Mothers’ and fathers’ sleep: Is there a difference between first‐time and experienced parents of 6‐month‐olds?

Abstract

Sleep disruption and deprivation are highly prevalent among parents of an infant. However, most postpartum sleep studies focus solely on mothers, and few studies have investigated whether sleep differs between first‐time and experienced parents. The present study aimed to determine whether self‐reported sleep duration and quality differ between first‐time and experienced mothers and fathers during the postpartum period. A total of 111 parents (54 couples and three single mothers) of 6‐month‐old infants completed a 2‐week sleep diary to evaluate measures of sleep duration, sleep continuity, and sleep quality. An analysis of covariance model was used to compare the sleep variables of first‐time to experienced parents. Breastfeeding frequency, infant sleep location, depression, education, and work status were used as co‐variables. First‐time mothers reported a longer consecutive nocturnal sleep duration (mean [SEM] 297.34 [17.15] versus 246.01 [14.79] min, p < .05), fewer nocturnal awakenings (mean [SEM] 1.57 [0.20] versus 2.12 [0.17], p < .05), and rated their sleep quality higher (mean [SEM] score 7.07 [0.36] versus 5.97 [0.30], p < .05) than experienced mothers, while total nocturnal sleep duration did not differ. There were no differences in subjective sleep measures between first‐time and experienced fathers. The present study indicates that experienced mothers reported more fragmented sleep and perceived having worse sleep quality than first‐time mothers, but that paternal sleep did not differ as a function of parental experience. These findings have clinical implications for healthcare professionals working with families of various configurations and sizes.

Prematurity has no impact on the quality of parents' sleep 6 months after birth

“…Gay et al showed in their study that infant feeding was not related to self‐reported sleep disturbance or fatigue for mothers or fathers 3 . More recently, Kenny et al reported that breastfeeding was significantly associated with shorter consecutive nocturnal sleep duration and more nocturnal awakenings in mothers 24 …”

“…3 More recently, Kenny et al reported that breastfeeding was significantly associated with shorter consecutive nocturnal sleep duration and more nocturnal awakenings in mothers. 24…”

Sleep patterns and intraindividual sleep variability in mothers and fathers at 6 months postpartum: a population-based, cross-sectional study

“…Participants completed a demographic questionnaire to obtain information on their age, education level, employment status and number of children. A questionnaire about sleep-related parental practices during the postpartum period (adapted from the Sleep Practices Questionnaire) [32][33][34] was used to assess: (1) infant feeding method (ie, no breast feeding, partial breast feedingmixed feeding or exclusive breast feeding) and ( 2) infant sleep location (ie, solitary or cosleeping). Solitary sleep referred to the infant sleeping in his/her own room either alone or with siblings on a nightly basis, whereas cosleeping was defined as the infant sleeping in the same room as parents (ie, same bed, bassinet or crib).…”

Child Sleep Problems Affect Mothers and Fathers Differently: How Infant and Young Child Sleep Affects Paternal and Maternal Sleep Quality, Emotion Regulation, and Sleep-Related Cognitions

“…Interestingly, this association was not detectable in fathers. 101 Thus, future research should focus on potential differences between first-time and experienced parents. Furthermore, we only assessed information of parents in heterosexual relationships, thus contributing data of same-sex parents should be assessed in future research.…”