The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are one of the special groups most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to analyze how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors of pregnant women.METHOD: A descriptive phenomenological approach was employed to explore the experiences of 15 pregnant women. Data were gathered by using semi-structured interviews focusing on pregnant women’s feelings, thoughts and behaviors. Word cloud analysis and content analysis were performed.FINDINGS: Data analysis revealed three main themes: emotions, hardships, and coping. Emotions were grouped into five categories: fear, anxiety, disappointment, loneliness, and regret. Hardships were grouped into two categories: physical and financial. Coping was grouped into four categories: social support, normalization, religious practices, and positive thinking. According to word cloud analysis, the most frequently mentioned words were pregnant, COVID-19, anxiety, fear, positive thinking, hardships, regret, stress, affect, and alone.CONCLUSIONS: Women experienced feelings of fear, anxiety, disappointment, loneliness, and regret in the prenatal period. They also faced physical and financial hardships and benefited from social support, normalization, religious practices, and positive thinking to cope with these hardships.