Women’s experiences of maternity care in the United Kingdom during the COVID-19 pandemic: A follow-up systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis

Women and Birth, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 37(3), P. 101588 - 101588

Published: March 1, 2024

Maternity care services in the United Kingdom have undergone drastic changes due to pandemic-related restrictions. Prior research has shown maternity during pandemic was negatively experienced by women and led poor physical mental health outcomes pregnancy. A synthesis is required of published on women's experiences latter half COVID-19 pandemic.

Language: Английский

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‘I just had to park up at the hospital and leave her’: A retrospective interview study of pregnancy, birth and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

Journal of family & child health., Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 2(1), P. 20 - 29

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on many aspects of people's lives. In UK, evidence showed higher rates stress and depression among parents restrictions. Disruption to early years education affected preschoolers' language cognitive development, associations between parental health child behaviour were apparent. The longer-term consequences infants born restrictions, who are now approaching school age, not yet known. This study focused parents' retrospective reflections pandemic, aimed explore effects lockdown children families. followed retrospective, qualitative interview design. Recruitment sampling ensured views gathered from people different genders, sexual orientations, birth/adoptive status geographic areas. Seventeen participants interviewed. Three overarching themes emerged: navigating antenatal postnatal care alone; difficult decisions when caring for an infant long shadow family. Major issues which emerged included attending appointments – in some cases giving birth limited care; disrupted leave; changes employment strained relationships. event future should accommodate couples same household more pragmatically, children's developmental checks be deprioritised. Finally, as part post-pandemic provision, in-person consistent provision remain vital services must acknowledged

Language: Английский

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Evaluating stress management approaches, types of social support and postpartum mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study based in the United States

BMJ Public Health, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 3(1), P. e001017 - e001017

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Reduced psychological well-being during the postnatal period may impair a birthing parent's ability to care for themselves and their child. We investigated stress management approaches, social support types, association between perceived postpartum depression (PPD) anxiety (PPA) among cohort of individuals in United States who gave birth COVID-19 pandemic. This study uses Wave 3 data from Reproductive Effects study. Qualitative previous collection waves were used define types. Multilinear regression models evaluated support, PPD PPA. An online convenience sample. Participants approximately 12 months (mean 11.93 months, SD=2.03). Data collected July September 2021. Complete available 252 age=32.2 years). Playing with children, watching television, connecting others person, engaging media exercising five most commonly reported strategies. Emotional was type support. Higher associated lower (B=-1.3, p value <0.0001, 95% CI=-1.7 -0.8) PPA (B=-2.3, CI=-3.0 -1.6). Social an important way through which managed have been facilitated by work-from-home policies, interactions emerged as surprising adaptations stress. Policymakers healthcare systems should consider ways increase opportunities parents engage these sorts (eg, extended parental leave policies interventions enhance support), especially crises. Doing so improve health outcomes children.

Language: Английский

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“A word that describes it well is ‘lonely’” – Experiencing preterm birth during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany: A qualitative study

Early Human Development, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 204, P. 106229 - 106229

Published: March 1, 2025

Language: Английский

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“It made me feel like a shit parent”: an intersectional analysis of pandemic mothering

Frontiers in Sociology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 9

Published: April 2, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore everyday and exceptional challenges for mothers. Rarely, however, did research or social commentary acknowledge multiplicities of motherhood during this prolonged period risk, disruption, uncertainty. This paper draws upon interviews with 24 mothers living in Aotearoa New Zealand pandemic, including women who were pregnant gave birth lockdowns, teenage mothers, single low-income working sample was intentionally diverse, Māori, Pacific, Asian migrant Engaging an intersectional lens on women's health, builds extends feminist mothers' experiences highlighting many different facing diverse social, cultural, economic positionalities various stages motherhood. Across sample, we reveal significant emotional toll particularly absence critical medical health support systems lockdown periods sustained restrictions. Many described how affected their feelings about motherhood, prompting new reflections relationships home, family, work, broader society. Despite some similarities, further intensified by forms isolation, judgement, discrimination. In way, shed light gendering maternal life, but also need more culturally gender-responsive policies that multi-layered complexities lives.

