Childbirth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative thematic analysis.
María Consuelo Cruz-Ramos, Davinia María Resurrección, Yolanda Hernández-Albújar
PMID 37001431WHAT IT FOUND
Women giving birth in Andalusia during pandemic restrictions reported uncertainty from unaccompanied, telephone prenatal care and changing protocols.
They felt safer in hospital, but wanted clearer information and more postpartum support from nurses.
Key findings
01Women described unaccompanied telephone prenatal care and changing birth protocols as sources of loneliness, fear, and uncertainty about tests and information.
02During hospital birth, women reported feeling safer when staff used protective measures and tried to make care feel normal, although masks limited face-to-face connection with professionals and newborns.
03After birth, women wanted more practical support from nurses and clearer postpartum guidance, while some valued restricted hospital visits because they could focus on their newborns.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 14 women were interviewed, and all were from Andalusia, so the themes may not apply to other regions or health systems. All participants had vaginal births, had a companion during childbirth, reported no childbirth complications, and reported no psychological symptoms or diagnoses, so the study does not capture more complicated births or distressed mothers. Recruitment used snowball and gatekeeper contacts, and the first author knew the first two women, so selection may have favoured women connected to the researchers. Interviews were remote by phone or video, which the authors said may have lost information. The perspectives of health professionals were not collected.
Declared interests
No funding was declared, and the authors reported no competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that pandemic restrictions caused poor birth experiences or that a particular nursing practice would improve them. This qualitative study describes 14 women in one Spanish region, all without reported psychological symptoms and all with vaginal births, so it cannot show cause or generalise to other births.