Tips for Infant and Parent Sleep (TIPS)
Tips for Infant and Parent Sleep (TIPS)
A randomized controlled trial design will be used to answer whether a behavioral-educational
 sleep intervention and support from a nurse in the immediate postpartum improves maternal and
 infant sleep 6 weeks later.
Infant and maternal sleep in the postpartum are related, and influenced by the mother's
 understanding of infant sleep behavior, the environmental and social cues for sleep presented
 to the infant, development of the infant's sleep physiology, maternal sleep habits and
 behaviors, and maternal feelings related to her sleep and her baby's sleep. These factors may
 be modifiable through the use of behavioral-educational interventions. A randomized
 controlled trial design will be used to answer whether a behavioral-educational sleep
 intervention and support from a nurse in the immediate postpartum improves maternal and
 infant sleep 6 weeks later. Sleep-wake patterns will be analyzed through the use of
 actigraphy, a wristwatch-like device that measures sleep-wake activity. This is a pilot study
 which will test the usefulness and practicality of this type of program, so that a larger
 scale study can be developed.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Singleton baby born at GA >37 weeks

 -  baby 8 hours to 7 days old

 -  Mother age 16-50 years

 -  Normal, healthy infant as described in newborn examination

 -  First time parents living in the Greater Toronto Area

 -  Mother planning to provide fulltime care to her infant for at least the first six
 weeks after discharge home

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Maternal or infant complications requiring prolonged hospital stay

 -  Previous stillbirth or neonatal death

 -  Maternal chronic illness

 -  Maternal use of medications that affect sleep (e.g. benzodiazepines, any sleep aid)

 -  Known drug or alcohol use beyond occasional social use

 -  Smoking two packs a day or more

 -  Either parent has a diagnosed sleep disorder (e.g. obstructive sleep apnea,
 narcolepsy)

 -  Mother's partner is working night shifts

 -  Mother unable to read or understand English

 -  No telephone in the home

 -  Involvement in another research protocol involving sleep