Effects of an intervention aimed at reducing night waking and signaling in 6- to 12-month-old infants.

This quasi-experimental one-group pre- and posttest pilot study evaluated an intervention aimed at reducing night waking and signaling for infants between 6 and 12 months of age. Thirty-nine healthy infants and their parents were recruited. Thirty-five infants completed the intervention and data collection. Both parents participated in a group teaching session with telephone follow-up for 2 weeks. Actigraphy and sleep diary data were collected at baseline and 6 and 16 weeks postintervention. We hypothesized a decrease in length and number of infant waking and crying periods and an increase in longest night sleep and nap time. Following the intervention, infants had significantly reduced length of night crying and number of wakes and longer night sleep periods. The intervention warrants evaluation with a randomized controlled design.

Uncertainty and stress in women hospitalized with high-risk pregnancy.

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to describe how women hospitalized with high-risk pregnancy perceive the uncertainties and stress of their situations. A sample consisting of 58 hospitalized antepartum women in a tertiary maternity hospital completed the Uncertainty Stress Scale-High-Risk Pregnancy Version 48 hours after admission and at the time of discharge, when going home undelivered. Uncertainty at admission was found to be moderately low for 86% of the women, and was significantly lower at the time of discharge. Higher levels of uncertainty were positively correlated with higher levels of stress from the uncertainty in this sample. Women who stayed longer in the hospital reported higher uncertainty. These results have implications for the assessment, support, teaching, and discharge planning provided by nurses during antepartum hospitalization.