The significance of breastfeeding on sleep patterns during the first 48  hours postpartum for first time mothers.

The significance of breastfeeding on sleep patterns during the first 48 hours postpartum for first time mothers. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2017 Oct 12;:1-5 Authors: Hughes O, Mohamad MM, Doyle P, Burke G Abstract Postpartum women sleep less during the early days following delivery. Long-term sleep disturbance and fatigue can have significant implications for physical and mental health, relationships, employment and parental competence. Most studies focus on the quality and quantity of maternal sleep between weeks one and six postpartum. We explored sleep patterns and reasons for wakefulness of first-time mothers immediately following delivery. Thirty first-time mothers completed a postnatal sleep questionnaire, detailing their total sleep time (TST), the reasons for being awake and their level of fatigue. The logs were completed in real time during the first 48 h postpartum, while they were still in a hospital environment. The data collected from the mothers in the study indicated that the mean TST in the first 48 h was 9.7 h. Of the factors explored only breastfeeding influenced the TST. Breastfeeding women slept on average 2.6 h longer than women who bottle-fed (p = .042). Impact statement What is already known on this subject: Childbearing affects women's sleep in many ways. Hormonal changes during pregnancy and postpartum as well as physiological and anatomical alterations, and the process of adaptation to the new parent's...
Source: Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Category: OBGYN Tags: J Obstet Gynaecol Source Type: research