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The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Tiredness Management Guide (TMG) as a self-care intervention for the management of postpartum fatigue from the second to the sixth week postpartum. An experimental repeated measures analysis of variance design was used with a sample of 68 primiparous mothers. Interaction effects between group membership and time in the hypothesized direction were found for fatigue. When the data were tested from the second through the fourth week, a significant interaction effect was found between group membership and time with the experimental group having lower morning fatigue. Results suggest that using the TMG may reduce levels of morning postpartum fatigue from the second through the fourth week postpartum., (Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.)

A prospective, longitudinal study was conducted to examine the natural evolution of levels of fatigue, as measured by the Visual Analogue Scale-F, among a group of 36 primiparous women during the first 6 weeks postpartum. The results revealed that this group of women experienced higher levels of morning fatigue across the 6 weeks than had previously been reported. Their morning fatigue peaked at 4 weeks and then slowly decreased. At the 6th week, the group mean for morning fatigue was 1.42 points (on a 100-point scale) lower than at the 1st week postpartum, suggesting women do not completely recover from the effects of pregnancy, childbirth, and transition to parenthood by 6 weeks postpartum. Maternal age and length of labor were found to be significantly related to the levels of fatigue and energy at various times during the 6 week postpartum period.