![\"Lucy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5094585_4_articleinline_ECHO_20FEATURES_20WoW_20Lucy_20and_20Ellen_20Wolfe_20pic_202_1_.jpg\" "\\"Lucy")
Lucy and Ellen hope the podcast can be a comfort for parents.\u00a0Pictures: Jacky Galm<\/p>\n\u201cHow is your baby sleeping?\u201d That\u2019s a question that will send shivers down the spine of many a parent, but for Lucy Wolfe, the trials and tribulations of children\u2019s sleep are all part of the day job.<\/p>\n
Lucy, a well-known sleep practitioner in Cork, offers support for families struggling with sleep issues. She has published two books on the topic, produces tailored sleep plans for babies and children, and is currently undertaking a PhD on maternal perspectives on sleep.<\/p>\n
She has also recently launched a new project that is especially close to her heart \u2013 a podcast with her daughter, Ellen, entitled The Making (and Unmaking) of Mothers After Midnight, which delves into the many and varied experiences of mums navigating their babies\u2019 sleep, often in the small hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cI initially became a sleep practitioner because I struggled with my own child\u2019s sleep,\u201d recalls Lucy. She\u2019s referring to her eldest child, not podcast co-host Ellen, although she too was \u201ca horrible sleeper\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ellen stresses that now, at 21, she \u201csleeps like a teenager\u201d. When Lucy\u2019s eldest was a baby, she continues, \u201cthere was no internet \u2013 it was dial-up internet at best \u2013 and actually there were no supports. When I went to the GP and I asked her to put me in touch with someone, she said, \u2018there is nobody\u2019. And I just remember thinking that this couldn\u2019t be possible, it couldn\u2019t be true.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy and Ellen hope the podcast can be a comfort for parents.\u00a0Pictures: Jacky Galm<\/p>\n
The favoured infant sleep method of the time was so-called \u2018controlled crying\u2019, where parents are encouraged to teach their babies to sleep independently through allowing them to cry without comfort for timed intervals. \u201cI felt there had to be a better way,\u201d reflects Lucy. \u201cAny way other than that\u201d.<\/p>\n
When Lucy had Ellen, she began to realise that she wasn\u2019t alone with sleep struggles.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody had trouble. Everybody had struggles with their sleep, and it felt like an epidemic… And so I just kind of thought, you know what? This isn\u2019t being serviced.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy decided to retrain to, as she puts it, \u201cbecome the person who wasn\u2019t there for me\u201d. She has now been practicing for 15 years. She works with families from the perspective that every child and situation is different, and so tailors her plans accordingly.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cIt\u2019s about the scaffolding that\u2019s put in place in front of any approach. That\u2019s what\u2019s important. It isn\u2019t really the approach itself, except that I do believe wholeheartedly that if we\u2019re going to do anything, it has to be completely responsive and completely accompanied.\u201d\n <\/p>\n
Lucy is committed to continued professional development, saying: \u201cIn the time I\u2019ve been practicing, I have changed my own practice so much because you\u2019re moving with what you\u2019re seeing from a one-to-one basis alongside the research and evidence as it is emerging.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy has more than 88,000 followers on Instagram, and when she and Ellen put the call-out for mothers to share their stories about baby sleep on the new podcast, they were inundated. It\u2019s clear that new parents everywhere are struggling with sleep issues, and in many cases, are desperate for solutions. As with everything else in 2026, people are turning to social media for help.<\/p>\n
While safe sleep is, of course, paramount, what baby sleep can look like varies from family to family. This is something that the new podcast explores. \u201cSleep is multi-dimensional,\u201d says Lucy, \u201cand as a result, the episodes are\u201d.<\/p>\n
Issues discussed include cultural differences around sleep, bed-sharing, and feelings of resentment that can spring from sleep struggles – \u201cthere\u2019s a healthy mix of everything\u201d.<\/p>\n
Everyone\u2019s experience is different, but the podcast will be relatable to anyone who has had a baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that for parents,\u201d says Lucy, \u201cit\u2019s about trying to figure out what feels right for you. And what feels right for you won\u2019t feel right for someone else. You\u2019re evolving, you\u2019re adapting, and you\u2019re revising.\u201d<\/p>\n
In each episode of the podcast, Lucy and Ellen speak to a different mum about their perspectives on their own baby\u2019s sleep, as well as their specific experiences of being up with the baby in the early hours of the morning \u2013 a time that can feel especially isolating for the sleep-deprived mother.<\/p>\n
