Pregnancy and birth during the coronavirus pandemic
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9 November 2020 — adopted May 2020 • completed
Pregnancy and birth during the coronavirus pandemic
Giving birth during a pandemic is very stressful. This situation was also impacted by advice for expectant parents and the maternity services available changing on a daily basis.
This project aimed to capture in real time the impact of maternity care changes on the lived experiences of pregnant people and their partners during the pandemic.
The research team wanted to hear from all new or expectant parents who had either had a baby since 9 March 2020, or whose baby was due before 12 July 2020 in the UK. These dates were chosen because 9 March was when people in the last trimester of pregnancy were added to the list of ‘vulnerable people’.
Rather than assume which changes might have happened, the researchers used open survey questions to hear about the changes that were important to expectant parents — and to find out how changes outside of NHS services might also affect them.
How the research was carried out
The research was carried out through online surveys using open questions. The survey was advertised through:
Parenting forums
Potential impact of the study
In response to the pandemic, different NHS Trusts in south London changed their maternity services in different ways. Understanding the various impacts of these changes may help to:
Plan services within the current pandemic and in any future similar situation
Provide a better understanding of the emotional welfare of expectant parents during a period of rapid service change
Early findings
By using open questions, the research found out a great deal about how changes to things other than NHS services had interacted with service changes. Key themes included:
Transport barriers — for those who did not drive, changes to the availability of taxi firms had a big impact on birth choices
Childcare for older children — availability of childminders, schools and nurseries was affected, as were parents who might be shielding
Perinatal support access — parents talked about doulas, private antenatal classes and breastfeeding support organisations they were accessing or were no longer able to access
Wide geographic variation — parents in different locations had experienced very different changes to the NHS maternity services they received
Study lead
Mari Greenfield
Postdoctoral researcher, King’s College London
Working with two maternity charities: AIMS and Birthrights
Related content
- →
Post-pandemic planning for maternity care across the four nations (RESILIENT study) - →
How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected care-seeking behaviour of pregnant women from underserved groups? - →
Maternity and perinatal mental health research at ARC South London
Original source: arc-sl.nihr.ac.uk — NIHR ARC South London legacy content archived May 2026.