The effects of flexed (fetal tucking) and extended (free body) postures on the daily sleep quantity of hospitalized premature infants: A randomized clinical trial

Background: Proper sleep is essential for the development of premature infants. Infants, during hospitalization, might suffer from inappropriate postures and insufficient sleep hours. To compare the daily sleep quantities of premature infants in flexed (facilitated fetal tucking) posture and extended (free body) posture. This study is a randomized clinical trial which was conducted in neonatal ward of Al-Zahra Teaching Hospital of Tabriz, Iran, 2015. Thirty-two premature infants with the age range of 33–36 weeks were selected for the study. Materials and Methods: Every infant was studied for 4 days in a sequential format. Every infant was studied for 4 days and in a 12-h period every day (8 a.m–8 p.m). Each day, an infant was randomly put in one of the four statuses, namely, free body posture in the supine position, free body posture in the lateral position, facilitated fetal tucking in the supine position and facilitated fetal tucking in the lateral position. Films were recorded in the 12-h period (8 a.m–8 p.m). SPSS Software (version 13) was used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that about the main effect of posture on sleep variable, there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.003). In addition, about the main effect of position on sleep variable; there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.002). Meanwhile, there was no significant interaction effect between the posture and position for the daily sleep duration (P = 0.746). Daily sleep duration of the infants in flexed (facilitated fetal tucking) posture and lateral position is longer than that of the infants in extended (free body) posture and supine position. Conclusion: Daily sleep duration in the infants experiencing flexed posture and lateral position at rest is longer. Moreover, it decreases wakefulness time of the premature infants.