Table 1 Descriptive characteristics of included studies

Studies contributing data on women’s views and experiences

 33

Personal narrative of experiences during COVID-19

UK

Primiparous woman with gestational diabetes accessing public maternity care

N = 1

 34

To study the perspectives of pregnant women in relation to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their pregnancy experience

Australia

Pregnant women any gestation booked and receiving antenatal care at the hospital

N = 15

 35

To investigate the pregnancy experiences of women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Turkey

Pregnant women admitted to the study site, > 20 years old, communicating in Turkish and not COVID-19 positive (n = 14)

N = 14

 36

To assess stressors, coping behaviors, and resources needed in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of perinatal women in the United States

USA

Pregnant or postpartum women, ≥ 18 years of age, English-speaking, and gave birth between Jan and May 2020

N = 42*

 37

To describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on birth experiences centering the perspective of the birthing person

USA

Women ≥ 18 years of age who gave birth after 01 Mar 2020 in the US using the Ovia Parenting app

N = 202^&

 38

Personal narrative of experiences during COVID-19

UK

Postpartum woman of twins

N = 1

 39

To better understand the care that women are receiving and/or seeking in response to COVID-19 in order to inform Government and other key stakeholders

Australia

All women who were pregnant in Australia

N = 2750⁺

 40

To gain an understanding of women’s experiences of visiting restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 and to provide information to inform policy development in relation to visiting

Ireland

Women during the antenatal period in a large urban maternity unit

N = 303^&

 41

To explore the experience of expectant parents who accessed hypnobirthing online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic

UK

Pregnant or postpartum women

N = 25

 42

To better understand mental health and well-being, as well as sources of resilience, for women in the perinatal period during the COVID-19 pandemic

USA

Women > 18 years, English-speaking, currently living in Colorado, and being pregnant or within the first 6-months postpartum

N = 31

 43

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

USA

Pregnant women in first and second trimesters

N = 40

 44

To explore childbearing experiences of COVID-19 positive mothers who gave birth in a Northern Italy maternity hospital

Italy

All women who tested positive for COVID-19 at the research site during the months of Mar and Apr 2020

N = 22

 45

To identify challenges with healthcare interactions experienced by postpartum patients during the pandemic

USA

Postpartum women: the median time between birth and the interviews was 10 weeks

N = 40

 46

To explore if and how women perceived their prenatal care to have changed due to COVID-19 and the emotional impact of those changes on pregnant women

USA

Pregnant women able to complete an online survey in English, regardless of gestational age of the pregnancy, location of residence or utilization of services

N = 2519

 47

To explore pregnant women’s perceptions of COVID-19 and their healthcare experiences

UK

Women currently pregnant or postpartum since the COVID-19 pandemic commenced

N = 1451

 48

To capture peripartum women's lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

India

Pregnant women > 30th week of gestation to 1-month postpartum who could speak English or Hindi language

N = 25

 49

To assess pregnant women’s satisfaction with antenatal care and social support and to examine stress-reduction strategies women used during the pandemic

International

Pregnant women aged 18 years or older irrespective of gestational age, nationality, or geographical location

N = 558^&

 50

To explore the lived experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand their experience of pregnancy so that better support could be provided

Iran

Pregnant women who were registered in public health centers affiliated with Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences

N = 19

 2

To gain insight and understanding of women’s experiences of maternity care during the first national lock-down phase of COVID-19 in one hospital setting

Ireland

Women ≥ 18 years of age, able to read and speak English, and had experienced pregnancy, childbirth (between 37 and 42 weeks of pregnancy) and postnatal care at the study site during the first national lock-down period

N = 19

 51

To investigate how COVID-19 and associated restrictions influence mood and parenting confidence of expectant parents and those in early parenthood

UK

Women currently pregnant or postpartum

N = 564^$

 53

To gain insights into the attitudes and experiences of expectant and recent parents during COVID-19

UK

Women who were Baby Buddy App users, irrespective of their gestational stage and baby age < 24 weeks

N = 32^&

 53

To understand the experiences of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic

Turkey

Pregnant women > 18 years who speak Turkish, not diagnosed with COVID-19 and are residents of Turkey

N = 15

 54

To explore perceptions of social support among breastfeeding mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Not stated

Postpartum women currently breastfeeding

N = 29

 55

To better understand the ways in which new families experience pregnancy and lactation during the COVID-19 pandemic

USA

Healthy first-time mothers with a prenatal intention to breastfeed

N = 3

 56

To describe childbearing women’s experiences of becoming a mother during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Australia

Women of different ethnicities living in varied geographical locations across Australia, and seeking care from a wide variety of models of care

N = 27^&

 57

To describe lived experience in COVID -19 lockdown period from the perspective of pregnant women

India

Pregnant women in any trimester

N = 4

 58

Personal narrative of experiences during COVID-19

UK

One multiparous woman

N = 1

Studies contributing data on maternity care professionals’ views and experiences

 59

To explore and describe midwives’ experiences of providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Australia

