THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON BIRTH AND MOTHERHOOD: A MIXED METHOD STUDY

Abstract

In this study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women's maternity experiences as childbirth, newborn nutrition and care was examined. In the first stage, an online survey was applied to 203 people who gave birth in Türkiye during the pandemic. The birth plan of 39 participants (19.2%) was determined to have changed due to the pandemic. 17.8% of the mothers stated that nobody from the parents could come to help them after the birth due to the pandemic. The majority of the mothers (71.4%) were found not to accept newborn visits during the postnatal period due to the pandemic. The second stage included semi-structured interviews, and detailed interviews were conducted with 10 mothers. Two main themes were identified for birth and motherhood experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) disruption of the birth experience and (ii) changing motherhood process. It was determined that some restrictions and reduced social interactions due to the pandemic caused the birth expectation and postpartum period to deteriorate. During this period, the continuous support of midwives and nurses was of great importance for mothers who could not benefit from spouse or family support for any reason. © 2024, Inonu University. All rights reserved.