Project MSSE: Maternal Sleep and Social Environment in the Short-Term Postpartum

Abstract

The postpartum period is a time of considerable excitement and joy for new mothers as well as stress and change. While the majority of postpartum research has been conducted during the first three postpartum months, less is known about how to promote health and minimize maternal risk during the Short-Term Postpartum (3-6 months postpartum). This is an important time-frame of investigation as many U.S. women return to an employment setting during this time while integrating the existing demands of infant care. Accordingly, the current study sought to identify modifiable factors in the Short-Term Postpartum social environment that could enhance maternal well-being and sleep. Seven days of daily social interaction diaries, sleep diaries and actigraphy were collected from 54 healthy, non-depressed, first-time mothers in in the Short-Term Postpartum. Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that daily fluctuation in frequency and valence of social interactions were related to nighttime sleep indices. In addition, improvements in nightly Sleep Quality, specifically, appeared to promote improvements in next-day maternal well-being and protect mothers from the negative effects of social discord. Group differences by employment status were examined; however, the majority of significant relationships were driven by within-person differences thereby supporting the need for examining within-person differences when making recommendations for enhancing maternal sleep and well-being in the postpartum.