The experiences of childbearing women who tested positive to COVID-19 during the pandemic in northern Italy.

Problem: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly challenged maternity provision internationally. COVID-19 positive women are one of the childbearing groups most impacted by the pandemic due to drastic changes to maternity care pathways put in place. Background: Some quantitative research was conducted on clinical characteristics of pregnant women with COVID-19 and pregnant women's concerns and birth expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic, but no qualitative findings on childbearing women's experiences during the pandemic were published prior to our study. Aim: To explore childbearing experiences of COVID-19 positive mothers who gave birth in the months of March and April 2020 in a Northern Italy maternity hospital. Methods: A qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach was undertaken. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 women. Thematic analysis was completed using NVivo software. Ethical approval was obtained from the research site's Ethics Committee prior to commencing the study. Findings: The findings include four main themes: 1) coping with unmet expectations; 2) reacting and adapting to the ‘new ordinary’; 3) ‘pandemic relationships’; 4) sharing a traumatic experience with long-lasting emotional impact. Discussion: The most traumatic elements of women's experiences were the sudden family separation, self-isolation, transfer to a referral centre, the partner not allowed to be present at birth and limited physical contact with the newborn. Conclusion: Key elements of good practice including provision of compassionate care, presence of birth companions and transfer to referral centers only for the most severe COVID-19 cases should be considered when drafting maternity care pathways guidelines in view of future pandemic waves.