Pregnant women were left feeling isolated and anxious because of Covid restrictions, a new study by Aberdeen University has found.
The study looked at changes in the provision of maternity care during the pandemic and their impacts on patients and staff.
Women were caused substantial stress by not having a birthing partner present during antenatal and postnatal care and during the early stages of labour, the findings revealed.
Nearly 90% of respondents reported attending antenatal appointments alone, with 67% feeling uncomfortable with this.
After giving birth, most women (73%) felt they should have been able to have their partner with them more often in the postnatal ward.
Restrictions around partners ‘excessive’
Many women noted that restrictions around partners being with them after the birth had felt excessive, and the rationale for the restrictions not well communicated.
Covid restrictions impaired connections between patients and maternity staff, exacerbating feelings of insecurity.
With appointments carried out by telephone, rather than in person, 40% said this stopped them from building a good relationship with their midwife or doctor.
Researchers surveyed and interviewed more than 2,500 women, and more than 450 maternity staff who used or were working in maternity services from June 2020 to July 2021. The paper has been published on the Public Health Scotland website.
Overall, care during labour and after birth was well received by the vast majority of women, with 86% rating their care during labour as excellent or good, and 76% rating their care after birth as excellent or good.
Some examples of excellent, innovative, or supportive care were described, where midwives in particular went out of their way to provide personalised support to women.
Partners being kept away ‘led to great anxiety’
Dr Mairead Black of Aberdeen University, who co-led the study, said: “This wide-ranging study reveals a lot about the impact that Covid restrictions had on maternity service users and staff.
“One of the clearest disadvantages of the restrictions centred around women not being able to have a partner with them as much as they would have liked.
“Many women told us that knowing in advance that their birth partner would not be able to accompany them to scans or in early labour led to great anxiety, as well as when it actually happened.
“The need to physically distance and replace in-person visits with phone or video calls led some to feel they had a lesser relationship with their doctor or midwife, and staff too have reported a frustration and conflict between what they were allowed to do and what they would normally do to support a pregnant woman and her partner.
“Having said that, overall, many women were complimentary of the service they received. Some aspects of the maternity service that were forced to change in order to meet Covid requirements have actually been well received by women and staff alike and may well remain, in some form, post-Covid.”
One new mother who gave birth during the pandemic told the Press and Journal about the difficulties posed by Covid restrictions. She described it as ‘exhausting’ for her, and ‘upsetting’ for her partner.
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