Ref # | Author/Year | Study design | Study aims/objectives | Participants | Data collection time frame and method | Data analysis |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Anderson et al. 2021 United Kingdom (UK) [16] | Mixed methods | Aim: This project aimed to explore pregnant women’s understanding of the behavioural restrictions and their perceived ability to comply, as well as the most concerning impacts of the measures | Pregnant women N=31 Primiparous N=20 | 24 Apr - 4 May 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Framework analysis |
02 | Atmuri et al. 2022 Australia [49] | Qualitative descriptive study | Aim: This original research aimed to study the perspectives of pregnant women in Australia in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their pregnancy experience. | Pregnant women N=15 Primigravida N=10 | 1 Jun - 19 Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke's |
03 | Aydin & Aktas 2021 Turkey [50] | Qualitative descriptive study | Aim: To investigate the pregnancy experiences of women during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of pregnant women using a qualitative research method and fill the gap in the relevant field. | Pregnant women N=14 Primiparous N=10 | Dec 2020 Telephone interview | Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke's; Lincoln and Guba's Evaluative Criteria |
04 | Brown & Shenker 2021 UK [51] | Mixed methods study | Aim: to understand how the COVID‐19 pandemic affected their (women with infants under the age of 1 year) infant feeding attitudes, choices and outcomes. | Mothers who had breastfed their baby (0-12 months) at least once N=1219 Primiparous (N=713) | May - Jun 2020 Survey data (open-ended questions) | Thematic analysis |
05 | Charvat et al. 2021 United States (USA) [52] | Qualitative study - CNSM theory | RQ1: What themes related to received social support emerge in women’s stories of their pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic? RQ2: How does social support contribute to the tone of women’s narratives about their pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic? | Pregnant women N=11 Primiparous (≈N=11) | N/A Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - Tracy 2019 's two-step phronetic iterative approach |
06 | Costa et al. 2021 UK [53] | Qualitative study | Aim: to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on new parents of children born with CL/P in the UK prior to or during the initial ‘wave’ in the first half of 2020 | Parents (mothers & fathers) N=14 Primiparous (N=10) | Jan – Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke |
07 | Davis et al. 2021 Australia [54] | Mixed methods study | Aim: to explore the relationship between emotional health and wellbeing and support needs of perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand their experiences and need for support. | Perinatal women N=14 | Nov 2020 – Feb 2021 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke |
08 | DeJoy et al. 2021 USA [55] | Qualitative study - interpretive phenomenological approach | Aim: to understand the lived experiences of pregnant people who switched their planned place of birth from hospital to community settings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. | Pregnant women N=17 | May - Oct 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Theoretical framework - interpretive phenomenological analysis |
09 | Dove-Medows et al. 2022 USA [56] | Mixed methods study | Aim: to use a mixed-methods approach to explore the perspectives of a sample of Black women in the Midwestern United States to learn about their experiences of care in the prenatal, birth, and postpartum periods during the COVID-19 pandemic | Pregnant women (at least 20 weeks gestation) N=16 | May - Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke |
10 | Farrell et al. 2021 USA [57] | Qualitative study | Objective: to examine the impact of COVID on patients' access and utilization of prenatal genetic screens and diagnostic tests at the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United States. | Pregnant women N=40 Primigravida (N=15) | May - Jul 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Iterative and progressive process consistent with Grounded Theory |
11 | Fumagalli et al. 2022 Italy [58] | Qualitative study - interpretive phenomenological approach | Aim: To explore childbearing experiences of COVID-19 positive mothers who gave birth in the months of March and April 2020 in a Northern Italy maternity hospital. | COVID-19 positive mothers (postpartum) N=22 Primiparous N=7 | Mid Jun - End Jul 2020 Telephone or video call interview, face-to-face | Thematic analysis - an interpretive phenomenological approach |
12 | Green et al. 2022 Canada [59] | Qualitative study | Objective: 1) capture the principal worries reported by treatment-seeking pregnant and postpartum women with a principal AD to determine what proportion of their worries were specific to COVID, 2) identify and characterize the content of both non-COVID and COVID related worry, 3) identify the impact of COVID on the lives of pregnant and postpartum women | Pregnant women (treatment seeking patients) N=35 Postpartum women N=49 | Apr – Oct 2020 Semi-structured diagnostic assessments to determine worries Duration unknown | Content analysis |
