilda, my husband, Alex, and I were extremely grateful to have Hulda there to advocate solely for our best interests during this exciting, yet stressful, experience.  During both labors, Hulda helped me to focus on the present moment and work through that discomfort, prepare for the work that was to come in the latter stages of delivery, and not become overwhelmed by the pain or effort of labor.  I strongly feel that without Hulda's calm presence and support, I would have had difficulty seeing through a natural delivery, especially during the labor of my first son.  I would highly recommend Hulda and Annerley's doula services to anyone giving birth in Hong Kong, particularly those interested in a natural delivery.   
Jayne Schrantz, mother of Austin and Jamie, August 2007

 

"The services that we got from Annerley were so fabulous, supportive and informative.  I had many problems with breastfeeding my first child, ranging from all kinds of infections and mastitis to engorgement and problems pumping.  My midwife guided and supported me through very challenging times, both emotional and physical.   I would highly recommend Annerley to any new mom."
Tara Hoffman, Executive Director of AFS Intercultural Exchanges and mother of Jonathan and Caitlin.

 

"My son Armand, then age 7 months was still waking up during the night for milk feeds and being a first time mom it was very difficult for me to apply to "rules" of just ignore it...or even …let him cry for a few minutes or hours.  I knew that he was taking enough food and milk during the day so that there was really no reason for him to want any milk a few times during the night. I also knew that I had to break his little habits but personally I needed a professional behind me guiding me through the process, and telling me that I was doing the right thing.
That's when I called the sleep clinic. I met up with Deborah and we set up a schedule of meetings and I was gently taught what to do and what not to do. Deborah's advice all made sense and by taking it slowly day by day, it all fell into place. In a matter of weeks Armand dropped all night feeds and was sleeping from 7pm to 7am.  What was important for me was to have someone like Deborah advising me what to do and giving me the confidence to do it."
Thank you again Deborah!
Leonorah Boulter - October 2004

 

"We have had the pleasure of taking part in antenatal courses at Annerley before the birth of both of our children. The first time we did a general antenatal course which was great to help us get informed about the birthing process, which reduced our anxieties considerably. The second time we did the HypnoBirthing course which was amazing. I was always sceptical about whether it would work so was overjoyed at the end result, which was a relaxed and easy birth, after which I felt like I had done something strenuous like an endurance race, without suffering pain. Many thanks to both Louise and Hulda."
Jenny Buck - August 2007
 

"Deborah’s sleep clinic was designed precisely for this sleep deprived household! My two children, then aged 6 months and 2 ½ years old, had horrible sleep habits and I quickly needed help from a professional.
Initially, I utilised the clinic for my young son, Sammy, who was still waking through the night as I had just weaned him from breastfeeding and started him on formula.  By employing Deborah’s straightforward and realistic weekly or monthly sleep goals, specifically by setting a routine and creating more down time in the evening for Sammy, I was gaining confidence in the clinic’s effectiveness, seeing results, and most importantly, everyone in our household was getting their much needed and deserved sleep.
Deborah did such a fantastic job with Sammy, that I then used the sleep clinic for my older daughter, then 2 ½ years old, who was not getting enough night time sleep and was napping as a result of this REM sleep deficiency.  I thought Isabelle was a hopeless case in developing better sleeping habits, but once again, Deborah employed simple yet effective sleep techniques, such as an incentive based reward scheme along with positive reinforcement in this case.

"Sophie started to have a hard time falling asleep a few weeks after her birth.  She was extremely sensitive to noise and movements around her.  She was often cranky in the evening and sometimes wailed for one hour straight. We did not know what was making her upset and could never predict how long she would sleep each time or how many times she would be fed each night.
Then, we turned to the sleep clinic. We were advised what to do and also what NOT to do.  With the help of Deborah, we established a daily schedule for Sophie and followed it. We started to see the difference from day one.  The schedule was flexible and easy to follow so we have been able to stick to it so far.  Now Sophie can fall asleep by herself, and her sleeping pattern is stable and predictable.  She is also a much happier baby."
Etsuko Kawase - June 2006