Did everyone change their childbirth plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic? A web-based cross-sectional survey of Polish pregnant women

Background and Aim: With the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus, a significant impact has been observed on the functioning of healthcare systems and the process of childbirth. Women probably did not even have a choice to adjust their plans accordingly to the current situation. The aim of the study was to examine how the outbreak of the SARS CoV-2 pandemic state affected the decisions of pregnant women about their childbirth plan.Design: This cross-sectional study was performed using a web-based survey published on social media in Poland.Methods: The cross-sectional study was performed using web-based questionnaires. The study group included Polish women who changed their childbirth plans, compared to a group of women not sure about delivery plan change and those whose plans had not changed. The data were collected from 4 March 2020 to 2 May 2020, when the first rising count of new infections was observed in Poland and worldwide. Statistical analysis was performed using STATISTICA Software, Inc., 13.3 (2020).Results: Of 969 women who completed the questionnaire and were enrolled into the study, 57.2% had not changed their childbirth plans (group I), 28.4% had changed their plans (group II), and 14.4% of respondents answered "not sure " to this question (group III). The majority of women changed their birth plans during the pandemic because of the potential absence of their partner during labour (56% of women who had changed their plans and 48% of those whose answer was "I am not sure ", p < .001). Another reason was the fear of separation from the child after delivery (33% of women who had changed their plans and 30% of those whose answer was "I am not sure ", p < .001).Conclusion: Restrictions due to the COVID-19 outbreak have influenced the childbirth plans of pregnant women. The changes were independent of women's vision of birth before the pandemic.Impact: The restriction on births with accompanying person and the risk of separation from their infant after childbirth significantly influenced the decision-making process. As a result, some women were more likely to opt for a home birth with or even without medical assistance.Patient or Public Contribution: The study participants were women who were pregnant at the time of completing the questionnaire, were over 18 years old and spoke Polish.