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The RAPID Survey Project, based at the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, has released a new fact sheet examining how postpartum parents’ emotional well-being and physical health affect their caregiving abilities.

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The experience of having a new baby in the home is an exciting time for most families, but caring for a newborn can also be stressful, the fact sheet says. As parents navigate having to care for themselves and new family members, stress can affect their overall health and well-being. This can lead to anxiety and stress and, in turn, drive increases in children’s levels of distress.

According to the fact sheet, data showed that many parents are having positive experiences bonding with and caring for their new babies. A vast majority of them said they were interested in and enjoyed interacting with their child.

However, data also indicated that there’s more that can be done to ensure postpartum parents are connected to resources and support. Three common feelings among new parents were being tired, disorganized, and isolated, according to the fact sheet. While most of those interviewed believed they were managing stress and maintaining a healthy diet, many were not getting exercise and a majority said they were not getting enough sleep.

As a result, half of postpartum parents interviewed said their emotional well-being and physical health affected their caregiving abilities.

To compile the fact sheet, researchers sought to get a better sense of the experiences of those parenting new babies by surveying them within the first two months after their child was born.

For more information on the RAPID Survey Project’s findings and how it conducted the study, view the fact sheet.