The Effects of Mother Baby Yoga and Baby Massage on Attachment, Weight, and Sleep: A Randomized Crossover Study

Background: Limited research exists on the combined effects of mother-baby yoga and massage on infant health, prompting this investigation. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of mother-baby yoga and massage on mother-infant attachment, sleep, and weight. Method: A randomized, crossover study was conducted in the postpartum ward of a hospital between January and November 2023 with 36 mothers and their infants, 18 in each group, who were in the postpartum period. One group received mother-baby yoga for the first 4 weeks and massage for the second 4 weeks (Group 1), and the other group received massage for the first 4 weeks and mother-baby yoga for the second 4 weeks (Group 2). Results: The groups were homogeneous in sociodemographic and obstetric evaluation before the intervention. There was no statistical difference between the groups in terms of attachment before the intervention and at the end of the first 4-week intervention, but there was a statistical difference at the end of the second intervention. There was no significant difference between the babies in Group 1 and Group 2 in terms of the frequency of nighttime awakenings, nighttime, and all-day sleep duration in the pre-intervention, first and second 4-week follow-ups. There was a statistically significant difference in the body weights of the infants at the first and second 4-week follow-ups. Conclusion: In the study, it was observed that both interventions positively affected mother-infant attachment, sleep, and weight in the intragroup evaluation independently of each other.