Table 2 Characteristics of sampled studies

01

Anderson et al. 2021 United Kingdom (UK) [16]

Mixed methods

Aim: This project aimed to explore pregnant women’s understanding of the behavioural restrictions and their perceived ability to comply, as well as the most concerning impacts of the measures

Pregnant women

N=31

Primiparous N=20

24 Apr - 4 May 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Framework analysis

02

Atmuri et al. 2022

Australia [49]

Qualitative descriptive study

Aim: This original research aimed to study the perspectives of pregnant women in Australia in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their pregnancy experience.

Pregnant women

N=15

Primigravida

N=10

1 Jun - 19 Jun 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke's

03

Aydin & Aktas 2021

Turkey [50]

Qualitative descriptive study

Aim: To investigate the pregnancy experiences of women during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of pregnant women using a qualitative research method and fill the gap in the relevant field.

Pregnant women

N=14

Primiparous

N=10

Dec 2020

Telephone interview

Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke's; Lincoln and Guba's Evaluative Criteria

04

Brown & Shenker 2021

UK [51]

Mixed methods study

Aim: to understand how the COVID‐19 pandemic affected their (women with infants under the age of 1 year) infant feeding attitudes, choices and outcomes.

Mothers who had breastfed their baby (0-12 months) at least once

N=1219

Primiparous (N=713)

May - Jun 2020

Survey data (open-ended questions)

Thematic analysis

05

Charvat et al. 2021

United States (USA) [52]

Qualitative study - CNSM theory

RQ1: What themes related to received social support emerge in women’s stories of their pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic?

RQ2: How does social support contribute to the tone of women’s narratives about their pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Pregnant women

N=11

Primiparous (≈N=11)

N/A

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis - Tracy 2019 's two-step phronetic iterative approach

06

Costa et al. 2021

UK [53]

Qualitative study

Aim: to assess the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on new parents of children born with CL/P in the UK prior to or during the initial ‘wave’ in the first half of 2020

Parents (mothers & fathers)

N=14

Primiparous (N=10)

Jan – Jun 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke

07

Davis et al. 2021

Australia [54]

Mixed methods study

Aim: to explore the relationship between emotional health and wellbeing and support needs of perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to understand their experiences and need for support.

Perinatal women

N=14

Nov 2020 – Feb 2021

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis - Braun and Clarke

08

DeJoy et al. 2021

USA [55]

Qualitative study - interpretive phenomenological approach

Aim: to understand the lived experiences of pregnant people who switched their planned place of birth from hospital to community

settings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pregnant women N=17

May - Oct 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Theoretical framework - interpretive phenomenological analysis

09

Dove-Medows et al. 2022

USA [56]

Mixed methods study

Aim: to use a mixed-methods approach to explore the perspectives of a sample of Black women in the Midwestern United States to learn about their experiences of care in the prenatal, birth, and postpartum periods during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pregnant women (at least 20 weeks gestation) N=16

May - Jun 2020 Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke

10

Farrell et al. 2021

USA [57]

Qualitative study

Objective: to examine the impact of COVID on patients' access and utilization of prenatal genetic screens and diagnostic tests at the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic in the United States.

Pregnant women

N=40

Primigravida (N=15)

May - Jul 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Iterative and progressive process consistent with Grounded Theory

11

Fumagalli et al. 2022

Italy [58]

Qualitative study - interpretive phenomenological approach

Aim: To explore childbearing experiences of COVID-19 positive mothers who gave birth in the months of March and April 2020 in a Northern Italy maternity hospital.

