As a PhD researcher at the Developmental Psychobiology Lab of Prof. Dr. Carolina de Weerth, my research focuses on how parents and babies interact during the night and how these interactions impact parents' sleep, stress, and overall well-being. Many parents experience broken nights during the first months of their baby’s life, but what actually happens when a baby wakes up at night? How close are parents and their baby throughout the night? How do parents respond to their baby’s signals, and in turn, how does this affect their own sleep and recovery? These are the key questions I aim to answer in my research.
To investigate this, I am working on the Nightly Dance project, where we study nighttime interactions between parents and infants using innovative wearable sensors, such as a smartwatch. These sensors allow us to track movement patterns, determine when parents and babies are physically close to each other, and monitor changes in parental stress levels during the night. By combining this data, we aim to gain deeper insights into the challenges of nighttime caregiving and its effects on both parents and babies. Ultimately, our goal is to better understand these dynamics and explore ways to support parents in getting the rest they need while responding to their baby’s needs.