Women’s experiences with being pregnant and becoming a new mother during the COVID-19 pandemic

•Little is known about how Belgian women experienced the perinatal period during the pandemic.•It is confirmed that the quarantine affected pregnant women’s mental health.•Women experienced a multiplicity of feelings in the perinatal period during the pandemic.•Some of the changes during the pandemic were experienced positively by many.•Our findings can support the maternity care organisation in the post pandemic era.