"Anxious and traumatised": Users' experiences of maternity care in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Julia Sanders, Rebecca Blaylock
PMID 34186334WHAT IT FOUND
Women accepted pandemic safety measures but suffered from isolation, unclear advice, and missed care.
Restricting partners from scans and births caused significant distress, especially for those unable to afford private care. Nurses must anticipate these emotional and practical needs when visiting restrictions remain.
Key findings
01Over 92% of women experienced restrictions on partners attending antenatal appointments, which caused distress particularly when bad news was delivered or during emergency care.
02Postnatal ward restrictions left many women feeling unsupported and unable to manage basic care, such as showering or holding their baby, due to lack of visitors and staff time.
03Women reported confusion over public health advice, with many over-interpreting 'social distancing' guidance as an instruction to 'shield', leading to unnecessary isolation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was self-selecting and not nationally representative. Participants were predominantly White British (85.9%) and English-speaking, excluding the experiences of women with language barriers or from minority ethnic groups who may have faced disproportionate impacts. The survey was cross-sectional, capturing experiences at one point in time rather than tracking changes over the pandemic.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the Wellcome Trust as part of the WRISK Project. The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high agreement with social distancing measures as a lack of distress. Women accepted the safety advice but suffered significantly from its implementation, particularly regarding isolation from partners and lack of practical support.