Effects of a maternal-infant telecare program on postpartum maternal confidence and sleep quality of mothers and infants.

The change in the medical payment system has shortened postpartum hospitalization, limiting the time for nursing staff to provide care and education. In Taiwan, many postpartum women choose “doing the month” in postpartum nursing care centers with professional support. However, leaving these centers often increases maternal stress as they transition to independent caregiving, impacting their confidence and sleep quality. Additionally, difficulties in establishing infants’ sleep patterns further disrupt maternal sleep. To address these challenges, the maternal-infant telecare program was introduced to provide continued support after discharge. To explore the effectiveness of the maternal-infant telecare program on postpartum women’s confidence, sleep quality, and infants’ sleep quality. A cross-sectional research design was used in this study. Eighty-two postpartum women were recruited from a postpartum nursing care center in Northern Taiwan. Data were gathered at three separate time points (pretest, Posttest 1, Posttest 2). All statistical tests were performed using the SPSS 24 software. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and Generalized Estimating Equation. A total of eighty-two postpartum women were recruited through convenience sampling. The results of this study showed that after the intervention, postpartum confidence increased from an average of 43.99 to 51.72, postpartum sleep quality improved from 23.35 to 19.33, and the number of infants’ nighttime awakenings, as reported by postpartum women, reduced from an average of 2.77 to 1.12 at twelve weeks. The maternal-infant telecare program demonstrated potential benefits in enhancing postpartum women’s confidence, improving sleep quality, and reducing the frequency of infants’ nighttime awakenings. Therefore, the program merits further promotion and broader application in postpartum care.