SNOO Helped Us “Find a New Rhythm” in a Pandemic
Julie Woolfolk went into labor with her third child, Rhys, on March 11, 2020...just as coronavirus was declared a pandemic.
“We came out of the hospital to a twilight zone,” she remembers.
Shortly after Julie gave birth, her home state, Texas, enacted its safer-at-home orders in response to COVID-19. That meant that, unlike with her first two babies, Julie wouldn’t have the help of her mother-in-law.
"We haven’t been able to have her come help because I’m am trying to do our part to stay safe from coronavirus," she says.
And, because Julie's husband—who works at a company that supports the county's hospitals—had been deemed an essential worker, she was flying solo with two toddlers and a newborn during the day.
“It was like Lord of the Flies in our house. There were always at least two kids crying at once. It was chaos,” Julie says
To make matters more stressful, Rhys only slept when held.
“I’m pro safe-sleep, but I was so desperate, I started co-sleeping,” she says. “It’s something I never thought I would do, but I was at my wit’s end.”
Then, there was the rising stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With a baby who wouldn’t sleep and all the shortages, that’s when panic happened. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to find diapers or food. My family members couldn’t come see us, and I didn’t have help I thought I would," she says. "It was really scary, and I was really struggling."
During one sleepless night Julie saw an Instagram post about SNOO. When she realized that SNOO was available to rent, she tagged her husband in a comment to see what he would think.
By the next morning, her husband had done his research and was sold. “He said for a few dollars a day, of course that’s worth our sanity!'” Julie remembers. They placed their order, and SNOO arrived a few days later.
“Within a week I was getting release,” Julie says.
In addition to sleeping in five-hour stretches at night, Rhys started napping for two hours—a huge boon for Julie, considering that without SNOO, he’d only nap for 10 minutes at a time! Finally, she could take a moment to write a grocery list (not quite the straightforward task it was pre-coronavirus!), prep a meal, and entertain her older children.
“The biggest thing that I’m grateful for is that the increased free time I now have during the day,” she says. “Before I was just scrambling trying to get everyone fed. SNOO has afforded me the ability not to hold the baby all day so I can actually spend quality time with my kids. That’s been invaluable.”
SNOO has lifted her spirits, too.
“Once we got SNOO, I haven’t cried once, compared to crying every day,” she says. “I’ve never encountered a baby product that has made that much of a positive change.”
Though Julie and her family are still navigating the uncertainty of the COVID crisis, having a virtual pair of hands via SNOO is making life a little easier.
“In a stressful time where I was worried about getting a virus and being able to find diapers and groceries, suddenly sleep wasn’t one of the stressors,” she says. “With SNOO, we’ve found a new rhythm.”
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