Language: Английский

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Alcohol in Pregnancy: a qualitative content analysis of online forum topics (Preprint)

JMIR Infodemiology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 4, P. e58056 - e58056

Published: May 13, 2024

Prenatal alcohol exposure represents a substantial public health concern as it may lead to detrimental outcomes, including pregnancy complications and fetal spectrum disorder. Although UK national guidance recommends abstaining from if pregnant or planning pregnancy, evidence suggests that confusion remains on this topic among members of the public, little is known about what questions people have consumption in outside care settings.

Language: Английский

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Territories, politics and governance of the Covid-19 pandemic

Territory Politics Governance, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 10(6), P. 751 - 758

Published: Nov. 2, 2022

As a major public health and socio-ecological crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic has raised significant challenges, arguably affecting everyday life of most individuals on planet. The transformed social relationships within families, communities nations, awakening spirit care reciprocity as well engendering new mechanisms control surveillance to confront dialectic death. This editorial introduces special issue composed nine articles that engage with themes related responses reflects implications for scholarly questions politics governance territorial processes.

Language: Английский

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Birth under restrictions: Exploring women's experiences of maternity care in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 lockdown of 2020

New Zealand College of Midwives, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 59, P. 5 - 13

Published: March 1, 2023

Introduction: In Aotearoa New Zealand the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted a four-week lockdown March and April of with ongoing restrictions for several weeks. Aim: To explore experiences women who were pregnant, giving birth and/or managing early weeks motherhood during alert levels 3 4 Zealand. Method: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to childbirth level restrictions. Reflexive, inductive, thematic analysis was identify codes, subthemes themes. Findings: Seventeen participated study. Analysis revealed four The first these was: Relationship my midwife, which participants described importance midwifery continuity care relationship, midwives often going above beyond usual filling gaps service provision. Disruption theme feeling anxious uncertain, concerns about hospital changing rules. also their Isolation postnatal maternity facility due separation from partners/whānau; they describe receiving bare necessities care, on own, working towards release home; all took an emotional mental toll. final theme, Undisturbed space, describes positive aspects being undisturbed by visitors, better able bond baby breastfeed peace. Conclusion: Midwifery appears have supported families/whānau caused lockdown. partner, or other primary support person, whānau should be considered essential not excluded postpartum care.

Language: Английский

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The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on postpartum mothers in London, England: An online focus group study

Journal of Public Health, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 32(8), P. 1577 - 1589

Published: May 15, 2023

This study examines the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on postpartum mothers in England, with aim identifying opportunities to improve maternal experience and wellbeing. The postpartum/postnatal period is widely acknowledged as a time when require greater levels support from multiple sources. However, stay-at-home orders, commonly known "lockdown," deployed some countries limit transmission reduced access support. In many navigated household isolation within an intensive mothering expert parenting culture. Examining may reveal strengths weaknesses current policy practice.We conducted online focus groups involving 20 living London, "lockdown babies," following up our earlier survey social We thematically analysed group transcripts, identified key themes around Lockdown Experience Determinants Experience.Participants raised positives lockdown, including fostering connections protection external expectations, but also negatives, isolation, institutional abandonment, intense relationships household. Potential reasons behind variations include physical environments, timing birth, number children. Our findings reflect how systems be "trapping" families into male-breadwinner/female-caregiver family model, while culture increasing stress undermining responsive mothering.Facilitating partners stay at home during (e.g., paternity leave flexible working) establishing peer/community decentre reliance professional experts promote positive wellbeing.The version contains supplementary material available 10.1007/s10389-023-01922-4.

Language: Английский

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Fertility Decision-Making in the UK: Insights from a Qualitative Study among British Men and Women

Social Sciences, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 11(9), P. 409 - 409

Published: Sept. 7, 2022

Scholars are interested in better understanding the low fertility observed higher income countries. While some people choosing to have smaller families, countries also report a ‘fertility gap’, which is proportion of who end up with fewer children than originally desired. This paper investigates causes gap UK. We amassed qualitative data from seven focus groups conducted among men and women reproductive age different educational backgrounds. These suggest that social support an influential factor for Britons thinking about having children, although discussions differed terms whether this was partners or parents. Discussions university-educated featured themes career opportunity costs, non-university contributed insights on financial burden parenthood. exploratory study provides up-to-date material unwanted childlessness UK, highlights merit using methods gap.

Language: Английский

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