Background: Although pregnancy is frequently associated with mental states of happiness, hope and well-being, some physical and psychological changes can contribute to increased sleep disturbances and worsened sleep quality. Sleep quality has been linked to negative emotions, anxiety and depression. The main objective of this paper was to systematically review the impact of sleep during pregnancy on maternal mood, studying the association between objective and subjective measures of sleep quality and perinatal depression. Methods: We performed a systematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, which included studies published between January 2008 and April 2019, and met the following criteria: (i) studies on pregnant women assessing the effects of sleep quality variables on perinatal mood disorders, (ii) studies published in English and (iii) full paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal with full-text format available. Results: A total of 36 studies published in the last decade met the inclusion criteria for qualitative review and eight of them were suitable for meta-analysis. Both confirmed the negative effects of poor sleep on perinatal mood. However, qualitative analysis showed that unrepresentative samples and low participation rates falling below 80% biased some of the studies. The standard random-effects meta-analysis showed a pooled size effect [ln odds ratio (OR) 1.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.19, 1.79)] for perinatal depression in cases of poor prenatal sleep quality, although heterogeneity was moderate to high [Q 16.05, P ≤ 0.025, H² 2.45 (95% CI 1.01, 13.70)]. Conclusion: Poor sleep quality was associated with perinatal mood disturbances. The assessment of sleep quality along the pregnancy could be advisable with a view to offering preventative or therapeutic interventions when necessary.

Background: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a pregnancy complication. Multiple studies have connected FGR to poor cognitive development, behavior disorders, and academic difficulties during childhood. Brain sparing has traditionally been defined as an adaptive phenomenon in which the brain obtains the blood flow that it needs. However, this adaptive phenomenon might not have a complete protective effect. This publication aims to systematically review the consequences of brain redistribution on neurodevelopment in children who presented with placental intrauterine growth restriction. Methods: We performed a systematic review according to PRISMA guidelines. It included studies on intrauterine growth restriction or small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses, which middle cerebral artery was measured, and neurodevelopment assessed during childhood. PUBMED and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant published studies. Results: Of the 526 studies reviewed, only 12 were included. Brain sparing was associated with poor cognitive function and lower scores in IQ. Cerebral redistribution was related to better executive function and better behavior at 4 years old but not at 12 years old. Conclusions: We can assume that fetal brain sparing could not be a fully protective phenomenon. We could not find clinical differences in behavioral and executive functions because the results were heterogeneous. Some cognitive abilities could be affected in FGR brain sparing fetuses.

Objective: The relationship between labor physiology and the onset of lactation leads to assess the potential correlation between oxytocin administration during labor and duration of breast-feeding. Methods: This study was designed as a retrospective cohort study where patients given synthetic oxytocin during labor induction were considered as the exposed cohort, and patients not given oxytocin formed the non-exposed cohort. Four hundred of the 7465 children born at our maternity during 2006 were randomly selected. Information about breast-feeding was available for 316 of these children. Eventual confounding or adjustment factors were analyzed using stratified and multivariate analysis. Results: Oxytocin was used for delivery of 189 (59.8%) newborns, multiplying the risk of bottle-feeding by 1.451 (95% CI 1.28–1.63). The best-fit regression model of oxytocin use effect on bottle-feeding included sex and gestational age of the newborn. The use of oxytocin also multiplies the risk of breast-feeding withdrawal at 3 months by 2.29 (95% CI 1.41–3.74). This effect is confounded by maternal age, being higher for mothers under 27 years. Conclusion: Oxytocin administration during labor had some impact on both onset and duration of breast-feeding, particularly in mothers under 27 years of age and newborns delivered at term. Clinical Study registered at U.S. NIH, ID: NCT01951040.

To examine the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms and the corresponding risk factors among pregnant women during the confinement due to the COVID-19 outbreak in Spain.Between 15 April an...