ABSTRACT
Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented levels of stress amongst pregnant women and new mothers. The current qualitative study explored the ways in which perinatal women made meaning of their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
Data came from a parent study in which 54 perinatal (pregnant and postpartum) women in the United States completed semi-structured interviews from October 2021 to January 2022 describing their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data was interpreted using a hermeneutic, phenomenological approach to delve deeply into the concept of meaning-making.
Results
Despite high levels of stress and challenging circumstances, participants reported engaging in meaning-making through finding connection, focusing on gratitude, and identifying openings for change. Unique forms of meaning-making amongst this population include a sense of connection to women throughout history, connection to their baby, and recognition of the need for systemic change for perinatal women.
Conclusions
Perinatal women coped with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic by making meaning from their experiences. Future research should further explore the importance of these aspects of meaning-making to perinatal women and implement these findings to adapt prevention and treatment approaches to address perinatal stress, especially during times of crisis.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this study provided by the Sarah P. Farrell Endowment Fund, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing (PI: Kinser). We thank the following individuals for their assistance in recruitment and data collection activities: Danielle Barrett and Nayab Mughal.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.