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Description
Rationale: Pregnancy, especially for first-time parents, can be filled with a lot of anxiety and stress. Women often experience hormonal changes as well as adapting to physical bodily changes, which can impact the pregnancy, and the mother-coparent relationship. Pregnancy during the Covid-19 pandemic likely further contributes to expectant couples’ experience. However, little is known about the impact of Covid-19 related stressors on pregnant women and partners, and the existing literature has largely focused solely on challenges. Objective: The aim of the current study is to describe the nature of expectant parents’ experiences with pregnancy and childbirth during the Covid-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on identifying individual and couple stressors and coping strategies. Methods: 11 participants, 6 mothers and 5 co-parenting partners, completed questionnaires and participated in a qualitative interview querying them about their experience being pregnancy during the Covid-19 pandemic, pandemic related stressors, coping strategies, and navigating the transition to parenthood as a couple. Results: Qualitative themes emerging through the data analysis indicated not only common challenges (i.e., stress related to uncertainty, not being able to attend prenatal visits as a couple and fears about the impact of covid-19 on the pregnancy or baby), but also coping strategies. Coping strategies included couple outdoor walks, drawing on spousal and family support, faith/religiosity, focusing on adaptation rather than challenges, and viewing increased time together due to working from home during the pandemic as an opportunity to grow closer as a couple. Implications: Coping strategies identified by couples who were pregnant during the Covid-19 pandemic may help couples undergoing diverse stressors, as well as having the potential to help couples who are pregnant during the current context of ongoing Covid-19 changes. Research findings also have implications for public policy.
