Support shaped around you, not around a program.
Sleeping. Feeding. Settling. Wellbeing.
The four pillars of early motherhood supportAt Gaskell Mothercraft, the belief is simple: every family is unique, and support should reflect that. There are no programs to follow, no one-size-fits-all schedules, no prescriptive approaches handed down without understanding the individual mother and baby in front of us.
Instead, Jillian Grevis-James draws on more than three decades of experience across health, education and community settings to offer support that is genuinely tailored — beginning with the three areas that shape the early weeks most profoundly: sleeping, feeding and settling. Alongside these, maternal wellbeing is always held at the centre of the work, because a supported mother is the foundation everything else rests on.
Infant Sleep Consultation
Infant sleep is one of the most talked-about — and most misunderstood — aspects of early parenthood. There is no shortage of advice, but advice without context is rarely helpful. What works for one baby may be entirely unsuited to another, and what a mother reads at midnight is rarely what she needs at 3am.
Jillian's approach to infant sleep support begins with understanding the whole picture: the baby's age and temperament, the family's circumstances, the mother's own wellbeing and what has already been tried. From there, support is tailored — practical, realistic and built around what is genuinely sustainable for this family.
- Understanding infant sleep cycles and developmental expectations
- Infant development and how growth stages influence sleep and settling
- Establishing gentle, age-appropriate sleep routines
- Supporting safe sleep practices and environment
- Responding confidently when your baby wakes
- Managing night waking and understanding settling zones
- Addressing sleep associations and settling to sleep independently
- Support for overtired or unsettled babies
Feeding & Nutrition Support
Feeding a new baby — whether breastfeeding, expressing, combination feeding or formula feeding — can be one of the most challenging aspects of early motherhood. The pressure surrounding feeding decisions is enormous, and the practical difficulties are often underestimated.
As a long-standing La Leche League member and experienced mothercraft practitioner, Jillian brings both clinical knowledge and genuine warmth to feeding support. Her approach is non-judgmental: the goal is always a fed, settled baby and a mother who feels confident and informed — whatever form that takes.
- Breastfeeding establishment and troubleshooting
- Latch and positioning guidance
- Supply concerns — both low and oversupply
- Expressing and milk storage
- Combination feeding and transitioning to formula
- Introducing solids and progressing through textures
- Feeding a baby with reflux or tongue tie concerns
Holistic Settling Techniques
An unsettled baby is one of the most exhausting realities of early parenthood. When a baby cannot be soothed — when nothing seems to work — the effect on a mother's confidence and wellbeing can be profound. It is rarely a sign that something is wrong. It is almost always a sign that the right support has not yet been found.
Jillian's settling support is holistic in the truest sense: it looks at the baby's whole environment, routine, feeding, sleep and temperament together, rather than reaching for a single technique. Settling strategies are introduced gradually and adjusted responsively, always with the mother's comfort and confidence kept at the centre.
- Understanding the root causes of unsettled behaviour
- Responsive settling approaches suited to the individual baby
- Managing colic, reflux and wind
- Reducing overstimulation and supporting calm transitions
- Building a toolkit of settling strategies for different situations
- Supporting the whole family through periods of persistent unsettledness
Maternal Wellbeing
The birth of a baby is also the birth of a mother. And yet, in the rush of caring for a new infant, the mother's own wellbeing is often the last thing attended to — and sometimes the first thing to suffer.
Maternal wellbeing sits at the heart of everything Jillian does. It is not a separate service so much as a constant thread woven through every conversation and every visit. When a mother is supported, heard and held in a relationship of genuine respect, everything else becomes more possible.
This is not a clinical assessment. It is a space to speak honestly about how you are doing — and to be met with knowledge, warmth and no judgment at all.
- Navigating the emotional transition into motherhood
- Managing exhaustion and finding sustainable rhythms
- Support for anxiety, overwhelm and loss of confidence
- Recognising when additional support may be needed
- Building a personal network and reducing isolation
- Holding space for the complexity of early maternal experience
Begin with an Initial Consultation.
$130Every service begins with a conversation. The Initial Consultation is unhurried, non-judgmental and entirely focused on you and your baby. It is the natural starting point for any of the support above, and often provides more clarity and relief than a mother expects.