COVID-19 positive mothers (postpartum)

N=22

Primiparous

N=7

Mid Jun - End Jul 2020

Telephone or video call interview, face-to-face

Thematic analysis -

an interpretive phenomenological

approach

12

Green et al. 2022

Canada [59]

Qualitative study

Objective:

1) capture the principal worries reported by treatment-seeking pregnant and postpartum women with a principal AD to determine what proportion of their worries were specific to COVID, 2) identify and characterize the content of both non-COVID and COVID related worry, 3) identify the impact of COVID on the lives of pregnant and postpartum women

Pregnant women (treatment seeking patients)

N=35

Postpartum women

N=49

Apr – Oct 2020

Semi-structured diagnostic assessments to determine worries

Duration unknown

Content analysis

13

Harrison et al. 2021

UK [60]

Cross sectional survey - mixed methods

Aim: to collect population-based data on women’s experiences of being pregnant and giving birth in England (2020 NMS) or in the UK (social media survey) during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic

Postpartum women

N=4,611 (NMS survey)

N=1,622 (Social media survey)

NMS survey: Nov - Mar 2020

Social media survey: 27 Nov 2020 - 26 Feb 2021

Online open-ended survey

Thematic analysis

14

Jackson et al. 2022

UK [61]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore UK women’s postnatal experiences of social and healthcare professional support during the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum women

N=24 Primiparous

N=12

T1: April - 20 May 2020

T2: April - 16 July 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Recurrent cross-sectional thematic analysis

15

Jackson et al. 2021

UK [62]

Qualitative study

Aim: to contribute towards the existing literature-base, by exploring the postpartum psychological experiences of UK women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum women

N=24

Primiparous N=12

T1: 22 Apr - 20 May 2020

T2: April - 16 Jul 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Modified recurrent cross-sectional thematic analysis

16

John et al. 2021

UK [63]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, antenatal and postnatal care in all women belonging to ethnic minority communities and to identify any specific challenges that these women faced during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Pregnant women

N=9

Postpartum women

N=7

Nulliparous(N=2)

Dec 2020 – Jan 2021

Telephone interview

Thematic analysis with qualitative interpretive approach

17

Joy et al. 2020

Canada [64]

Qualitative study - feminist poststructuralism

Aim: to examine parents’ experiences of the postpartum period during the mandated health protection orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum women

N=68

May - Jun 2020

Online open-ended survey

Discourse analysis

18

Keating et al. 2022

Ireland [65]

Qualitative study

Aim: to understand the lived experience of pregnancy during the pandemic and the effects on the women’s home life and social support system as well as learn from the effects that the hospital restrictions and measures had on women and their families.

Pregnant women

N=8

Postpartum women

N=6

Primiparous

N=9

Apr - Jul 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Constant comparative method

19

Kolker et al. 2021

Canada [66]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore pregnant and postpartum individuals’ lived experience during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand their psychological and emotional responses and behaviours, with a focus on specific strategies to ameliorate distress

Postpartum women

N=12

Primiparous

N=8

Jul - Oct 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic

pattens and relations

20

Kynø et al. 2021

Norway [67]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore parental (mothers and fathers or other caregivers) experiences for families hospitalized with an infant in the NICU at Oslo University Hospital during the absolute visitation ban period due to the COVID-19 crisis

Parents of infants in NICU/SCN

N=9

Primiparous N=7

26 Jun 2020 - mid Jun 2021

Semi-structured interviews

Thematic analysis

21

Linden et al. 2022

Sweden [68]

Qualitative study - phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach

Aim: to gain a deeper understanding of how women not infected by SARS-CoV-2 experienced pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden

Postpartum women

N=14

Primiparous

N=9

Mar - Apr 2021

Telephone or video call interview

Phenomenological reflective

lifeworld approach – Dahlberg et al

22

Meaney et al. 2021 Ireland, UK, USA [9]

Cross sectional survey - mixed methods

Aim:to assess pregnant women’s satisfaction with antenatal care and social support in addition to examining the stress-reduction strategies employed by pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pregnant women

N=573 (558 open ended responses)

Nulliparous N=241

16 Jun - 17 Jul 2020

Online survey with open-ended questions

Qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach

23

Mizrak Sahin & Kabakci 2021

Turkey [69]

Qualitative study

Aim: to understand the experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Pregnant women

N=15

Primiparous N=12

Not stated

Online semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended questions conducted by telephone

Content analysis - Graneheim and Lundman's

24

Ollivier et al. 2021

Canada [70]

Qualitative study - feminist post structuralism

Aim: to gain an in-depth understanding of parenting experiences in Nova Scotia during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-June 2020)

