Denise Stern
Mom to Jonny, age 8,
Zoe, age 6 and Eme, age 6
Bristow, VA
Nominated by Ashley Morow
Denise is the president of Let
Mommy Sleep and Mission Sleep.

Let Mommy Sleep is a team of
registered nurses and caregivers
who give parents of newborns
overnight relief and evidence-based
education. Mission Sleep is a 501c3
that provides the same service to
military families and first responders
for no charge. Denise has been
an advocate for new parents by
attending the White House Summit
for Working Families, contributing
to the Washington Post and working
with several non profits. She has also
provided free community classes
on newborn care since 2011. As a
mother of three school-aged children,
she also volunteers weekly in her
local school community.

What’s the best parenting advice
you’ve ever received?
“work-itive,” which
is their word for
hardworking. I was lucky enough to chat with
Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect
When You’re Expecting, who told me
that with all the parenting choices we
make, “There are a lot of right answers.”
It’s so simple, but so often forgotten.

Who is your role
model? What advice would you give to new or
expectant mothers?
To treat yourself with kindness and to
realize there are a million “baby experts”
out there, but you are the expert when it
comes to your baby. Even if you feel like
you don’t know anything, your instincts
are always right.

How has motherhood changed
your outlook on life?
Two things: To me being a parent
means experiencing the heights and
depths of emotion; ecstatic happiness,
crushing sleep deprivation, guilt like
no other and the most joyous giggles
you’ve ever had. Motherhood has given
me these gifts and the result is I’m a
much more even-tempered human.

Motherhood has made me so much
more open minded and compassionate
to others. All the judgments you might
make, and things you believe are
definitely right and definitely wrong
become a little more blurred when
you’re a parent.

How do you think your children would
describe you?
My own mom. There
are so many times I’ll
be playing, baking or
doing some kind of
activity with the kids
and I think in my head,
‘How do I know how
to do this? Where did
I get this idea?’ and then I realize it’s
because I am just doing what my own
mom showed me.

What goals do you have for yourself?
I would like to stay healthy and to
continue franchising my company Let
Mommy Sleep beyond the mid-Atlantic.

I think silly, likes to have fun and
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