Women's birth experiences during the COVID-19 outbreak

Objective: To determine the feelings, thoughts and experiences of women who gave birth in the COVID-19 outbreak. Materials and Methods: The research was conducted as a descriptive qualitative research between September 23, 2020 and July 13, 2023. The study was completed with 7 participants using purposive sampling and snowball technique. Women who met the inclusion criteria were interviewed online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. A semi-structured interview form consisting of two sections and 30 questions was used to collect the data. After the interviews with the participants were transcribed, the data were analyzed for content. Result: In the study, women's feelings, thoughts and experiences about their births during the COVID-19 outbreak were collected in three themes and fifteen sub-themes. The theme of feelings and thoughts about giving birth in the COVID-19 outbreak was divided into four sub-themes: loneliness, anxiety and fear, feeling insecure, and standoff from the baby. The theme of childbirth experience in the COVID-19 outbreak was divided into five sub-themes: lack of support from spouses and relatives, lack of access to health services and reliable information, problems with the mother, problems with the baby, and support from health personnel. The theme of measures taken during the childbirth in the outbreak was divided into six sub-themes as social distancing, use of personal protective equipment, hygiene measures, restriction of visitors and companions, early discharge, and the sensitivity of healthcare personnel towards outbreak measures. Conclusion: As a result of the changing pregnancy and birth processes associated with COVID-19, women experienced additional difficulties in the childbirth experience. In the study, it was determined that women who were deprived of the psychosocial support of their spouses and relatives due to restrictions experienced loneliness during their births, feared infecting their babies and themselves, and experienced more stress and fear compared to their previous births. During the pandemic, women could not have enough contact with their babies due to transmission measures, and practices for mother-infant bonding were interrupted. Keywords: childbirth, COVID-19, disease, life experience, midwifery, outbreak, SARS-CoV2.