Evolutionary perspectives on mother–infant sleep proximity and breastfeeding in a laboratory setting
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8312979 |
|---|---|
| Authors | L T Gettler (0000-0001-7325-8852, University of Notre Dame, corresponding author), James J Mckenna (University of Notre Dame) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 144 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 454-462 |
| Publication date | 2011-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Journal of Physical Anthropology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0002-9483 • E-ISSN: 1096-8644 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ajpa.21426 |
| PMID | 21302271 |
| PMCID | PMC3057899 |
| OpenAlex | W2087648070 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 12 |
| References cited | 61 |
Human maternal and infant biology likely coevolved in a context of close physical contact and some approximation of frequent, “infant‐initiated” breastfeeding. Still, mothers and infants commonly sleep apart from one another in many western societies, indicating a possible “mismatch” between cultural norms and infant biology. Here we present data from a 3‐night laboratory‐based study that examines differences in mother–infant sleep physiology and behavior when mothers and infants sleep together on the same surface (bedsharing) and apart in separate rooms (solitary). We analyze breastfeeding frequency and interval data from the first laboratory night (FN) for 52 complementary breastfeeding mothers and infants (26 total mother–infant pairs), of which 12 pairs were routine bedsharers (RB) and 14 were routine solitary sleepers (RS). RB infants were 12.0 ± 2.7 (SD) weeks old; RS infants were 13.0 ± 2.4 weeks old. On the FN, RB mother–infant pairs (while bedsharing) engaged in a greater number of feeds per night compared to RS (while sleeping alone) ( P P n = 36), post hoc, RB breastfed significantly more often ( P P
Biology · Breastfeeding · Context (archaeology) · Developmental psychology · Infant feeding · Infant formula · Demography · Infant Health and Development · Medicine · Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior · Neuroscience of respiration and sleep · Psychology · Pediatrics
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| Unique citing works | 12 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,86 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2025 (14) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 12 |