Effects of sleep disturbance in the postpartum: Are new mothers an exception to the rule?

The Relationship Between a Baby's Age and Sleepiness in a Sample of Mothers

One question of great practical importance for the parents, and especially the mother, after the birth of a baby, refers to how long the time during which they have to go with less and more fragmented sleep actually lasts. Most of the studies only explore this issue up to 6 months of the newborn's life, and less is known about the sleep problems the mothers may have after this initial period. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between the sleep disruption and daytime sleepiness of mothers with infants until 2 years old compared to a group of women currently not at care of babies. To this end, a sample of 113 women, 67 currently bringing up a baby of under 2 years old, and the remainder without a baby at their care under 6 years old, reported sleep duration, sleep interruptions, sleep quality, and responded to questionnaires of sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. The relationship between the age of the children and the comparison between the groups was used to highlight the sleep problems of the mothers taking care of the infant. The results showed that there was a positive relationship between the age of the infant and the duration of the sleep of the mothers and that the duration of sleep for them was similar to those of the women in the control group about 6 months after the infant was born. However, fragmentation of sleep, daytime sleepiness, and sleep problems were still higher than in the control group for mothers with children between 6 and 12 months old.

Information Management in New Motherhood: Does the Internet Help or Hinder?

BACKGROUND

Women are faced with the task of gathering information and making subsequent decisions for themselves and their families as they are often the primary caregivers.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to elucidate prominent themes related to information management and Internet usage in new motherhood. While the advantages to online support have been explored, triggered anxiety has not been a focus of the literature.

DESIGN

A focus group study of 31 adult, postpartum women was held at a large, urban medical center in the Northeastern United States. Data related to information management were extracted and analyzed thematically.

RESULTS

Women reported experiencing (a) a forcible, internal drive for information related to family health and (b) a high level of anxiety surrounding health-related Internet searches.

CONCLUSIONS

Health care providers must be aware that women will consult the Internet for information and that at least a portion of those individuals will experience anxiety as a result.