Small survey finds that new mothers use self-care approaches to manage fatigue more often than other strategies such as seeking help from others

Fatigue in mothers of newborns is widespread and especially problematic for those whose domestic workload is not shared and who have unsettled infants. Maternal exhaustion can be persistent and disabling. In the absence of a clear evidence based to management, it is often normalised, or responded to with advice that might be unproven, ineffective and difficult to implement including a 'sleep when the baby sleeps'. Taylor and Johnstone argue that it is relevant to know what fatigue self-management strategies mothers of young infants use.