I help overwhelmed, exhausted mommas to feel well-rested, renewed in their identity as a mom, and confident in continuing their parenting journey.
Tara Dakin Sauer, CNCS, PMH-C
Newborn & Infant sleep consultant and perinatal mental health expert
I help overwhelmed, exhausted mommas to feel well-rested, renewed in their identity as a mom, & confident in continuing their parenting journey.
tara dakin Sauer, CNCS, PMH-C
newborn & infant sleep consultant and perinatal mental health expert
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I have loved babies ever since I was a young child, and I spent my adolescent years babysitting and volunteering in the infant room at churches and daycares. When I graduated from college, I knew that eventually I wanted to continue my education to become a therapist, but I decided to spend a few years focusing on my passion for babies by working as an infant nanny. I cared for four babies for a year or more, all starting before they were one month old.
I then pursued training to become a Certified Newborn Care Specialist (CNCS) and worked overnights to support myself throughout graduate school and residency. I loved it so much that I didn’t stop even after becoming a fully licensed therapist and launching my private therapy practice! My favorite part of working as a NCS is assisting parents in the sleep shaping process - I have worked a mixture of short-term and long-term contracts with over 40 newborns, helping them to develop predictable routines and healthy sleep habits so that they would naturally start sleeping through the night by anywhere from 8 to 16 weeks old.
Becoming a Baby Expert
My Story
Becoming a Perinatal Mental Health Expert
During my first few years as a therapist, I specialized in treating trauma-based anxiety and depression in teens and young adults, but I ended up working with a lot of new moms. Supporting women during their adjustment to motherhood both as a therapist and as a NCS led me to become very passionate about parental mental health.
I completed the training and experience to become a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional (PMH-C) through Postpartum Support International, and now the primary specialty of my therapy practice is addressing the various ways trauma can impact a woman’s mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. I also began to explore how I could better support my NCS families when their concerns about their baby's development, feeding, or sleep were impacted or complicated by traumatic experiences on their journey to and into parenthood, including:
Traumatic birth
NICU stays
Infertility
Pregnancy/infant loss
After many years of devoting my time to these two passions of infant care and maternal mental health, I naturally became more invested in an issue that concerns both mom and baby: sleep! When baby isn’t sleeping, mom isn’t sleeping, and this can absolutely have a negative impact on her mental health. When mom is struggling mentally or emotionally, it is much harder to take the necessary steps to help the baby sleep well, and so it can become a vicious cycle.
Now a Certified Infant Sleep Consultant, I believe that a key reason many moms aren’t getting the rest they need for their mental well-being is because of the misinformation and stigma that surround the subject of sleep training, and I am dedicated to changing that narrative.
Merging My Passions
My Mission
I love seeing families thrive, and so the mission of A Renewed Momma is to provide the unique care, support, education, and resources a momma needs to be able to offer the very best version of herself to her children.
I am committed to helping each of my clients reach the end of our time working together feeling well-rested and confident in continuing their parenting journey.
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Richmont Graduate University
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, University of Colorado - Boulder
Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management
Approved Gottman “Bringing Baby Home” Educator, The Gottman Institute
Certified Happiest Baby Educator, Happiest Baby Education Association
Newborn Care Specialist, Gentle Ventures
Advanced Newborn Care, Newborn Care Solutions
EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy, Richmont Graduate University
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology, University of Colorado - Boulder
TRAININGS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Perinatal Mental Health Certification (PMH-C), Postpartum Support International
Approved Gottman “Bringing Baby Home” Educator, The Gottman Institute
Certified Happiest Baby Educator, Happiest Baby Education Association
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant, Center for Pediatric Sleep Management
Advanced Newborn Care, Newborn Care Solutions
Newborn Care Specialist, Gentle Ventures
Are you ready to feel like a renewed momma?
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