‘I just had to park up at the hospital and leave her’: A retrospective interview study of pregnancy, birth and parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions

Lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on many aspects of people's lives. In the UK, evidence showed higher rates of stress and depression among parents during restrictions. Disruption to early years education affected preschoolers' language and cognitive development, and associations between parental health and child behaviour were apparent. The longer-term consequences on infants born during the pandemic restrictions, who are now approaching school age, are not yet known. This study focused on parents' retrospective reflections of the pandemic, and aimed to explore the longer-term effects of lockdown restrictions on children and families. The study followed a retrospective, qualitative interview design. Recruitment sampling ensured views were gathered from people of different genders, sexual orientations, birth/adoptive status and geographic areas. Seventeen participants were interviewed. Three overarching themes emerged: navigating antenatal and postnatal care alone; difficult decisions when caring for an infant and the long shadow on the family. Major issues which emerged included attending antenatal appointments – and in some cases giving birth – alone; limited postnatal care; disrupted parental leave; changes in employment and strained relationships. In the event of a future pandemic, restrictions should accommodate couples from the same household more pragmatically, and children's developmental checks should not be deprioritised. Finally, as part of post-pandemic provision, in-person antenatal and postnatal care and consistent early years provision remain vital services which must be acknowledged.