The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth satisfaction in a prospective cohort of 2,341 U.S. women.
Women Birth
; 35(5): 458-465, 2022 Sep.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1506644
ABSTRACT
PROBLEM:
Birth satisfaction is an important health outcome that is related to postpartum mood, infant caretaking, and future pregnancy intention.BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected antenatal care and intrapartum practices that may reduce birth satisfaction.AIM:
To investigate the extent to which pandemic-related factors predicted lower birth satisfaction.METHODS:
2341 women who were recruited prenatally in April-May 2020 and reported a live birth between April-October 2020 were included in the current analysis. Hierarchical linear regression to predict birth satisfaction from well-established predictors of birth satisfaction (step 1) and from pandemic-related factors (step 2) was conducted. Additionally, the indirect associations of pandemic-related stress with birth satisfaction were investigated.FINDINGS:
The first step of the regression explained 35% of variance in birth satisfaction. In the second step, pandemic-related factors explained an additional 3% of variance in birth satisfaction. Maternal stress about feeling unprepared for birth due to the pandemic and restrictions on companions during birth independently predicted lower birth satisfaction beyond the non-pandemic variables. Pandemic-related unpreparedness stress was associated with more medicalized birth and greater incongruence with birth preference, thus also indirectly influencing birth satisfaction through a mediation process.DISCUSSION:
Well-established contributors to birth satisfaction remained potent during the pandemic. In addition, maternal stress and restriction on accompaniment to birth were associated with a small but significant reduction in birth satisfaction.CONCLUSION:
Study findings suggest that helping women set flexible and reasonable expectations for birth and allowing at least one intrapartum support person can improve birth satisfaction.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Language:
English
Journal:
Women Birth
Journal subject:
Nursing
/
Obstetrics
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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