The experience of fathers during the covid-19 UK maternity care restrictions
Kathryn Andrews1, Susan Ayers2, Louise R Williams2
1Community Midwives, Women's Health, University College Hospital, 2nd floor North, 250 Euston Road, London, NW1 2PG.
Insights
COVID-19 maternity restrictions in the UK negatively impacted fathers, causing isolation and affecting initial father-baby bonding. However, pandemic-related lifestyle changes ultimately fostered stronger long-term family relationships.
Area of Science:
- Maternal and Child Health
- Sociology of Health
- Psychology
Background:
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, UK fathers faced exclusion from maternity care due to transmission reduction measures.
- This exclusion impacted fathers' experiences and their developing relationships with their newborns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences of fathers whose babies were born during pandemic-related UK maternity restrictions.
- To understand the effects of these restrictions on fathers and their relationship with their baby.
Main Methods:
- A qualitative interview study was conducted with 20 fathers in the UK who had babies born after March 23, 2020.
- Semi-structured interviews were performed remotely, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.
Main Results:
- Fathers reported negative experiences, including isolation, loss, and disconnection from pregnancy due to exclusion.
- Restrictions adversely affected initial father-baby bonding and maternal mental health.
- However, changes in daily living during the pandemic facilitated profound family relationship building and improved long-term father-baby bonding.
Conclusions:
- Pandemic-related maternity restrictions had undesirable consequences for fathers and birth partners.
- Findings highlight the importance of including fathers in maternity care for enhanced parental well-being and infant bonding.
- These concerns may be globally relevant due to widespread maternity care restrictions.
Objective:
During the COVID-19 pandemic fathers in the UK were excluded from many aspects of maternity care to reduce escalating transmission rates. This study explores the experiences of fathers who had a baby during the pandemic to understand what effect these maternity restrictions had on them and their relationship to the baby.
Design:
A qualitative interview study of the experiences of fathers whose baby was born during the pandemic-related UK maternity restrictions.
Participants And Setting:
Non-probability voluntary response sampling of 20 fathers: including 13 primiparous fathers and 7 multiparous fathers. Eligibility criteria were that fathers lived in the UK and had a baby born on or after the 23rd March 2020; the start of the most severe COVID-19 maternity restrictions. Participants were interviewed remotely via telephone using semi-structured interviews which were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings:
Four themes, including ten sub-themes, were identified that described fathers' experiences of the maternity restrictions and the father-baby relationship. The themes were: (1) The impact on paternal experience: this theme describes a collective negative paternal maternity experience as a result of the restrictions. Notably, father exclusion produced feelings of isolation and a sense of loss, along with a disconnection from the pregnancy. (2) The impact on the father-baby relationship: this theme discusses the adverse consequence of the restrictions on initial father-baby bonding. (3) Observed impact on mothers: the observed detrimental impact that excluding fathers had on maternal mental health and well-being. Finally, (4) Fatherhood in the 'new normal': the change of daily living during the pandemic aided profound family relationship building, improving long-term father-baby bonding, compared to pre-pandemic conditions.
Key Conclusions:
The findings provide evidence of undesirable consequences the pandemic-related UK maternity restrictions had on birth partners. With restrictions to maternity care implemented across the globe, these concerns may be applicable at an international scale.
Implications For Practice:
This study adds to other contemporary literature on this subject and can inform discussion among maternity services of the importance of including fathers for improved parental well-being and initial infant bonding.
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