Evidence of a nesting psychology during human pregnancy

In altricial mammals, “nesting” refers to a suite of primarily maternal behaviours including nest-site selection, nest building and nest defense, and the many ways that nonhuman animals prepare themselves for parturition are well studied. In contrast, little research has considered pre-parturient preparation behaviours in women from a functional perspective. Reports in the popular press assert that women experience “nesting” urges, in the form of cleaning and organizing behaviours. Anthropological data suggest that having control over the environment is a key feature of childbirth preparation in humans, including decisions about where birth will take place, and who will be welcome in the birthing environment. Here, we describe the results of two studies, a large online study comparing pregnant and non-pregnant women, and a longitudinal study tracking women throughout pregnancy and into the postpartum period and comparing non-pregnant women at similar time intervals, using a nesting questionnaire that we developed. We found that women exhibit nesting behaviours, including space preparation and social selectivity, which peak in the third trimester of pregnancy. As is the case with nonhuman mammals, nesting in women may serve a protective function.