Giving birth during the COVID-19 pandemic, perspectives from a sample of the United States birthing persons during the first wave: March-June 2020
Author
Breman, Rachel BlanksteinNeerland, Carrie
Bradley, Dani
Burgess, Adriane
Barr, Erik
Burcher, Paul
Date
2021-06-11Journal
Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)Publisher
Wiley-BlackwellType
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced hospitals in the United States to adjust policy and procedure in order to provide safe care and prevent the spread of disease. At the beginning of the pandemic, media and case reports described pressure for medical interventions, visitor restrictions, separation from newborns, and an increase in patient demand for community birth (home and birth center). The purpose of this study was to describe birth experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic centering the birthing person's perspective. Methods: A survey was e-mailed to users of the Ovia Pregnancy app reaching a national convenience sample who gave birth between March 1, 2020, and June 11, 2020. Survey topics included birth location, the Mothers on Respect index, and open-ended questions capturing patient perspectives on the pandemic's effect on their birth experiences. Differences were assessed based on state-level COVID rate and by race. Content analysis was performed to analyze open-ended responses. Results: Respondents from highly impacted COVID-19 states more frequently changed or considered changing their birth location. Racial differences were also found with Black respondents reporting significantly more preterm births and lower respect scores when compared to White respondents. Six themes emerged from the content analysis: Institutional Policies, Changes in Care, Hospital Staff Interactions, Sub-par Care, Issues of Support, and Mental Health. Discussion: The health care community must continue to adapt policies and procedures to best support birthing patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The community must also continue to address the reality that Black patients receive less respectful care compared with White patients.Rights/Terms
© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.Identifier to cite or link to this item
http://hdl.handle.net/10713/16032ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1111/birt.12559
Scopus Count
Related articles
- Experiences of Quality Perinatal Care During the US COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Authors: Basile Ibrahim B, Kennedy HP, Combellick J
- Issue date: 2021 Sep
- Pandemic Birthing: Childbirth Satisfaction, Perceived Health Care Bias, and Postpartum Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Authors: Janevic T, Maru S, Nowlin S, McCarthy K, Bergink V, Stone J, Dias J, Wu S, Howell EA
- Issue date: 2021 Jun
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Very Preterm Birth and Preterm Birth Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Authors: Janevic T, Glazer KB, Vieira L, Weber E, Stone J, Stern T, Bianco A, Wagner B, Dolan SM, Howell EA
- Issue date: 2021 Mar 1
- Narrative Analysis of Childbearing Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Authors: Ajayi KV, Harvey IS, Panjwani S, Uwak I, Garney W, Page RL
- Issue date: 2021 Sep-Oct 01
- Giving birth in a pandemic: women's birth experiences in England during COVID-19.
- Authors: Aydin E, Glasgow KA, Weiss SM, Khan Z, Austin T, Johnson MH, Barlow J, Lloyd-Fox S
- Issue date: 2022 Apr 10