Women\u27s Experiences of Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted women’s plans and expectations for pregnancy and birth experiences. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the pandemic has affected the support and information needs of pregnant women to better understand the role that clinicians can play in assessing for stressors and supporting pregnant women throughout their experience. Women who were pregnant or recently gave birth were recruited via multiple social media platforms (e.g. Facebook), local clinical locations, and word of mouth. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted via Zoom by interviewers with obstetrical experience and research team notetakers. 26 women were recruited, and interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. On an individual level, women reported loss of desired experiences and feeling isolated. The pandemic affected how women can receive support from family/peers due to social restrictions. On a community level, women expressed concerns for finding reliable, non-conflicting, and evidence-based information about COVID-19 and their pregnancies. In addition to helping women identify unique ways to obtain connectedness and support from their networks, there is an increased need for transparency from both providers and hospital regarding COVID-19 policies and clinical care as there has been is an increase in missed care, poor quality care, or delayed care. Further research is needed to identify, implement, and evaluate the best ways to provide support and information for pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for healthcare providers to understand how stress and coping are experienced differently. It is essential for providers to listen, learn, and recognize stressors and coping mechanisms through screening at all prenatal/postpartum appointments in order to address the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 related stress on mothers, infants, and families