Broken Sleep in Pregnancy Linked to Underweight Babies and Overweight Children

Poor sleep in late pregnancy may be linked to how quickly a child gains weight during the first two years of life, researchers from the University of Southern California have found.Children whose mothers reported poorer sleep in the 26th to 37th weeks of pregnancy initially weighed less during their first six months, but then gained weight more rapidly and were significantly heavier between roughly ages one and two than children whose mothers reported better sleep.By the age of one, children of mothers with some of the poorest sleep weighed about 0.76 pounds more than children whose mothers reported good sleep. The difference grew to about 1.66 pounds at 17 months, when the gap was largest.The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found an association between sleep quality during pregnancy and children’s growth, but it does not show that poor sleep itself caused the differences in weight.The findings raise the possibility that a mother’s sleep during pregnancy could help shape a child’s early growth trajectory and, potentially, later obesity risk.Researchers said several mechanisms could potentially explain the association. Poor sleep during pregnancy may affect a mother’s metabolism, inflammation or stress, which could influence fetal development and later growth.The research followed 645 mother-child pairs enrolled in the Maternal and Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social Stressors, or MADRES, study in Los Angeles. Researchers analyzed more than 6,000 measurements of children’s weight and length from birth through to the age of two.Mothers reported their sleep quality late in pregnancy using the Jenkins Sleep Scale, which measures problems including difficulty falling asleep, waking during the night and waking up feeling tired. About one-quarter of the mothers met the researchers’ definition of poor sleep quality.Researchers compared children’s growth over time with their mothers’ sleep scores. Children whose mothers had the poorest sleep tended to weigh less during their first six months. The pattern later reversed, with significant differences in weight appearing from about 11 to 22 months.Among children whose mothers scored in the 90th percentile for poor sleep compared with the 25th percentile, the average weight difference between 11 and 22 months was about 1.25 pounds, or roughly 6 percent of total body weight.The association was stronger among boys. Boys whose mothers reported poorer sleep weighed an average of about 1.44 pounds more between 11 and 21 months than those whose mothers reported better sleep.The differences remained after researchers accounted for factors including breastfeeding, the introduction of solid foods and juice, maternal age, pre-pregnancy body mass index, education, race and ethnicity, previous births, premature birth and the child’s sex.Rapid weight gain during infancy has previously been associated with a greater risk of becoming overweight or obese later in childhood, making the first two years an important period for studying factors that could affect long-term health.The study had several limitations. Mothers reported their own sleep rather than having it measured with wearable devices or laboratory testing, and researchers lacked complete information on factors including maternal diet, sleep apnea and children’s own diets, sleep and physical activity.The researchers said future studies should examine whether improving sleep during pregnancy could change children’s early growth patterns and ultimately affect their risk of obesity.

Broken Sleep in Pregnancy Linked to Underweight Babies and Overweight Children

Broken Sleep in Pregnancy Linked to Underweight Babies and Overweight Children

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