Sleep deprivation can have a transformative effect on a person’s life, and for author Natali Simmonds, it was a catalyst for her creative journey. As a mother navigating the challenges of postpartum life, the severe sleep deprivation she experienced became not only a personal hardship but also a wellspring of inspiration for her debut novel, While My Baby Sleeps, released last week.
In a world where mothers often feel isolated in their struggles, Simmonds used her own emotional and mental turmoil to craft a story that resonated deeply with other women, capturing the intense, often invisible battles of early motherhood.
Natali has lived in the UK and Spain but is currently based in Delft. This additional aspect of understanding of expats and internationals who are raising babies and children without family close by also is woven into the story.
From Exhaustion to Inspiration
Like many new mothers, Simmonds found herself battling severe sleep deprivation after giving birth. The early days with a newborn, while joyful, are often marred by interrupted sleep, constant feeding schedules, and the emotional rollercoaster of adjusting to a new reality. Then one year later she found herself pregnant and realised life would never be the same again.
“The physical exhaustion blurred my sense of reality, and I began to experience some really scary symptoms,” she says. “Days melted into one another, I was seeing and hearing things that weren’t there, and I began to feel completely disconnection from myself and the world around me.”
It was during this time that Natali began writing her first novel, The Path Keeper.
“I needed to escape a life I wasn’t enjoying, but I couldn’t physically walk away…so I began to spend time in a made-up world full of angels and forbidden love. That book became the first of a trilogy and launched my career as an author. Since 2017 I have had ten books published, including a TV deal and three international editions, plus there are three more novels in the pipeline.”
Simmonds’ children are turning fourteen and sixteen years old this month, and haven’t kept her awake for many years, but the trauma of that difficult has never left the author.
“It was such a trying time, and something mothers only talk about in retrospect. I knew there was a thriller book hidden among so much darkness and that’s where the idea for While My Baby Sleeps began.” Rather than dwelling on the unfairness and hell of sleep, Simmonds chose to channel her feelings into her writing. “Finally those sleepless nights were not battled in vain, and my latest psychological thriller was born.’
While My Baby Sleeps: A Psychological Thriller
In While My Baby Sleeps, Simmonds blends the horrors of sleep deprivation with a chilling narrative about a new mother’s descent into paranoia and fear. The novel follows its protagonist, Lu, a mother struggling with postpartum sleep deprivation, as she battles between needing the support of her kind neighbour, yet not fully being able to trust her. The line between reality and imagination begins to blur the night Lu wakes up covered in blood, unable to remember what she’s done. Is she a killer…or just a very tired mum?
Despite the fact that While My Baby Sleeps is primarily a psychological thriller, it has been described by readers and critics as a feminist horror novel. This is likely due to the way in which Simmonds masterfully taps into the primal fear of mothers losing control. The sensation of being so exhausted that one begins to question their own perception of reality is a fear that many readers can relate to, particularly new parents facing sleep deprivation. The suspense, tension, and eerie atmosphere all contribute to the unsettling backdrop and the very real experiences of loneliness, rage, and not knowing who to trust.
A Message of Hope
While My Baby Sleeps is a tender and raw exploration of a mother’s internal journey, showing how sleep deprivation can alter one’s sense of self. This has made the book more than just a thriller—it has made it a powerful reflection of the complex, often unseen aspects of motherhood.
Natali Simmonds’ journey from severe sleep deprivation to becoming a bestselling novelist is an inspiring one, with While My Baby Sleeps bringing her full circle. But has it brought her a sense of closure?
“This has been one the hardest book I have ever written,” she says. “But the most satisfying. It was hard to revisit such a soul-destroying time, but now I’ve faced it and trapped it between the pages, I’m sleeping easy once again. I hope those reading my novel have fun guessing the twists and turns, while also recognising that as thrilling as this fictional tale is, there are women out there struggling. And that’s the scariest part of the story, because Lu could be any one of us.”
While My Baby Sleeps is just 99p/$0.99 on Kindle right now, and also available as a paperback, on Audible, and free on Kindle Unlimited.