13 | Harrison et al. 2021 UK [60] | Cross sectional survey - mixed methods | Aim: to collect population-based data on women’s experiences of being pregnant and giving birth in England (2020 NMS) or in the UK (social media survey) during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=4,611 (NMS survey) N=1,622 (Social media survey) | NMS survey: Nov - Mar 2020 Social media survey: 27 Nov 2020 - 26 Feb 2021 Online open-ended survey | Thematic analysis |
14 | Jackson et al. 2022 UK [61] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore UK women’s postnatal experiences of social and healthcare professional support during the COVID-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=24 Primiparous N=12 | T1: April - 20 May 2020 T2: April - 16 July 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Recurrent cross-sectional thematic analysis |
15 | Jackson et al. 2021 UK [62] | Qualitative study | Aim: to contribute towards the existing literature-base, by exploring the postpartum psychological experiences of UK women during the COVID-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=24 Primiparous N=12 | T1: 22 Apr - 20 May 2020 T2: April - 16 Jul 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Modified recurrent cross-sectional thematic analysis |
16 | John et al. 2021 UK [63] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, antenatal and postnatal care in all women belonging to ethnic minority communities and to identify any specific challenges that these women faced during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic | Pregnant women N=9 Postpartum women N=7 Nulliparous(N=2) | Dec 2020 – Jan 2021 Telephone interview | Thematic analysis with qualitative interpretive approach |
17 | Joy et al. 2020 Canada [64] | Qualitative study - feminist poststructuralism | Aim: to examine parents’ experiences of the postpartum period during the mandated health protection orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=68 | May - Jun 2020 Online open-ended survey | Discourse analysis |
18 | Keating et al. 2022 Ireland [65] | Qualitative study | Aim: to understand the lived experience of pregnancy during the pandemic and the effects on the women’s home life and social support system as well as learn from the effects that the hospital restrictions and measures had on women and their families. | Pregnant women N=8 Postpartum women N=6 Primiparous N=9 | Apr - Jul 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Constant comparative method |
19 | Kolker et al. 2021 Canada [66] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore pregnant and postpartum individuals’ lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand their psychological and emotional responses and behaviours, with a focus on specific strategies to ameliorate distress | Postpartum women N=12 Primiparous N=8 | Jul - Oct 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic pattens and relations |
20 | Kynø et al. 2021 Norway [67] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore parental (mothers and fathers or other caregivers) experiences for families hospitalized with an infant in the NICU at Oslo University Hospital during the absolute visitation ban period due to the COVID-19 crisis | Parents of infants in NICU/SCN N=9 Primiparous N=7 | 26 Jun 2020 - mid Jun 2021 Semi-structured interviews | Thematic analysis |
21 | Linden et al. 2022 Sweden [68] | Qualitative study - phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach | Aim: to gain a deeper understanding of how women not infected by SARS-CoV-2 experienced pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden | Postpartum women N=14 Primiparous N=9 | Mar - Apr 2021 Telephone or video call interview | Phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach – Dahlberg et al |
22 | Meaney et al. 2021 Ireland, UK, USA [9] | Cross sectional survey - mixed methods | Aim:to assess pregnant women’s satisfaction with antenatal care and social support in addition to examining the stress-reduction strategies employed by pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic | Pregnant women N=573 (558 open ended responses) Nulliparous N=241 | 16 Jun - 17 Jul 2020 Online survey with open-ended questions | Qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach |
23 | Mizrak Sahin & Kabakci 2021 Turkey [69] | Qualitative study | Aim: to understand the experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic | Pregnant women N=15 Primiparous N=12 | Not stated Online semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended questions conducted by telephone | Content analysis - Graneheim and Lundman's |
24 | Ollivier et al. 2021 Canada [70] | Qualitative study - feminist post structuralism | Aim: to gain an in-depth understanding of parenting experiences in Nova Scotia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2020) | Postpartum women N=68 Primiparous N=35 | May - Jun 2020 Online survey with open-ended questions | Feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis |
