Evaluation of the birth experience in correlation with obstetric violence and fear of COVID-19: initial period of the pandemic (Atena Editora)

Abstract

The changes brought about by the pandemic have decisively affected the health sector, including childbirth care. The lack of knowledge about the disease and the potential risks to the mother and baby after contamination with the COVID-19 virus permeated the population's imagination. Pregnant women were the last population to be included in general among those considered at risk for contracting the disease, and this fact occurred after the death of some pregnant and puerperal women. Among other facts, it was evidenced that the impediments to the presence of companions were impacted by racial bias, even though this is a right guaranteed by law. In this context, tools used to assess the birth experience, fear of COVID-19 and childbirth assistance were even more relevant. Objectives: The present study aimed to know the perception of postpartum women in the center of southern Bahia about the care received during childbirth in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we sought to correlate the quality of the birth experience, the fear of covid and the quality of obstetric care received. Methods: Three instruments were used to evaluate care: the CEB2-BR, an assessment scale on the fear of COVID-19, and the Childbirth Violence Assessment Questionnaire. A descriptive and correlational analysis of Spearman's was performed and the Student's t-test was applied to verify significant variations between groups. Results: Significant correlations were found between some variables. General fear and anxiety; feeling threatened and general fear; negative memories of childbirth and general fear; general insecurity and fear; need for greater listening and general fear; satisfaction with the information received and less general fear; possibility of choosing analgesia and satisfaction with the birth experience; safety and satisfaction with the birth experience. Conclusion: The experience of childbirth needs to be a moment of protagonism of the mother-baby dyad, but this aspect was not prioritized by the care teams during the critical period of the 1st year of the pandemic. Self-confidence, self-control, emotional balance, security, and adequate support are directly related to positive birth experiences. More research investigating the type of care provided during childbirth, the experience of childbirth, and women's mental health, is notably needed.