Sleep deprivation/disruptions in the early postpartum period occur in varying degrees in new mothers and can result in low energy, fatigue, and delayed maternal recovery. The purpose of this pilot study is to evaluate two measures of maternal sleep from 14 to 19 days postpartum: the wrist actigraphy and sleep activity record. In addition, ease of utilization of the instruments and study attrition will be explored.

Design

A descriptive study will compare total sleep hours and sleep interruptions documented by wrist actigraphy and sleep activity records for each of five nights in 10 subjects.

Population, Sample, Setting     Ten English-speaking mothers between the ages of 20 and 40, expecting their first baby, and married/partnered participated. Infant qualifications included a five-minute APGAR score above seven and gestational age 37 weeks or older. Participants were enrolled from two Midwestern health centers.

Concept or Variables Studied Together

Lee’s model of impaired sleep guides the study and considers sleep, its impairment, and the consequences of sleep loss.  The variables of total sleep and sleep interruptions are indicators of sleep loss.

Methods

Descriptive statistics will describe the sample and the concepts of total sleep time and sleep interruptions. T-tests will determine if the sleep interruptions and total sleep time differ between methods of data collection. ANOVA will allow determination of individual and between individual differences (50 observations) in sleep parameters across the five nights. Attrition will assessed by the percentage of women who consented versus completed the study.  Descriptive statistics will document the ease of use of the tools.

Findings, Conclusions, and Implications

The  study is in the data collection phase. Findings will be presented with conclusions and implications. Study results will contribute to the knowledge base regarding maternal sleep patterns during early postpartum, as well as feasibility and comparability of sleep measures.