初産婦の産後早期の眠れないことへの認識とその対応

抄録

This study's objective was to clarify how new mothers perceive and cope with a lack of sleep during the early postpartum period. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 mothers; the responses were analyzed using the KJ method. Mothers held the belief that being a mother means not sleeping, but also felt anxiety at not knowing what comes next and experienced unique hardships that differed from mother to mother. In addition, the first factor contributed to irritation at those around them and embarrassment, which in turn had knock-on effects on the latter hardships. Effective coping strategies included recognizing the preciousness of "now, " comparing their current situation with the past or those of other mothers, setting their mind at ease, and anti-perfectionism, which led mothers to overcome their difficulties with tricks and help from others. Our results suggest that providers need to understand how mothers perceive and cope with sleeplessness during the early postpartum period, design training contents so that they can visualize the next stages of motherhood, and offer specific solutions to help them sleep.