Postpartum women

N=68

Primiparous

N=35

May - Jun 2020

Online survey with open-ended questions

Feminist poststructuralist discourse analysis

25

Panda et al. 2021

Ireland [71]

Qualitative study

Aim: to gain insight and understanding of women’s views and experiences of maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland

Postpartum women

N=19

Primiparous

N=8

15 Sep - 23 Oct 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis

26

Rhodes et al. 2020

UK [72]

Mixed methods study

Aim: to gain insights into the attitudes and experiences of expectant and recent parents (with babies under 24 weeks of age) during the COVID-19 pandemic; to investigate whether Baby Buddy is meeting users’ needs during this time; and to identify ways to revise the content of Baby Buddy to better support its users now and in future

Pregnant women

N=14

Primiparous N=15

15 Apr - 31 May 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis

27

Rice & Williams 2021

Canada [73]

Qualitative study - social constructivist approach

Aim: to examine how people in Canada have been affected by policies aimed at limiting interpersonal contact to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission while giving birth in hospital and during the first weeks postpartum

Postpartum women

N=57

Jun 2020 - Jul 2021

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis using a social constructionist research paradigm

28

Rice & Williams 2022

Canada [74]

Qualitative study

Aim: To examine the impact of pandemic policy changes on experiences of pregnancy and birth, thereby identifying barriers to good care; to inform understandings of medicalization, care, pregnancy, and subjectivity during times of crisis; and to critically examine the assumptions about pregnancy and birth that are sustained and produced through policy.

Pregnant women

N=8

Postpartum women N=59

Primiparous (N=32)

March 2020 - January 2021

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis using a social constructionist standpoint

29

Riley et al. 2021

UK [75]

Qualitative study

Aim: to understand the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on women’s pregnancy and postpartum experience.

Pregnant women N=5

Postpartum women N=20

Primiparous N=15

Jul – Aug 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis -

phenomenological focus

30

Saleh et al. 2022

USA [76]

Mixed methods study

Aim: to explore women’s experiences of being pregnant, giving birth, and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the United States, specific to the year 2020

Postpartum women N=32

Jan – Dec 2021

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis - Hamilton’s rapid appraisal technique

31

Silverio et al. 2021

UK [77]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore the experiences of women in South London, UK, receiving antenatal care both before and during the pandemic, and who subsequently gave birth and received postnatal care during the pandemic

Postpartum women N=23

Primiparous

N=13

Mar - Aug 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Template analysis

32

Snyder & Worlton 2021

USA [78]

Qualitative study -cross-sectional phenomenological study

Aim: to explore perceptions of social support among breastfeeding mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum women N=29

Primiparous N=10

Mar – Jun 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Analysis of immersion and crystallisation, and then a thematic comparison of the two groups

33

Spatz & Froh 2021

USA [79]

Case series report

Aim: to better understand the ways in which new families experience pregnancy and lactation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the implications for maternal – child nurses and other health care providers, we share the experiences of three healthy first-time mothers

Postpartum women N=3

Primiparous N=3

Mar 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke

34

Stirling Cameron et al. 2021

Canada [80]

Qualitative study - constructivist grounded theory

Aim: to present data on the postnatal experiences of resettled Syrian refugee women in the context of COVID-19. More specifically, to elucidate refugee women’s experiences accessing postnatal formal health services and informal social supports during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum women N=8

Aug - Sep 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Grounded theory -

Charmaz, Corbin and Strauss, and constant comparative analysis

35

Sweet et al. 2021

Australia [81]

Qualitative study

Aim: to describe childbearing women’s experiences of becoming a mother during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Pregnant women N=9

Postpartum women N=18 Parity 0 (N=2) Parity 1 (N=3)

Jun 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis – Braun and Clarke

36

Sweet et al. 2022

Australia [82]

Qualitative study

Aim: to explore and describe childbearing women’s experiences of receiving maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Pregnant women

N=9

Postpartum women

N=18

Parity 0 (N=2)

Parity 1 (N=3)

Mar - Jun 2020

Telephone or video call interview

Thematic analysis