Home
Scholarly Works
0253 Sleep Patterns As A function of...
Conference

0253 Sleep Patterns As A function of Breastfeeding: From Infancy to Childhood

Abstract

Many studies have documented that breastfeeding has numerous benefits, both in children and in mothers, and the World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. During the same developmental period, parents are encouraged to teach their infant sleeping through the night: behavioral sleep interventions are proposed at an increasingly younger age. However, among the factors associated with sleep fragmentation, breastfeeding is often invoked. Whether sleep-wake patterns associated with feeding method in early infancy persist from infancy to childhood remains to clarify. This longitudinal study aims to assess sleep patterns from 6 to 24 months, as a function of feeding method at six months. Data were drawn from the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability, and Neurodevelopment study (n=388). At 6 months, infants were divided into 2 groups, as a function of breastfeeding status (presence-absence). The longest consecutive sleep period and the total nocturnal sleep duration were assessed at 6, 12, 24, and 36 months with maternal reports. Sleep variables were compared with two-way ANOVAs with one independent factor (breastfeeding or not at 6 months) and one repeated measure (age). At 6 months old, most infants were still breastfed (63%). There was a significant interaction between breastfeeding status at 6 months and age, on the longest consecutive sleep period (p<0.001). At 6 and 12 months, breastfed infants had a shorter longest consecutive sleep period than non-breastfed infants, (6:15 ± 2:49 vs 7:56 ± 2:49, p <0.001; 7:26 ± 3:16 vs 8:51 ± 2:52, p <0.001), with no difference at 24 and 36 months (p>0.05). There was no interaction between breastfeeding and age on total nocturnal sleep duration (p>0.05). While an age effect was present (p <0.001), no group effect was observed (p>0.05). Although breastfeeding at 6 months was associated with shorter consecutive sleep duration at 6 and 12 months, total nocturnal sleep duration was similar among the 2 groups at every timepoint. Parents should be informed that the transient sleep fragmentation associated with breastfeeding in infancy do not seem to impact total nocturnal sleep duration, nor long-term sleep-wake patterns. McGill University

Authors

Pennestri M; Laganiere C; Pokhvisneva I; Bouvette-Turcot A; Steiner M; Meaney M; Gaudreau H

Volume

41

Pagination

pp. a98-a98

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Publication Date

April 27, 2018

DOI

10.1093/sleep/zsy061.252

Conference proceedings

Sleep

Issue

suppl_1

ISSN

0161-8105

Contact the Experts team