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Sleep in Mother and Child

Just about every new mother can attest to sleepless nights and crying babies.
Sleeplessness and newborns go together like babies and diapers.
But a new study shows it’s possible for mothers and their newborns to sleep better in little as six weeks after birth.
The study examined how behavioral education for new mothers can instill sound sleep habits in the mothers and their babies.
One set of new mothers was given a 45-minute meeting with a nurse to discuss sleep information and strategies, an 11-page booklet, and weekly phone contact to reinforce information and problem solve.
Another group of new mothers got a 10-minute meeting only providing maternal sleep hygiene and basic information about infant sleep, a one-page pamphlet, and calls after three weeks and five weeks to maintain contact without advice.
The women who received the additional education reported sleeping 57 more minutes at night and fewer reported their sleep as a problem as compared to the control group. Infants whose mothers received training slept an average of 46 minutes longer per night than the control group.
So what was the magic information given to the new mothers:
1. Learning to recognize when a baby is sleepy.
2. Relaxation and deep breathing techniques that help women fall back to sleep after feedings.
3. Going to bed earlier, with the baby, and going back to sleep in the morning if the infant does.
Study published in Journal Sleep (www.journalsleep.org), December 2006. Research led by Robyn Stremler, RN, PhD at the University of Toronto.