THE COMPARISON OF WOMEN EXPERIENCES OF CHILDBIRTH BEFORE AND DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN LITHUANIA

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study was to compare the subjective experiences of childbirth in Lithuanian women and the care they received before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recommendations formulated in the World Health Organization childbirth care guidelines. Methods. The total sample consisted of 2685 women aged 16-48 (M = 29.5, SD = 4.63) who gave birth in Lithuanian hospitals in 2019-2020. Study participants were split in two groups: women who gave birth before COVID-19 pandemic and women who gave birth during it. Participants answered questions about the course of their childbirth, the care provided to them, the medical interventions performed, and the subjective assessment of the staff behaviour and childbirth experience. Results. Women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic experienced significantly decreased opportunities of labour companionship, decreased mobility during labour, used fewer non-medical strategies of pain management during labour, had less pressure to accept proposed childbirth interventions, received less detailed information about the newborn and their own health condition postpartum, rated the postpartum behaviour of staff as less caring, felt less safe in the hospital, and were less satisfied with received postpartum care than those who gave birth before the pandemic. However, the effect sizes of almost all obtained statistically significant differences were small. Conclusion. The results of the study showed differences in women’s subjective childbirth experiences and the care they received before and during the pandemic, and also revealed general existing shortcomings in the system of childbirth care.