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Poster #104 - Effects of Feeding Method on Maternal Sleep Satisfaction and Concern for Infant Sleep

Sat, March 23, 2:30 to 3:45pm, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

Several studies have explored the relation between infant feeding and sleep for mothers and infants (e.g., Doan et al., 2007; Montgomery-Downs et al., 2010; Tobback et al., 2017). The findings have been inconsistent with some studies showing no difference in maternal sleep (actigraphic or self-report; e.g., Montgomery-Downs et al., 2010), while others found breastfeeding mothers and their infants slept less and had more nighttime awakenings than bottle-feeding mothers (e.g., Schwichtenberg & Poehlmann, 2009). Less is known, however, about the relation between infant feeding and maternal concern about infant sleep, particularly when factoring in sleep for both mother and infant. This study explored the relationship between breast- versus bottle-feeding and maternal reports of satisfaction with their own sleep and concern for their infant’s sleep.
Data were from a larger study of development that included both longitudinal (n = 30) and cross-sectional (n = 44) maternal reports collected via PediaTrac, an online tool. Data were collected at newborn (NB; n = 45), two months (2m; n = 39), and four months (4m; n = 40). Though mothers in the longitudinal sample were more educated (t(72) = 3.15, p = .002) with higher household income (t(69) = 2.94, p = .004), samples did not differ in maternal sleep satisfaction or concern about infant sleep. Maternal sleep satisfaction and concern about infant sleep were single items rated on a 5-point scale from least (1) to most (5). Sleep was the number of continuous nightly hours. Sample descriptives are reported in Table 1.
Separate mixed-effects models predicted maternal sleep satisfaction and concern about infant sleep from child variables (age, sex), demographics (maternal age, education, household income), and continuous hours of nighttime sleep (child, mother). Since maternal education and household income were not significant, they were not included in the final model (Table 2). Mothers who slept more at night and who breastfed (compared to formula fed) reported greater satisfaction with their own sleep quality. Younger mothers, mothers who were breastfeeding (compared to bottle-feeding), and mothers of daughters (compared to sons) reported less concern about their infant’s sleep.
Contrary to expectation, breastfeeding mothers were more satisfied with their own sleep and less concerned about their infant’s sleep than mothers who bottle fed their infants. Importantly, these associations held after accounting for nighttime sleep for both mother and infant. One possibility is that breastfeeding mothers expect their infant to have shorter continuous sleep periods and, thus, are less concerned about their infant’s sleep. Consistent with this, Rudzik and Ball (2016) found that breastfeeding mothers viewed awakenings as natural, while bottle-feeding mothers sought to keep their infants asleep for more continuous hours. These findings in combination with prior findings of differences in amount of infant sleep relative to feeding method highlight the importance of maternal expectations in understanding how they view their infant’s behavior. More broadly, these findings raise important questions regarding the distinction between parenting styles and practices of mothers who breastfeed and those who bottle-feed as well as the implications for their infants.

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