A Qualitative Study of Postpartum Women's Lived Experiences During COVID-19

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the state of Florida became the epicenter of the COVID-19 delta variant during the summer of 2021. There is limited knowledge on how the pandemic impacted postpartum women's lived experiences in the United States. The purpose of the study was to explore the lived experiences of postpartum women living in South Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic and their responses.

A descriptive qualitative study design was used. Study participants included 26 postpartum women living in South Florida who had given birth to a live newborn from March 2020 to May 2022. We used purposeful sampling and social media recruitment methods. Sociodemographic information was collected using REDCap, and live face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted on Webex using a semistructured questionnaire. Content analysis was used to analyze the research data and develop themes and subthemes.

The first central theme, raising an infant during a pandemic, included 3 subthemes: (1) protecting the infant, (2) feeling isolated, and (3) food for thought. The second central theme, maternal needs during a pandemic, included 3 subthemes: (1) mental health needs, (2) support needs, and (3) health care needs.

Findings suggest women experienced significant challenges in caring for themselves and their infants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings highlight the need for policy reform that secures comprehensive and quality postpartum health care for women that includes mental health screenings.