Parenting Class on Sleep Settling and Postnatal Depression

Infant co-sleeping is a highly controversial topic of debate in our society. There are many valid reasons as to why infant co-sleeping is an appropriate practice based upon many different things, some to include research, culture and personal opinion. And there are just as many reasons to recede that claim and support that co-sleeping is detrimental to the health and well-being of an infant. Before the following research, as outlined in this paper, my personal opinion was based on the fact that I practiced co-sleeping with my son many years ago, back when co-sleeping was not such an issue. I felt comfortable with co-sleeping and supported co-sleeping. The reasoning behind this could have been the age factor as a teen mother, my cultural beliefs and also the comfort of knowing my child was close and I could access him easily if needed. As I learned more about co-sleeping and began my work in the field of ECE, I was encouraged to support the “Back to Sleep” movement and to share the cons of co-sleeping with the families I worked with based upon the beliefs of my employer. The following articles will highlight the many pros and cons of infant co-sleeping

“Twenty years ago we had very little direct experience. We've found that youngsters sleep very well in a variety of situations, as seen around the world. From a sleep perspective, we have little evidence for or against any of these arrangements. We like to know families have plans

The goal of this essay is to look at the pros and cons of co-sleeping through the analysis of the benefits for both the baby and the parents, the evolutionary argument, and the risks and downfalls associated with the practice. Co-sleeping offers health benefits through additional breast milk intake, an improved attachment bond, and improving a child’s ability to fall asleep. However, the negatives include many risks, most of which can be avoided with proper care, but which put an infant in danger of SIDS. These can take the forms of suffocation factors, environmental hazards, and the lesser problem of sleep-dependency. I take the position that co-sleeping is healthy and natural, and that I would rather see it encouraged and not discouraged, but I also recognize that there are a variety of risks involved with the process.

New born babies can spend up to 50% of their day sleeping, doctors believe that it provides the brain with a work out that offers much stimulation to infants. This sleep time is crucial for a proper brain development. It also provides the body with much needed relaxation and recuperation. Research shows that having shorter sleep durations can be associated with lower cognitive performance, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and impaired neurological development.

Postpartum Depression is important because too often it affects the mother, her spouse, and the newborn child. This affects the relationship between the mother and child based on Erikson’s Psychosocial developmental Theory and the idea of trust vs. mistrust. If the child’s basic needs are not met that could lead to mistrust, anxiety, and insecurities. This could also lead to Reactive Attention Disorder, where the neglect a child experiences leads to difficulty making relationships. It’s also found to be more likely in mothers of colicky babies because if the child cries a lot the mothers are less likely to make an emotional connection.

Candice Alfano, who is a clinical psychologist and psychology professor created the National Institute of Mental Health. This is the study of whether children who have experienced inadequate or disrupted sleep are more likely to develop later in life depression or anxiety. I believe that she is researching this study very well. Alfano and co-investigator Cara Palmer are performing an experiment by restricting sleep on 50 children between ages 7 and 11. They are performing this experiment to figure out exactly what sleep deprivation does to the behavioral and psychological patterns of emotional risk. The results of this experiment proves that inadequate sleep has an impact on children's emotional health by creating negative emotions and turning positive ones into negative.

Everyone, at some point in life, has experienced the terror of waking up from a disconcerting dream and longing for the comfort that only a mother can provide. Imagine there is an infant, new to the world and confused about everything around him, and how this child must feel when awakening with this uneasy feeling. Who knows how long it could take for the child’s mother to wake and come to his aid and how long that will feel to the newborn. Now imagine that the baby is right next to his mother, and just as he begins to stir, this warm familiar hand brings solace and familiarity with just a slight touch, quieting the child before there is any disturbance. This situation is one of the many positive ways that co-sleeping can affect a family. Co-sleeping is a hypernym of sleeping arrangements defined by Wendy Goldberg as “the presence of a caregiver who sleeps within close enough proximity of the infant to permit the exchange of at least two sensory stimuli” (par. 8). Goldberg is a psychology professor at the University of California, with specializations in infant sleep and transition into parenthood, among other things. While the medical community is at odds on the topic of co-sleeping, both sides acknowledge the risks and benefits of the other; however, the belief that co-sleeping is the superior arrangement for both baby and parent definitely has more corroborative evidence than the inadequate data used in advocating for solitary sleeping.

Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that causes extreme sadness, anxiety and exhaustion. The main cause of postpartum depression is believed to arise from the drastic change of hormones in the mother's body. After giving birth the production of estrogen and progesterone, the pregnancy hormone, is quickly stopped. The drop of progesterone can lead to chemical changes in the brain that may cause mood swings. Another cause of postpartum depression is the inadequate amount of sleep the mother gets. Sleep is essential for everyone but especially a mother that just gave birth. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Constant sleep deprivation can lead to physical discomfort and exhaustion…” (National Institute of Mental Health

Depression, a disorder of the brain, is known to be a common but serious illness that interferes with one’s life. Although MRI scans have shown a difference in the brain activity of individuals suffering depression, it cannot solely be used to diagnose depression. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) states that “with postpartum onset” to episode of depression with the onset being within 4 weeks of delivery of a neonate. (O’Hara and McCabe, 2013). Depression can be caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors but can also occur in people without any family history (NIMH, 2016). Many people with depression do not seek help either because they are depressed or they do not want to be categorized as having depression.

The article, Should babies be allowed to 'cry it out'?, by Amanda Enayati, CNN Contributor, is an article discussing the topic of if a parent should let their child 'cry it out' or to soothe the child in order for the child to fall back to sleep. The article moves on and discusses a published study, from the journal Developmental Psychology, supporting that a majority of infants over the age of 6 months may best be left to self-soothe and fall back to sleep on their own. (Enayati, 2013) It continues to talk about sleep deprivation can induce maternal depression. A researcher and professor from Temple University, Marsha Weinraub concludes: "Because mothers in our study described infants with many awakenings per week as creating problems for themselves and other family member, parents might be encouraged to establish more nuanced and carefully targeted routines to help babies with

Sleep deprivation and postpartum depression are different diagnoses, however, they have similar symptoms and one can often cause onset of the other. The most typical occurrence that we see happening is sleep deprivation due to postpartum depression. The following paper will discuss the diagnoses and symptoms of both sleep deprivation and postpartum depression, as well as explain how postpartum depression can cause the onset of sleep deprivation, and vise versa.

Some of the difficulties that new fathers and mothers face is sleep deprivation. Being in the child’s life alone is hard, everyone is different in many ways so you have to put in hard work and dedication to meet the criteria of the baby.

In addition, the children and their parents completed complementary sleep questionnaires and daily reports. The findings reflected significant age differences, indicating that older children have more delayed sleep onset times and

     Finally, sleep is lost and never will be regained. During the first year of a baby’s life, parents, especially mothers, lose 700 or more hours of sleep. That is a lot. No wonder parents look like a walking zombie. When babies do sleep through the night, parents still wake up to check on them to make sure that they are comfortable and everything is all right. Unfortunately, babies aren’t the only cause for loss of sleep. Teenagers are to. They go out and stay

A mother who struggles with depression post-partum is likely to expose her baby to more harmful effects. Gerhardt (2015) states that the baby of a depressed mother can find it difficult to cope with or get over stress, or they may be more fearful (p. 21). These babies also may respond to others with depression themselves, as their mother may be neglectful in their care (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 36). One of the reasons for this is because of their cortisol levels, which can fluctuate situationally. However, in infants this can affect their development (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 83) as well as their immune system (Gerhardt, 2015, p. 118), and is evidence that a mother with depression can have a significant impact on her child well beyond when the depression occurs. Additionally, Gerhardt (2015) notes that, “When they grow up, these babies of depressed mothers are highly at risk of succumbing to depression themselves.” (p.