title: Parents need support to find ways to optimise their own sleep without seeing their preterm infant's sleeping patterns as a problem.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study described how parents perceived their own sleep, and their infants', during neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission and after discharge. It also explored the infants' sleeping location at home.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in the NICUs of two Swedish university hospitals. The parents of 86 infants - 86 mothers and 84 fathers - answered questionnaires during their infants' hospital stay, at discharge and at the infants' corrected ages of two, six and 12 months. The parents' own sleep was explored with the Insomnia Severity Index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mothers reported more severe insomnia than fathers during their infants' hospitalisation, and these higher insomnia severity scores were associated with more severe infant sleep problems at discharge (p = 0.027) and at two months (p = 0.006) and 12 months (p = 0.002) of corrected age. During the study period, 4%-10% of the parents reported severe or very severe infant sleeping problems. The bed-sharing rate was 75% after discharge and about 60% at the corrected age of 12 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal insomnia during an infant's hospital stay was associated with later perceptions of sleep problems in their children. Parents need support to find solutions for optimal sleep without seeing their child's sleeping patterns as a problem.
authors.affiliation: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit 95 F, Uppsala University Children's Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.|Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ylva Thernström
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Blomqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kerstin Hedberg
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nyqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rubertsson
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eva-Lotta
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Funkquist
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012890:Sleep; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Bed-sharing; Insomnia; Neonatal intensive care unit; Preterm infants; Sleep problems