25 | Panda et al. 2021 Ireland [71] | Qualitative study | Aim: to gain insight and understanding of women’s views and experiences of maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland | Postpartum women N=19 Primiparous N=8 | 15 Sep - 23 Oct 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis |
26 | Rhodes et al. 2020 UK [72] | Mixed methods study | Aim: to gain insights into the attitudes and experiences of expectant and recent parents (with babies under 24 weeks of age) during the COVID-19 pandemic; to investigate whether Baby Buddy is meeting users’ needs during this time; and to identify ways to revise the content of Baby Buddy to better support its users now and in future | Pregnant women N=14 Primiparous N=15 | 15 Apr - 31 May 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis |
27 | Rice & Williams 2021 Canada [73] | Qualitative study - social constructivist approach | Aim: to examine how people in Canada have been affected by policies aimed at limiting interpersonal contact to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission while giving birth in hospital and during the first weeks postpartum | Postpartum women N=57 | Jun 2020 - Jul 2021 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis using a social constructionist research paradigm |
28 | Rice & Williams 2022 Canada [74] | Qualitative study | Aim: To examine the impact of pandemic policy changes on experiences of pregnancy and birth, thereby identifying barriers to good care; to inform understandings of medicalization, care, pregnancy, and subjectivity during times of crisis; and to critically examine the assumptions about pregnancy and birth that are sustained and produced through policy. | Pregnant women N=8 Postpartum women N=59 Primiparous (N=32) | March 2020 - January 2021 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis using a social constructionist standpoint |
29 | Riley et al. 2021 UK [75] | Qualitative study | Aim: to understand the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on women’s pregnancy and postpartum experience. | Pregnant women N=5 Postpartum women N=20 Primiparous N=15 | Jul – Aug 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - phenomenological focus |
30 | Saleh et al. 2022 USA [76] | Mixed methods study | Aim: to explore women’s experiences of being pregnant, giving birth, and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the United States, specific to the year 2020 | Postpartum women N=32 | Jan – Dec 2021 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis - Hamilton’s rapid appraisal technique |
31 | Silverio et al. 2021 UK [77] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore the experiences of women in South London, UK, receiving antenatal care both before and during the pandemic, and who subsequently gave birth and received postnatal care during the pandemic | Postpartum women N=23 Primiparous N=13 | Mar - Aug 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Template analysis |
32 | Snyder & Worlton 2021 USA [78] | Qualitative study -cross-sectional phenomenological study | Aim: to explore perceptions of social support among breastfeeding mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=29 Primiparous N=10 | Mar – Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Analysis of immersion and crystallisation, and then a thematic comparison of the two groups |
33 | Spatz & Froh 2021 USA [79] | Case series report | Aim: to better understand the ways in which new families experience pregnancy and lactation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for maternal – child nurses and other health care providers, we share the experiences of three healthy first-time mothers | Postpartum women N=3 Primiparous N=3 | Mar 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke |
34 | Stirling Cameron et al. 2021 Canada [80] | Qualitative study - constructivist grounded theory | Aim: to present data on the postnatal experiences of resettled Syrian refugee women in the context of COVID-19. More specifically, to elucidate refugee women’s experiences accessing postnatal formal health services and informal social supports during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic | Postpartum women N=8 | Aug - Sep 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Grounded theory - Charmaz, Corbin and Strauss, and constant comparative analysis |
35 | Sweet et al. 2021 Australia [81] | Qualitative study | Aim: to describe childbearing women’s experiences of becoming a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. | Pregnant women N=9 Postpartum women N=18 Parity 0 (N=2) Parity 1 (N=3) | Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke |
36 | Sweet et al. 2022 Australia [82] | Qualitative study | Aim: to explore and describe childbearing women’s experiences of receiving maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia | Pregnant women N=9 Postpartum women N=18 Parity 0 (N=2) Parity 1 (N=3) | Mar - Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview | Thematic analysis |