First baby means sleepless nights ahead

When it comes to changing the daily routine of a household, few experiences in life compare with the arrival of a first baby.

Dr. Elaine Scharfe of Trent's psychology department wants to know more about how much of an adjustment is required to prepare for and then welcome home that first child, so she and a university research team are interviewing parents-to-be about their experiences during the transition to parenthood.

Parents taking part in the study range in age from 15 to 45 and all have one thing in common - the baby on the way will be their first.

The process begins with a two-hour interview, which traces the background of the parent-to-be from childhood right through to her current relationship. Parents are invited back to the university late in the second or early in the third trimester, says Scharfe, "and we keep in touch up until the new baby's first birthday at which time parents and baby come back in for a final follow-up session."

The researchers are looking at each parent's personality profile to see whether there have been marked changes either in preparation or immediately following the transition to parenthood.

They are also looking at changes caused to sleep patterns. "To some new parents the loss of sleep, which goes along with the new arrival, is not important," says Scharfe. "For others it is a very big issue." The effects of sleep loss on a new parent have never been studied, she says.

Volunteers are recruited through newspaper advertising, and paid an honorarium for taking part. She says her team will continue to recruit until the end of summer. The project provides excellent research experience for students, usually in the fourth year of their honours degree in psychology. Two current researchers are getting ready to go on to graduate schools.

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