Babywearing Reduces Urges to Use Substances in the Postpartum Period Among Mothers With OUDs

Abstract

Objectives

While pregnancy presents a strong motivation to seek and comply with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) treatment, the risk for relapse during the postpartum period is high. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of babywearing while admitted to the NICU on urges to use substances within 9 months of childbirth.

Methods

Mothers with a history of OUD (N = 47, Mage = 28.91, SD = 5.14; 48.9% White, 19.1% Latinx) and their newborns were randomly assigned to the intervention (babywearing) or control (infant rocker) condition while admitted to a NICU. Interviews occurred every 3-months. Participants reported their strong desire or urge to use substances since the last interview. Approximately 68.1% had urges within 9 months. At 3 months, participants were categorized as: never babywore (0 h, N = 18), some babywearing (1–44 h, N = 13), consistent babywearing (45+ hours, i.e., minimum of 3.5 h per week, N = 16).

Results

Condition X²(2, N = 47)=12.55, p < 0.001, Phi = 0.52 and babywearing category, X²(2, N = 47)=6.75, p = 0.034, Phi = 0.38 significantly predicted urges to use. Mothers in the intervention condition were more likely to report no urges to use: 56.5% had no urges (43.5% had urges) compared to 8.3% of control mothers (91.7% had urges). Mothers who consistently babywore had significantly fewer urges to use (43.8% had urges) compared to mothers who never babywore (83.3% had urges).

Conclusions for Practice

There is a critical window to capitalize on mothers’ desire to abstain from substance use. Babywearing, and specifically babywearing at least 30 min a day, reduced urges to use substances post-partum, a factor associated with relapse.

Disclosure statement

The authors do not have any conflicts of interest/competing interests. This work is funded as a result of generous financial support from BHHS Legacy Foundation, which is an Arizona charitable organization whose philanthropic mission is to enhance the quality of life and health of those it serves. Ergobaby, Baby K’tan, and ByKay provided the infant carriers used in this study. All aspects of the study received IRB approval and participants actively consented to the study. All authors contributed to the manuscript development.

Additional information

Funding

This work was also funded by a grant from the Ibis Foundation and the National Institute of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development [PI: Alicia Allen, DP2-HD105541].