Registered midwives who had provided maternity care since March 2020

N = 16^&

 60

Personal narrative of lived experience during COVID-19

Not stated

Resident on a labour and delivery ward

N = 1

 61

Real time experiences of providing care, services and programming to directly address the needs of pregnant and parenting New Yorkers during COVID-19

USA

Not explicitly described (maternity care providers)

N = 9

 15

Narrative description of lived experiences

USA

Obstetricians-gynecologists

N = 2

 62

To analyze how the nurse-midwives of maternity wards have reorganized care in the context of labor and birth amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Brazil

Nurse-midwife preceptors and collaborators of maternity wards that were fields of practice of the Enhancement Course for Nurse-Midwives

N = 9

 63

To assess how obstetrics and gynecology NCHDs viewed and were affected by measures taken in response to Covid-19 pandemic

Ireland

Non-consultant hospital doctors in maternity units

N = 74

 64

Maternal and newborn health professionals experience of providing care to pregnant and postpartum women and their newborns using telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic

International

Midwives, nurses, obstetricians, gynecologists, neonatologists, and other maternity health professionals working in urban and rural settings

N = 1060

 65

To investigate the experiences and attitudes of midwives who have provided pregnancy and childbirth care to women with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection

Spain

Midwives who provided pregnancy and childbirth care to women with a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection (average experience of 8 years working as a midwife)

N = 14

 17

To explore the experience of private practicing midwives in relation to the response to planning for the COVID-19 pandemic

Australia

Midwives currently providing any type of private midwifery services for antenatal, labour and birth and/or postnatal services

N = 103

 66

To describe nurses’ experiences of caring for perinatal women and newborns during the pandemic

South Korea

Registered Nurses working in hospitals that had confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases

N = 24

 67

To determine to what degree prenatal care was able to be transitioned to telehealth during COVID-19 and describe providers’ experience with this transition

USA

All providers who conducted telehealth visits during the implementation period

N = 11^&

 68

To document the experiences of Black birth workers supporting pregnant and birthing people and new mamas during the first six months of COVID-19

USA

Black maternity care providers

N = 38

 69

To understand how COVID-19 has impacted childbirth

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rican women working in the fields of reproductive health

N = 11

 70

To evaluate the provision of obstetrics and gynecology services during the acute phase of COVID-19

UK

Junior doctors in obstetrics and gynecology across all training units in the NHS

N = 148

 71

To determine changes to breastfeeding support services during the coronavirus-2019 pandemic according to trained lactation providers

USA

MCPs currently offering breastfeeding services to pregnant/postpartum women, had formal training to provide support, and were over the age of 18

N = 39

 72

To prospectively document experiences of frontline maternal and newborn healthcare providers

International

Any health professionals directly providing maternal or newborn care, from various countries, contexts, services and facilities at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic

N = 714

 73

To explore and describe doctors’ experiences of providing maternity care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Australia

Medical practitioners who provided care across any part of the antenatal, labour and postnatal continuum since March 2020

N = 8^&

Studies contributing data on both women’s and professionals’ views and experiences

 74

To explore how experiences of pregnancy and birth were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, both from the patients’ and nurses’ perspectives to understand the multifaceted and intersectional impacts from these adaptations

USA

Women: people who were pregnant or had given birth since Mar 2020, restricted to those living in Washington State MCPs: Registered nurses currently working in a perinatal setting since March 2020 from across the US

N = 15 (women) N = 14 (MCPs)

 75

To describe the hospitalization and early postpartum psychological experience for asymptomatic obstetric patients tested for SARS-CoV-2 and to report the impact of on labor and delivery health care workers’ job satisfaction and workplace anxiety

USA

Women: All women presenting for obstetric care at the two hospitals during the recruitment period MCPs: on obstetric units in the two hospitals

N = 318 (women) N = 158 (MCPs)

 76

To describe the short-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and hints at its potential long-term effects

Italy

Women: who had given birth during or immediately after lockdown (Mar-May 2020) MCPs: midwives active in the city of Bologna

N = 49 (women) N = 18 (MCPs)

 77

To explore COVID-19 related factors influencing ANC service uptake

Ethiopia

Pregnant women: who did not attend all recommended ANC visits, third trimester and above, able to speak the local language, age group 18 to 45 MCPs: working in facilities in selected districts

N = 44 (women) N = 9 (HCPs)

 78

To describe how indigent mothers have responded to and coped with the dramatic changes that have occurred in birth practices as a result of this pandemic

Keyna

Women: mothers who were either expectant or gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic MCPs: matrons (nurse-midwives who serve as department heads) in charge of maternal health services and traditional midwives

N = 20 (women) N = 5 (MCPs)

 79

To evaluate initial adoption and patient and provider care experience with a COVID-19 prenatal care model at a single institution

USA

Pregnant women: All patients at > 20 weeks’ gestation who were receiving prenatal care MCPs: obstetricians, gynecologists, maternal–fetal medicine physicians, family medicine physicians, and certified nurse midwives

N = 150^& (women) N = 53^& (MCPs)