Maternal Sleep Position Study

Maternal sleep position is a modifiable risk factor for stillbirth. Going-to-sleep on the back in late pregnancy compresses major blood vessels that take blood to the uterus, thus reducing oxygen supply to the baby. Research in high-income countries suggests that modifying sleep position can prevent ~6% of stillbirths. There is limited research on maternal sleep position for stillbirth prevention in low- and middle-income countries.  

The Maternal Sleep Position study is mixed-methods formative research to understand the usual going-to-sleep position of women in the third trimester of pregnancy and antenatal care providers’ perspective of giving sleep position advice to pregnant women in India. This study involves survey and in-depth interviews of pregnant women (≥28 weeks gestation), in-depth interviews of antenatal care providers and a desk review of antenatal care guidelines in India. This formative research will inform future interventional research for evaluating safe sleeping advice during pregnancy in low-resource settings.  

In India, this study is led by Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE University Belgaum and is being undertaken across four health facilities: KLE Hospital (Tertiary care private facility), Gokak General Hospital (Secondary care public facility), Sankeshwar Community Health Center (Secondary care public facility) and Murugod Primary Health Care Center (Primary care public facility).