For a New Dad Juggling 2 Jobs, Every Extra Bit of Sleep Is Priceless

Part of a series about real parents, with real challenges, who were helped by SNOO.

When Kyle Fortney and his wife Sydney had their first son Marshall 4 years ago, they woke up at least 5 times a night to tend to the baby.

“It felt like prison,” Kyle said. “We never got sleep, we never felt rested, never felt happy, never felt comfortable.”

On weekends, his in-laws would come over to the couple’s home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and watch baby Marshall so the tired new parents could squeeze out a nap.

“We both knew we were doing the best we could but nothing would work…two zombies living together don't make a great couple,” Kyle said.

Three months ago, Sydney gave birth to their second son, Frederick. When Frederick was one month old, Kyle surprised his wife with a SNOO.

“The first night he was in it, he doubled his sleep from 4 hours a night to 8,” he said.

Kyle, who works as an IT professional by day, loves controlling SNOO with the app. It’s reassuring to take a quick look at his phone to check on Frederick anytime, and quickly know if he’s sleeping calmly. He uses the SNOO log a lot, too, which automatically tracks Frederick’s sleep. Sometimes, Kyle screenshots the sleep log to send to his other dad friends to show off how well his little one sleeps.

Those extra hours of sleep count for the Fortney family. Kyle has a second job at a local brewery and works 65 hours per week; Sydney is a full-time nursing student who has a two-hour roundtrip commute to school. Without the SNOO, he said their busy schedule wouldn’t be possible.

With baby Frederick sleeping an average 8 hours per night, Kyle and Sydney have the energy to keep up with theirfast-paced lives. He has the energy to manage his two jobs and she has the energy to finish her homework once Frederick goes to sleep. And they both have the energy to chase after their 4-year-old…which Kyle says is a full-time job in itself!

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider.