麻豆直播

Ordinarily, welcoming a new baby is one of life鈥檚 most joyous occasions. But for those who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic, the experience was characterized by fear, loneliness and even long-term trauma. 鈥淪ome new mothers had to undergo treatment for depression and PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder],鈥� reported Ani Jacob, DNP, clinical associate professor in the 麻豆直播 College of Nursing and Public Health, who spoke to a number of pandemic-era mothers as part of the study 鈥淧erceptions of Postpartum Mothers of Their Experiences as a Patient During COVID-19 Crisis: A Phenomenological Study鈥� (Journal of Patient Experience, 2022).鹿聽Her colleague Karen Mancini, PhD 鈥�16, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Nursing Specialties in the College of Nursing and Public Health, heard similar stories while conducting her own study, 鈥淏ecoming a Mother During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Time of Resilience and Reflection鈥� (Journal of the American Nurses Association-New York, August 2022).虏 Together, these two pieces of research illuminate the difficulties鈥攁nd lingering effects鈥攐f giving birth amid an unprecedented burden on America鈥檚 healthcare system.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in how people react in childbirth during times of stress,鈥� said Dr. Mancini, who previously studied perinatal nurses鈥� experiences during Hurricane Sandy. 鈥淏ut there hasn鈥檛 been anything like COVID in a hundred years. No one has written about what these mothers were actually going through.鈥� She interviewed 10 women who gave birth during the earliest months of the pandemic. Dr. Jacob, whose interest was piqued specifically by mothers鈥� isolation in the L&D (labor and delivery) department, interviewed 13 women with delivery dates between March 2020 and May 2020. 鈥淭he previous studies on this topic were all surveys,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 wanted to have an actual conversation with the patients.鈥� Both studies utilized a phenomenological approach, which seeks to describe an event from the point of view of the subject. 鈥淚t was important to get to the heart of what this experience was really like for mothers,鈥� Dr. Mancini added.

According to the participants in Dr. Jacob鈥檚 study, social distancing and COVID-19 infection prevention protocols had an adverse effect on their wellbeing. 鈥淭hese women had been planning celebrations with friends and family for nine months, and instead they had to introduce their babies through a window,鈥� she said. Partners were also banned from the room after delivery, resulting in heightened levels of stress, anxiety and unhappiness among new mothers. 鈥淚 talked to a mother who said she initially wanted more children, but the trauma of this experience totally upended that,鈥� Dr. Jacob remembered.

Dr. Mancini鈥檚 study produced comparable themes, with a particular focus on gaps in care. Although hospitals鈥� COVID-19 precautions 鈥渙ffered a source of reassurance that the facilities were safe,鈥� which relieved mothers鈥� fears of contagion, feelings of abandonment prevailed. Once admitted, participants were subject to rigorous restrictions, including no visitors, masking during delivery, an abbreviated hospital stay and limited contact with staff. 鈥淢ost were not visited by a lactation consultant,鈥� the paper notes, leaving mothers with minimal breastfeeding support. 鈥淪ome mothers were told to fill out questionnaires on postpartum depression without any ensuing psychological care,鈥� Dr. Mancini said. 鈥淭hey felt that the hospitals were just trying to protect themselves and didn鈥檛 actually care about their recovery.鈥�

Predicting the next global health emergency may be impossible, but Dr. Mancini believes preparation is the best medicine. 鈥淧eople were completely caught off guard here, just like Hurricane Sandy,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e need to make sure we have standards of care and education in place for next time, which should continue once mothers have checked out of the hospital. A lot of that fell by the wayside during COVID-19.鈥� Yet, as one mother shared with Dr. Mancini, the stress of giving birth during a pandemic still left room for resiliency: 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of our family for weathering a crazy, unprecedented storm, and I鈥檓 proud of myself for giving birth and then feeding this tiny human and taking care of the rest of my family as best I could.鈥�

Biography

Ani Jacob, DNP

Ani Jacob, DNP

Ani Jacob, DNP, is a clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing and Public Health and a nurse scientist in the Office of the Chief Nurse Executive, Department of Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice, at Northwell Health. She is board certified in Nursing Professional Development.

Karen Mancini, PhD 鈥�16

Karen Mancini, PhD 鈥�16

Karen Mancini, PhD 鈥�16, is assistant professor and chair of the Department of Nursing Specialties in the College of Nursing and Public Health. Her research focuses on maternal and child health, with previously published research examining the lived experience of perinatal nurses who cared for patients during Hurricane Sandy. She teaches Nursing Care of Childbearing Women and Nursing Care of Children.

^{鹿Jacob, A., Thomas, T., & Antretter, J. (2022). . Journal of Patient Experience, 9, 23743735221147761. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735221147761}

^{虏Mancini, K. (2022). . Journal of the American Nurses Association – New York, 2(2), 5鈥�11. https://doi.org/10.47988/janany.89232823.2.2}