Whilst dealing with the negatives of sleep struggles \u2013 the \u201cunmentionables\u201d, as Lucy calls them \u2013 the overarching message of the podcast is one of hope. The mums are invited to name their episode. \u201cA lot of the episodes are [named things like] \u2018It\u2019s Going to Get Better\u2019, \u2018It Passes\u2019, \u2018You Don\u2019t Need to Worry About That\u2019\u201d, says Lucy, \u201cand I think there\u2019s a reassurance in that.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Lucy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/5094588_4_articleinline_25-19.jpeg\" "\\"Lucy")
Lucy Wolfe speaking at a recent Irish Examiner Parenting coffee morning at Here\u2019s Health in Douglas Court Shopping Centre, sharing practical sleep tips with parents.\u00a0Picture : Chani Anderson<\/p>\n
Lucy has wanted to do a podcast for some time. Ellen came on board due to her interest in broadcasting. The final year law student is about to start a Master\u2019s course in journalism this September \u2013 Lucy\u2019s co-host, she also produces the podcast, taking charge of all the recording, editing, and other behind-the-scenes work. Ellen was inspired by her mum\u2019s work to pursue a career in broadcasting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s so nice,\u201d she explains, \u201cwhenever we go to [Lucy\u2019s baby sleep] events, the mums all queue up and share their stories, and she listens and she hears them. It\u2019s a community every time.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd afterwards you see them all go and get coffees together, and they just build something. There\u2019s something so precious that comes from telling their story. I just love people telling their stories.\u201d<\/p>\n
While this is Lucy and Ellen\u2019s first joint project, they have completed courses together over the years \u2013 including a podcasting course \u2013 and both share a passion for golf. Ellen has accompanied Lucy to TV and radio interviews since she was a young teenager and caught the broadcast buzz in the green rooms. \u201cI\u2019ve been around this a long time now… I\u2019ve seen lots of different things like TV, radio, all the different avenues, and I\u2019m like, maybe I want to be on the other side of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The podcast explores not just baby sleep, but the identities of the women interviewed. A question asked by Ellen and Lucy in each episode is, \u201cwere you made or unmade after midnight?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy explains why this \u2013 the theme of the podcast \u2013 is an important question to ask.<\/p>\n
\n \u201cPeople have this idealised version of mothering and the modern woman is invested in preparing and researching and planning. And then one of the most devastating things that happens is that it\u2019s not what they thought it was going to be.\n <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fantasy of what they thought [motherhood would be] has to give away to the actuality of it. I suppose that really is what informs that whole sentence of being made and unmade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lucy and Ellen hope that the podcast can be a comfort to mothers \u2013 and fathers \u2013 and perhaps a companion too, to those listening after midnight as they soothe their wakeful baby.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it would give you company, permission and reassurance without being one school of thought,\u201d considers Lucy. \u201cI think that parents listening to it could hopefully take some consolation, and I hope it\u2019s not too serious either \u2013 that there\u2019s humour in there too \u2013 and that it\u2019s listenable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The mother and daughter duo have really enjoyed working together on this project. \u201cAs a mum,\u201d reflects Lucy, \u201cdid I ever envisage (a) this is what my life would involve and (b) that I would get the chance to work with one of my children in this way?\u201d<\/p>\n
With the first season of the podcast currently being rolled out, Lucy and Ellen are now considering what may be next for their partnership. They\u2019d love to do a live show, or perhaps adapt the concept to other issues. Whatever\u2019s next for the pair, they are both very happy to continue with the podcast.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to keep this going. If people are still willing to tell their story, we\u2019re still willing to record and put it out there!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cHow is your baby sleeping?\u201d That\u2019s a question that will send shivers down the spine of many a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504729,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[78],"tags":[18,135,19,17,2973,8073],"class_list":["post-504728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-eire","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-parenting","tag-wow"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116645258802777762","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504728\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}