Inside Women’s Health: In Conversation with Diana Martins, Founder, Sleep Goals Inc.

Motherhood has a way of making you rethink the basics. For many parents, sleep becomes the first thing lost and the last thing prioritized.

In this conversation, we speak with about the emotional toll of exhaustion, the pressure parents quietly carry, and why rest is often treated like a luxury instead of a health need.

From raising three children to helping families navigate sleep with more compassion and less guilt, Diana Martins shares the realities behind parenting, burnout, and what truly changes when parents are finally rested.

1. You often say that becoming a parent changed the way you think about sleep  completely. What did that shift look like for you personally? ‍

Becoming a parent completely redefined my understanding of sleep. Before having a newborn, I genuinely didn't know what true exhaustion was; my body had never experienced that level of sustained stress. What's often misunderstood by those without children is the relentless math of newborn sleep: if the baby wakes every two hours, the feeding, burping, and changing cycle takes 40 to 60 minutes. By the time you settle back down, you might only have an hour before the cycle begins again. The crucial shift for me was recognizing that even if the baby is resting, my brain and body were 'on' and actively working nearly every hour throughout the night. 

2. So many mothers normalize exhaustion because it feels like “part of the job.” At what point did you realize sleep deprivation was affecting more than just your energy?

The realization that sleep deprivation was impacting more than just my energy came when I recognized I couldn't be the mother I truly wanted to be. I've always been a high-energy person who loves engaging and playing, but I was reduced to constantly chasing naps and feeling depleted. The pivotal moment, the “something needs to change” breaking point, was when I felt myself almost "snap" from sheer frustration and lack of rest during a difficult night with my infant. 

3. There’s a lot of pressure on parents to keep pushing through, even when  they’re running on empty. Why do you think maternal exhaustion is still so underestimated? 

Maternal exhaustion remains deeply underestimated because there is a silent expectation for women to absorb the entire workload, just as previous generations did. Culturally, we’ve normalized exhaustion through “hustle culture,” the pressure to “wake up before the kids,” and the constant pressure of “stacking culture.” We need to actively reframe exhaustion in the parenting narrative, while it might be a common experience for mothers, it is certainly not one that should be considered normal or accepted. 

4. As a mother of three, were there moments where lack of rest impacted your  mental or emotional well-being in ways people around you may not have fully  understood? 

Absolutely. With my first child, the sheer exhaustion, tiredness, and frustration culminated in an overwhelming surge of rage. Thankfully, I was able to wake my husband up and pass our baby to him. That moment underscored how profoundly lack of rest can impact a mother’s mental and emotional well-being in ways others may not fully grasp, and it showed me the crucial need for immediate support in those dark moments. 

5. A lot of mothers carry guilt around prioritizing themselves. How do you help  parents reframe rest as something necessary rather than selfish? 

Guilt is fundamentally the feeling of doing something wrong. I help parents reframe this by asserting a crucial truth: prioritizing your own care. Wanting sleep, rest, time for a hobby, or simply fun, is never wrong. Unfortunately, many women are subtly taught from a young age to "demand less" or "want less." When that mindset meets the intense demands of motherhood, we naturally feel immense guilt for wanting anything beyond just surviving the current situation. We must teach  mothers that self-care is a necessary component of sustaining their energy, not a selfish luxury. 

6. In your experience working with families, what are some of the biggest  misconceptions people have about sleep, motherhood, and “coping”? 

Over the years, the biggest misconceptions I’ve observed often revolve around the false assumption that every family unit is inherently 'sleep supportive.' For some families, rest isn't a core value; it’s viewed as being lazy or unproductive. Another  common misconception is the idea that becoming a parent is purely “natural.” In reality, it’s a steep learning curve, and it may not feel natural or align with your expectations, especially if you’ve experienced trauma during the birth.  Furthermore, people often forget that for the first few weeks, your baby doesn’t talk  back or smile, which is why those early days and nights can feel incredibly lonely. 

7. At Myri, we talk a lot about prevention over reaction when it comes to  maternal health. Do you think conversations around sleep need to become a  bigger part of how we support mothers earlier, not just when burnout hits? 

Absolutely. We need to shift the conversation from crisis management to preventative care by establishing a clear “sleep support plan” well before the  postpartum period begins. My most vital advice is to proactively arrange support, especially for nighttime recovery. 

• Secure Nighttime Support: Try to line up reliable night support. In my personal experience, my mother-in-law would spend the night literally staying awake with the baby so that I could get restorative sleep. Even though I still had to wake up to nurse, she handled all the other 'work': the burping, changing, and settling them back to sleep, which was life-changing. 

• Establish Designated Rest Time (DND): It’s essential to claim a non negotiable “Do Not Disturb” time. I personally made it a routine to take a nap around 2 p.m. to catch up on rest, and everyone around me knew that time was sacred and I was not to be disturbed. 

• Communicate Specific Needs & Boundaries: Have open, honest discussions with family and close friends ahead of time about what kind of support you truly need. For instance, I realized I could not worry about cooking, so I specifically asked my mother only for food drop-offs. I had to set the boundary that I couldn't fully rest if she was inside the house because hearing any “pitter-patter” would make me wonder what was going on, and  I'd miss my precious nap. We must utilize our support system by clearly defining roles and setting expectations before burnout hits. 

8. If there’s one thing you wish every exhausted mother could hear today, what  would it be? 

If I could speak directly to every mother running on empty right now, I would tell them to release the pressure and the guilt they carry. You are deserving of rest. Protecting your peace is protecting your baby. There are people like myself, willing and ready to help.