Kim Phan, “Women’s Experiences of Pregnancy during the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Mentors: Teresa Johnson and AkkeNeel Talsma, Nursing
The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted women’s plans and expectations for pregnancy and birth experiences. The purpose of this research is to investigate how the pandemic has affected the support and information needs of pregnant women to better understand the role that clinicians can play in assessing for stressors and supporting pregnant women throughout their experience. Women who were pregnant or recently gave birth were recruited via multiple social media platforms (e.g. Facebook), local clinical locations, and word of mouth. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted via Zoom by interviewers with obstetrical experience and research team notetakers. 26 women were recruited, and interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. On an individual level, women reported loss of desired experiences and feeling isolated. The pandemic affected how women can receive support from family/peers due to social restrictions. On a community level, women expressed concerns for finding reliable, non-conflicting, and evidence-based information about COVID-19 and their pregnancies. In addition to helping women identify unique ways to obtain connectedness and support from their networks, there is an increased need for transparency from both providers and hospital regarding COVID-19 policies and clinical care as there has been is an increase in missed care, poor quality care, or delayed care. Further research is needed to identify, implement, and evaluate the best ways to provide support and information for pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need for healthcare providers to understand how stress and coping are experienced differently. It is essential for providers to listen, learn, and recognize stressors and coping mechanisms through screening at all prenatal/postpartum appointments in order to address the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 related stress on mothers, infants, and families.
The research topic is very important and interesting, especially in such an unexpected pandemic situation. The research team planned and conducted research very effectively. The findings are great starting point to improve the support from the society as well as health providers for women experiences pregnancy.
Hello! Thank you for your comment. We will definitely continue to expand on our work to assist clinicians in assisting women throughout their pregnancy not only during the COVID-19 pandemic but through any unprecedented pandemic or disaster.
A very pertinent topic of research! Pregnancy can be a very uncertain and scary time for women, even when there isn’t a pandemic. It would be interesting to see the development and dissemination of tools for women in order to sift through COVID and pregnancy misinformation. Do you think an increase in exposure to social media helps or hurts when trying to find reliable sources?
Hello Brooke! Thank you for your insightful comments and question. I believe that an increase in exposure to social media can be both a helpful and hurtful resource. In the beginning of the pandemic, which is the timeframe of when these mothers were interviewed for our project, we learned that “googling” was a source of anxiety for many women. Several women stated that they completely avoided the use of social media because of the lack of reliability of information that was provided. However, several other women also stated the importance of being aware of internet sources and utilizing government based and local resources to obtain information. Women also saw the benefits of using social media to talk to other pregnant mothers who are going through similar experiences, so they were able to share their own stories while listening to others which provided a source of comfort through the difficult times of social isolation during the pandemic.
What a timely and important topic. It is exciting to see what you have been working on this year.
Hello Dr. Moerchen! Thank you so much for taking the time to look at our work. Maternal and child health experiences are so important on the impact of the lifespan, so I am glad I was able to participate in this project with fellow graduate students and mentors.
Hello all,
Thank you for taking the time to visit my poster!
I just wanted to take a minute to introduce myself – my name is Kim Phan. I am a senior in my final semester of nursing school here at UWM. My goal is to become an ICU nurse and attend graduate school to eventually become a nurse anesthetist. I have been part of the SURF program and undergraduate research since my freshman year. Through my time as an undergraduate research assistant, I have learned the value of research and participating in forming new knowledge to help mothers and babies holistically improve health outcomes. Research has played a huge role in how I look at nursing and how to be an evidence-based nurse to provide the best care to my patients.
Thank you again!
Kim
Very strong presentation!
Thank you, Dr. Johnson!