The Newborn Survival Guide

Monica Lopez is a certified pediatric sleep consultant, infant feeding specialist, and mother of three children born within four years. After a decade working as a registered nurse in a busy neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at a major metropolitan hospital, she transitioned to private practice to help families navigate the early months at home. Her approach is grounded in evidence‑based medicine, practical realism, and deep empathy for the emotional toll of new parenthood.

Monica holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco, and is a graduate of the Family Sleep Institute’s pediatric sleep consultant program. She has completed advanced training in lactation management through the University of California, Davis, and is a member of the International Association of Infant Sleep (IAIS). She has also volunteered as a peer counselor for Postpartum Support International and contributed articles to *Parenting Magazine*, *The Bump*, and the *Evidence Based Birth* blog.

In her consulting work, Monica has helped over 1,500 families—from NICU graduates to full‑term healthy infants—develop customized sleep and feeding plans that honor each family’s unique values and circumstances. She is known for her warm, no‑judgment style and for reminding parents that “survival” includes permission to order takeout, cry in the shower, and put the baby down for five minutes to breathe. Her philosophy is simple: a rested, confident parent is the single most powerful tool for a happy baby.

Monica lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, three young children, and a rescue cat that sleeps through every baby cry. When she is not helping families find their rhythm, she can be found hiking the coastal trails, experimenting with slow‑cooker freezer meals, or reading a novel with an uninterrupted cup of coffee. The *Newborn Survival Guide* is her first book, born from the thousands of midnight conversations she has had with exhausted parents who just needed someone to tell them, “You are doing a good job. Here’s a plan that works.”