Ngala gives Perth mum Katriona Harvey ‘invaluable’ gift of sleep as service sees rise in mothers needing help

When Katriona Harvey was pregnant with her first child, she anticipated the lack of sleep that was to come.

But nothing could prepare the Como mother for the first few months with baby Oscar, who suffered from colic and was often unsettled.

While Mrs Harvey was overwhelmed with love and gratitude for her little boy, her mental health suffered as sleep deprivation took hold.

“I’m sure as many mothers would find, you get to a bit of a breaking point in your mental health, on top of the challenges and changes that come with having a baby.”

On recommendation from a mother’s group friend, Mrs Harvey and her husband Andrew contacted Ngala and took part in two day-stays at the residential parenting centre followed by a longer stay.

“It was invaluable, I loved how tailored it was to our unique needs as a family and didn’t use generic methods,” she said.

“I’m the sort of person who reads a lot and listens to all the podcasts and I thought I knew it all, but hands-on and experiential knowledge is the most valuable.”

During the stay Oscar slept for a five-hour stretch for the first time, something Mrs Harvey “didn’t think was possible”.

“For the first time Oscar is connecting his sleep cycles and sleeping longer stretches overnight,” she said.

Mrs Harvey suffered from post-partum anxiety which was exacerbated by the lack of sleep but said she was now managing well.

“It can be hard to think rationally,” she said. “I was so paranoid about Oscar’s health . . . but I’ve been blown away by the support services, like my mother’s group and Ngala.”