Effects of COVID-19 on Pregnancy, Antenatal Care and Birth

Abstract

Introduction:The research was carried out to determine the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy, antenatal care, birth planning and postpartum period. Methods: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in November-December 2020 using a web-based online questionnaire. The population of the study consists of women received prenatal care from a state hospital in a province in the south of Turkey, attended childbirth preparation classes, and spent their pregnancy and delivery process during the pandemic period. A total of 240 pregnant women meeting the research criteria were included in the sampling. The data, developed by the researchers, were used in the first part of the questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics of pregnant women, and in the second part, a questionnaire consisting of questions to determine the changing health habits, knowledge levels, contact statuses and the effect of the pandemic on the birth preferences and postpartum process during the COVID-19 pandemic process. Results: In the study, it was determined that 55.0% of the puerperant women had fear of contagion during pregnancy, 13.3% were diagnosed with COVID-19, and masks were used the most (95.0%) to protect themselves from the epidemic. In the study, 35.0% of the women postponed their prenatal care during pregnancy, 83.7% were planning a normal birth, only 45.0% had a normal delivery, 90% were breastfeeding the baby, 87.5% were sent to the health institution for the postnatal tests. They stated that they were concerned about the risk of contamination when applying. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects the process of receiving health care services during pregnancy and postpartum period. It may be useful to inform pregnant and postpartum women about the transmission of COVID-19 infection during the pandemic process.

Investigation of Mothers' Fear of Covid-19 and the Status of Receiving Antenatal Care During the Pandemic Process

“…In another study on the subject, it was reported that fear of COVID-19 was one of the barriers to receiving a full ANC service during the pandemic (Tadesse, 2020). In (Kaya Senol & Ucar, 2022). In a different study, 77.6% of pregnant women stated that they feared contracting coronavirus.…”

“…Receiving antenatal care can be affected by various factors or care is not received or delayed. It was said that the COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected antenatal care (Fryer et al, 2020;Wu et al, 2020;Kaya Senol & Ucar, 2022;Nazik et al, 2022). For this reason, this study was performed to examine the fear of COVID-19 and the status of receiving ANC during the pandemic in the region where we live.…”

“…Various studies have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic affected receiving ANC (Fryer et al, 2020;Wu et al, 2020;Kaya Senol & Ucar, 2022;Nazik et al, 2022). This study was carried out to examine the mothers' fear of COVID-19 and their status of receiving antenatal care during the pandemic process.…”