PLoS ONE (Jan 2023)

Experiences of women in prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum care during the COVID-19 pandemic in selected cities in Brazil: The resignification of the experience of pregnancy and giving birth.

  • Zeni Carvalho Lamy,
  • Erika Barbara Abreu Fonseca Thomaz,
  • Aluísio Gomes da Silva-Junior,
  • Gisele Caldas Alexandre,
  • Maria Teresa Seabra Soares de Britto E Alves,
  • Ruth Helena de Souza Britto Ferreira de Carvalho,
  • Letícia Oliveira de Menezes,
  • Sandro Schreiber de Oliveira,
  • Maurício Moraes,
  • Yasmim Bezerra Magalhães,
  • Tatiana Raquel Selbmann Coimbra,
  • Lely Stella Guzman-Barrera

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284773
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 18, no. 5
p. e0284773

Abstract

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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted public and private health systems around the world, impairing good practices in women's health care. However, little is known about the experiences, knowledge, and feelings of Brazilian women in this period. The objective was to analyze the experiences of women, seen at maternity hospitals accredited by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS, acronym in Portuguese), regarding health care during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum periods, their interpersonal relationships, and perceptions and feelings about the pandemic. This was a qualitative, exploratory research, carried out in three Brazilian municipalities with women hospitalized in 2020, during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum period, with COVID-19 or not. For data collection, semi-structured individual interviews (in person, by telephone, or by digital platform) were conducted, recorded and transcribed. The content analysis of thematic modalities was displayed as per the following axes: i) Knowledge about the disease; ii) Search for health care in prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods; iii) Experience of suffering from COVID-19; iv) Income and work; and v) Family dynamics and social support network. A total of 46 women were interviewed in São Luís-MA, Pelotas-RS, and Niterói-RJ. Use of media was important to convey information and fight fake news. The pandemic negatively impacted access to health care in the prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum periods, contributing to worsening of the population's social and economic vulnerabilities. Women experienced diverse manifestations of the disease, and psychic disorders were very frequent. Social isolation during the pandemic disrupted the support network of these women, who found social support strategies in communication technologies. Women-centered care-including qualified listening and mental health support-can reduce the severity of COVID-19 cases in pregnant, parturient, and postpartum women. Sustainable employment and income maintenance policies are essential to mitigate social vulnerabilities and reduce risks for these women.