Journal Article- Infant Feeding Methods and Maternal Sleep and Daytime Functioning

http://pediatrics.aappublications.or...ds.2010-1269v1

:

---

PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2010-1269)

Infant Feeding Methods and Maternal Sleep and Daytime FunctioningHawley E. Montgomery-Downs, PhDa, Heather M. Clawges, MD, IBCLC, D-ABSMb, Eleanor E. Santy, BAa

Departments of aPsychology and
bPediatrics, (School of Medicine), West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia

Objective
Our purpose was to explore maternal actigraphically measured sleep, subjective sleep reports, and daytime functioning on the basis of current feeding method status during postpartum weeks 2 through 12.

Methods Objectively measured total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and fragmentation, subjectively reported numbers of nocturnal awakenings, total nocturnal wake time, and sleep quality, and sleepiness/fatigue measured by using the fatigue visual analog scale, the Stanford Sleepiness Scale, or the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were assessed.

Results
We did not find differences between women who were exclusively breastfeeding, exclusively formula feeding, or using a combination of the 2 methods, with respect to the assessed parameters.

Conclusions
Efforts to encourage women to breastfeed should include information about sleep. Specifically, women should be told that choosing to formula feed does not equate with improved sleep. The risks of not breastfeeding should be weighed against the cumulative lack of evidence indicating any benefit of formula feeding on maternal sleep.

---

ROFL at the Stanford and Epworth sleepiness scales... hahaha, surely they could have come up with a better term for it??

Interesting article, i would like to see more research over a longer time frame, i think at 8 months i am far more sleep deprived than i was in the first 12 weeks and wonder if this is due to constant night time breastfeeding over an extended period?

Off to google the sleepiness scales and see where i sit on them! LOL

Edit: http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/sss.html wow, i am a 6... have been at a 4 most of the day! No wonder i haven't got much done!

PMSL, http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/epworth.html I scored: Seek the advice of a sleep specialist without delay

:

---

Interesting article, i would like to see more research over a longer time frame, i think at 8 months i am far more sleep deprived than i was in the first 12 weeks and wonder if this is due to constant night time breastfeeding over an extended period?

---

Good point! Now i am off to check out where i sit on the scales!

ETA: Oh dear, i'll have the next appointment at the sleep specialist- when i get the energy. :lol:

It's interesting that we assume (even the breastfeeding mothers) that we'd be so much better off if we were bottle feeding. Is the grass always greener? Mothering is a tough and exhausting gig - and it will be regardless of how you feed your baby. All the research shows that bottle feeding mothers (at whatever age) actually get less sleep than breastfeeding mothers. When you are breastfeeding you benefit from hormones that help you get to sleep after/while you are feeding. Formula feeding mothers get their period back sooner than breastfeeding mothers and are more likely to be anaemic. Formula fed babies are more likely to get sick more often and more seriously - if you think that getting up to feed a baby in the night is a tough gig - sitting up all night with a sick child is terrible.
Doesn't make the tiredness any easier to deal with - that's for sure. But, it could be worse. Tiredness is the constant companion of the mother of a young child. But it doesn't last forever, and there are ways of making it easier on yourself.