The Relationship Between Planned and Reported Home Infant Sleep Locations Among Mothers of Late Preterm and Term Infants

Abstract

Objective To compare maternal report of planned and practiced home sleep locations of infants born late preterm (34 0/7 to 36 6/7 gestational weeks) with those infants born term (≥ 37 0/7 gestational weeks) over the first postpartum month. Methods Open-ended semi-structured maternal interviews were conducted in a U.S. hospital following birth and by phone at one month postpartum during 2010–2012. Participants were 56 mother-infant dyads: 26 late preterm and 30 term. Results Most women planned to room share at home with their infants and reported doing so for some or all of the first postpartum month. More women reported bed sharing during the first postpartum month than had planned to do so in both the late preterm and term groups. The primary reason for unplanned bed sharing was to soothe nighttime infant fussiness. Those participants who avoided bed sharing at home commonly discussed their fear for infant safety. A few parents reported their infants were sleeping propped on pillows and co-sleeping on a recliner. Some women in both the late preterm and term groups reported lack of opportunity to obtain a bassinet prior to childbirth. Conclusions The discrepancy between plans for infant sleep location at home and maternally reported practices were similar in late preterm and term groups. Close maternal proximity to their infants at night was derived from the need to assess infant well-being, caring for infants, and women’s preferences. Bed sharing concerns related to infant safety and the establishment of an undesirable habit, and alternative arrangements included shared recliner sleep.

The Relationship Between Infant Feeding Outcomes and Maternal Emotional Well-being Among Mothers of Late Preterm and Term Infants

“…who had just joined the team to provide data for this exploratory study on the relationship of infant feeding outcomes and maternal emotional well-being and to asses maternal plans and practices for infant sleep locations. 20 Therefore, these measures were administered to about half of the participants (N=53, 26 late preterm and 27 term).…”

Barriers to and Interventions that Increase Nurses’ and Parents’ Compliance With Safe Sleep Recommendations for Preterm Infants

“…Reasons for parents not following safe sleep recommendations were similar to those for neonatal nurses. In two studies, researchers cited parental preference and infant comfort as reasons that parents stray from safe sleep practices (Fowler et al, 2013;Tully, Holditch-Davis, & Brandon, 2015). Other reasons included fear of infant choking (Fowler et al, 2013) and convenience with nighttime feedings (Tully et al, 2015).…”

“…In two studies, researchers cited parental preference and infant comfort as reasons that parents stray from safe sleep practices (Fowler et al, 2013;Tully, Holditch-Davis, & Brandon, 2015). Other reasons included fear of infant choking (Fowler et al, 2013) and convenience with nighttime feedings (Tully et al, 2015). Tully et al (2015) found a discrepancy between bed-sharing plans and practice, suggesting that maternal expectations for nighttime parenting and infant sleep did not match their actual experiences.…”

Understanding and enabling breastfeeding in the context of maternal-infant needs

“…Women may be aware of recommendations, such as solitary infant sleep, but adopt different practices for a variety of reasons. Prospective studies have documented that parent-infant bed sharing is more common than anticipated (Tully, Holditch-Davis, & Brandon, 2015;Ball et al, 1999). However, maternal and child health behaviors are often emotionally charged.…”