Stressful pregnancy means sleep problems for babies
A study of babies aged six to 12 months has revealed that their sleeping patterns are affected if the mother had experienced distress during pregnancy, reports The Telegraph.
874 women from Southampton were monitored before and during pregnancy, and the new mothers then reported back on how well their baby slept, including how often they woke up between midnight and 6am over two weeks aged six and 12 months.
For those mothers who had experienced anxiety or stress during pregnancy, their baby was more 52% more likely to wake during the night, where as for mothers who had a stress-free pregnancy it was only 43% at both six and 12 months.
Disturbed nights for a child in the first year of life may lead to behavioural problems later. There was however, no link between the mother experiencing stress post-pregnancy and the baby’s sleeping habits.