Summary: Mothers with more than one child report more fragmented sleep than mothers of a single child. Fathers’ sleep quality and quantity do not appear to vary with the number of children.
Source: McGill University
New research from McGill University finds experienced mothers—those with more than one child—perceive their sleep as more fragmented and of lower quality than first‑time mothers, while fathers’ sleep seems unaffected by parental experience.
The study tracked sleep patterns of 111 parents (54 couples and three single mothers) of six‑month‑old infants. Researchers led by doctoral student Samantha Kenny and supervised by Marie‑Hélène Pennestri in McGill’s Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology collected two weeks of sleep diary data to measure sleep duration, sleep continuity, and perceived sleep quality during the postpartum period.
Results show that first‑time mothers reported longer stretches of uninterrupted nocturnal sleep, fewer awakenings, and higher subjective sleep quality compared with mothers who already had other children. Specifically, first‑time mothers had a longer consecutive nocturnal sleep duration (mean 297.34 ± 17.15 minutes) than experienced mothers (mean 246.01 ± 14.79 minutes). First‑time mothers also reported fewer nocturnal awakenings (mean 1.57 ± 0.20 versus 2.12 ± 0.17) and higher sleep quality ratings (mean score 7.07 ± 0.36 versus 5.97 ± 0.30). Importantly, total nocturnal sleep duration did not differ significantly between first‑time and experienced mothers. For fathers, the study found no significant differences in subjective sleep measures between first‑time and experienced parents.
The pattern suggests that parental experience and family configuration influence aspects of sleep continuity and perceived sleep quality for mothers, even when total sleep time remains similar. Pennestri, who is also a researcher at Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière‑des‑Prairies (CIUSSS‑NIM), notes that perceived fragmentation of sleep among experienced mothers may reflect the cumulative demands of caring for multiple children. She adds that unequal distribution of daytime and nighttime childcare responsibilities may also contribute to tension in the couple if tasks are not discussed and shared collaboratively.
Based on these findings, the researchers recommend that healthcare providers consider family composition when advising new parents about sleep and wellbeing. Interventions that promote equitable sharing of childcare duties—tailored to each family’s context, work schedules, feeding patterns, and mental health—could help alleviate the subjective burden that experienced mothers report. Because breastfeeding frequency, infant sleep location, parental depression, education, and work status were included as covariates in the analysis, the authors emphasize that tailored approaches should take individual circumstances into account.
The research team plans to further investigate why maternal and paternal sleep differ in relation to parental experience, and to explore the specific factors that make sleep more fragmented for mothers with multiple children. Understanding these mechanisms could inform targeted strategies to improve sleep continuity and perceived sleep quality for parents across family types.
About this sleep research news
Source: McGill University
Contact: Shirley Cardenas – McGill University
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Closed access. “Mothers’ and fathers’ sleep: Is there a difference between first‑time and experienced parents of 6‑month‑olds?” by Marie‑Hélène Pennestri et al. Journal of Sleep Research
Abstract
Mothers’ and fathers’ sleep: Is there a difference between first‑time and experienced parents of 6‑month‑olds?
Sleep disruption and deprivation are common among parents of infants, yet most postpartum sleep research focuses on mothers and few studies compare first‑time and experienced parents. This study evaluated self‑reported sleep duration and quality in 111 parents of six‑month‑old infants who completed a two‑week sleep diary. Using analysis of covariance and controlling for breastfeeding frequency, infant sleep location, parental depression, education, and work status, researchers compared sleep measures between first‑time and experienced parents. First‑time mothers reported longer consecutive nocturnal sleep, fewer nocturnal awakenings, and higher perceived sleep quality than experienced mothers, while total nocturnal sleep duration did not differ. No such differences were observed among fathers. These findings suggest experienced mothers perceive more fragmented sleep and lower sleep quality than first‑time mothers, highlighting clinical implications for health professionals supporting families of varying sizes and configurations.