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Changes in sleep patterns and depressive symptoms in first-time mothers: last trimester to 1-year postpartum

Amy R Wolfson1, Stephanie J Crowley, Ursula Anwer

  • 1Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, One College Street, Worcester, MA 01610-2395, USA. awolfson@holycross.edu

Behavioral Sleep Medicine
|December 17, 2004
PubMed

Thirty-eight 1st-time mothers were recruited from childbirth classes and were assessed at 4 different time periods: the last trimester of pregnancy, 2-4 weeks postpartum, 12-16 weeks postpartum, and 12-15 months postpartum. Measures included a daily sleep-wake diary and a depression scale (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, CES-D). Results reveal significant differences in week-day night sleep schedules (rise time, time awake due to disruptions, and nap time) at 2-4 weeks postpartum in comparison to other times of measurement. Total sleep time and bedtime was not significantly different between times of measurement. More depressive symptoms were reported at 2-4 weeks postpartum than at later postpartum measurements. Mothers who developed clinically elevated depressive symptoms (CES-D > or = 16) at 2-4 weeks postpartum reported more total sleep time, later rise times, and more time napping at the end of pregnancy in comparison to those mothers that reported fewer depressive symptoms (CES-D < 16) at 2-4 weeks postpartum.

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