The Importance of Sleep Across the Perinatal Period: Implications for Maternal and Infant Well-being

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Research examining sleep health in both perinatal mothers and infants is limited yet critical due to significant developmental shifts in sleep associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and infancy (Mindell et al., 2017; Nowakowski et al., 2013). Sleep patterns established during infancy have lifelong implications for development (Field, 2017), and research suggests that prenatal maternal sleep may underlie infant sleep regulation (Ciciolla et al., 2022). Sleep regulation is linked to maternal, fetal, and infant outcomes, including psychopathology and infant brain development (Christian, 2019; Field, 2017). Still, much remains to be understood about the role of other psychosocial and environmental factors for sleep dysregulation across the perinatal and early childhood period, and the implications for maternal and infant well-being.

Four papers present findings from three diverse, longitudinal datasets following sleep progression from prenatal maternal sleep to child sleep at age 1. Paper 1 uses repeated measures from daily surveys to examine whether the association between pre-sleep arousal and sleep quality during pregnancy and postpartum differs according to prenatal emotion regulation difficulties. Paper 2 examines the interplay of prenatal sleep problems, prenatal social support, and prenatal depression to predict maternal postpartum sleep problems. Paper 3 examines how prenatal anxiety is associated with persistent infant sleep difficulties from 6- to 16-weeks postpartum. Paper 4 uses Early Head Start data to examine maternal and child predictors of sleep at age 1 and its association with communication and cognitive skills at age 2. Presentations will discuss clinical implications for supporting perinatal sleep health and infant development.

Sub Unit

• Health, Growth, Injury

Chairs

• Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

• Emily D. Gerstein, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Individual Presentations

• Repeated Measures Examination of Pre-Sleep Arousal, Sleep Quality, and Emotion Dysregulation During the Perinatal Period - Presenting Author: Parisa R. Kaliush, University of Utah; Paula G. Williams, University of Utah; Liz Conradt, Duke University; Sheila E Crowell, University of Utah

• Sleep Problems During Pregnancy and Postpartum: The Roles of Social Support and Perceived Stress During Pregnancy - Presenting Author: Gina Erato, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Ashley N Quigley, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Kristin Fields, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Elizabeth Hinckley, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Samantha Addante, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

• Sleep During Early Infancy: The Role of Maternal Prenatal Anxiety - Presenting Author: Ashley N Quigley, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Gina Erato, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Kristin Fields, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Elizabeth Hinckley, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Samantha Addante, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater; Lucia Ciciolla, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater

• Sleep in 1 year-old Children in Early Head Start: Implications for Development at age 2 - Presenting Author: Maire Claire Diemer, University of Missouri- St. Louis; Haley Ringenary, University of Missouri - St. Louis; Emily D. Gerstein, University of Missouri-St. Louis