Rooming-in at night in the postpartum ward

Area of Science:

• Maternal-infant health
• Nursing research
• Sleep science

Background:

• Swedish maternity wards traditionally practice 'rooming-in' during the day but utilize nurseries at night to protect maternal sleep.
• Concerns about maternal sleep disruption have historically limited overnight rooming-in practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a program promoting night-time rooming-in to enhance mother-infant adaptation.
• To assess the impact of increased night-time rooming-in on maternal sleep, alertness, and breastfeeding patterns.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental design comparing a pretest period (Period I) with a post-test period (Period II) after program implementation.
• Self-report data on breastfeeding and maternal sleep were collected from 104 mothers in Period I and 111 mothers in Period II during the first three postpartum days.
• Infant nursery time was objectively measured.

Main Results:

• Infant time spent in the nursery significantly decreased from Period I to Period II, particularly during the second and third postpartum nights.
• No significant differences in overall breastfeeding frequency were observed between periods, except for increased breastfeeding on the third night in Period II.
• Mothers in Period II reported similar sleep durations and alertness levels compared to mothers in Period I, despite increased night-time rooming-in.

Conclusions:

• Implementing night-time rooming-in programs can successfully reduce infant nursery time without compromising maternal sleep or alertness.
• Increased night-time rooming-in may support enhanced breastfeeding practices, particularly in the early postpartum period.
• The findings suggest that night-time rooming-in is a feasible and beneficial practice for promoting early mother-infant adaptation.