Lekha Matsumori Rao, MD

not well versed in autoimmune encephalitis and not willing to learn about it nor read newest literature.

Dr. Rao was instrumental in helping us get our 7.5-month old son to sleep more consistently throughout the night!! Before we saw her, our son was waking up 2-4 times throughout the night, did not have consistent daytime naps, and was cranky throughout the day. Sometimes the bedtime routine went smoothly but most times it took us a while...and a few times it even took up to an hour to get him to sleep in his crib. (We had the classic problem of him falling asleep in our arms and then he'd wake up the second you make the move to put him into his crib.) So finally, we decided enough was enough, and we consulted with Dr. Rao. After talking to her about our son's personality and daytime schedule/routine, she gave us some specific recommendations. We followed her advice and by the third night, we were able to 1) put him down in his crib "sleepy but not sleeping" and 2) he was sleeping from about 7:30pm to 6:00am. It's been 1.5 months and our son is still a great sleeper. He is noticeably… happier throughout the day, goes to bed without a fuss, and has a more consistent daytime nap schedule. Neither my husband nor I dread putting our son to bed anymore. It's been a huge difference, and my only regret is that we didn't consult with Dr. Rao sooner!

Absolutely excellent sleep advice that worked for my 6 week old - thanks Dr Rao!!