New Research on Babies, Parents and Sleep
A recent study found that mothers and fathers experience more sleep disruption at night following the birth of their baby then they did during the last month of pregnancy. Mothers reported more sleep disturbance than fathers, but there was no gender difference in ratings of fatigue. Fathers reported getting less total sleep than mothers when sleep was objectively measured throughout the entire 24-hour day.
Newborn babies can laugh while sleeping soon after birth, reports the Daily Yomiuri, a Japanese newspaper. Researchers at the University of the Sacred Heart and the Primate Research Institute at Kyoto University found newborn infants began laughing as early as 17 days after their birth. The study suggests that babies begin to develop emotions and the means of expressing them at a much earlier age than previously believed. The findings were presented at a symposium in Kyoto recently. If you're the parent of a newborn, check out our updated Children and Sleep page.