In 2019, I made a significant decision to leave my job when I found out I was pregnant. We had just moved to a new city, settled into a new home, and I felt it was the perfect time to focus on creating a comfortable environment for our family. I wanted to relish the experience of pregnancy at my own pace, dedicating my time to home improvements and simply enjoying a well-deserved break.
However, after the nesting period—when I found myself obsessively cleaning even the most obscure corners of our home(!!!)—boredom began to creep in. It was then that I stumbled upon an online community of nearly 100,000 members, centred around the topic of Evidence-Based Safe Infant Sleep. This group quickly opened my eyes to the harsh reality of infant sleep practices, especially in the United States, a country with one of the highest rates for autopsies on infants. This has led the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to report that approximately 3,800 babies die each year due to preventable unsafe sleep methods. These include co-sleeping or bedsharing, over-exhaustion in caregivers, positional asphyxiation, cultural differences, poverty, inappropriate bedding or stuffed toys, the use of sleep positioners, and even baby swings that are unfortunately still on the market.
Through this community, I learned just how dangerous many standard ‘infant sleep’ practices are, and I was astonished by the stark contrast in guidance between different countries. Being half Turkish and half English, I had already experienced a blend of cultural perspectives. I spent my pregnancy in Turkey, living there until my son was just over two years old. It was during this time that I became fully aware of the conflicting information available to parents. What shocked me even more was how far behind the NHS seemed to be on this critical issue.
With this newfound knowledge, I felt compelled to act. I created the first Turkish Safe Sleep Instagram page, aiming to provide expecting parents and caregivers with evidence-based information on how to care for their infants safely. My focus was primarily on sleep, but I also covered broader aspects of infant care. I knew this could be a sensitive subject for many caregivers—adjusting to life with a newborn is hard enough without having to change routines that might have just started working. However, I found that having access to reliable, evidence-based information was like having a ‘live-in nanny,’ helping to ease the anxiety (PPA) and depression (PPD) that can often accompany new parenthood.
Driven by my passion, I began compiling an extensive personal encyclopedia on topics ranging from feeding and caregiver responsibilities to the importance of sleep for both infants and parents, allergies, medication safety, swim and car seat safety, and more. I gathered years of research, charts, and graphs, and slowly but surely began making sense of it all. It hasn’t been an easy journey, and I’m far from finished learning.
This passion for safe infant sleep and child safety ultimately led to me becoming a certified Safe Sleep Ambassador after extensive training with Cribs for Kids. I’m incredibly grateful to the initial support group for the development and growth they inspired in me.
Now, I’m eager to share the knowledge and insights I’ve gained over the years, enriched with my own experiences. I hope that by doing so, I can support other parents and caregivers in their journey, just as I was supported in mine.
English (UK) 
Türkçe