The impact of COVID-19 disease on maternal and neonatal outcomes among birthing women in Jordan

Background Pregnant women are considered among the vulnerable groups affected by COVID-19. In addition to the direct effect on maternal health, COVID-19 adversely affects neonatal outcomes. Purpose To explore the impact of COVID-19 on maternal and neonatal outcomes among birthing women in Jordan. Method A descriptive comparative retrospective design was used. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from 140 conveniently selected women admitted to a large governmental hospital in central Jordan. The participants' data files contained data about the birth outcomes. Result The results showed that rates of fetal distress incidence as a reason for emergency cesarean X2 (1, N = 140) = 9.46, p = 0.002, and the need to use electronic fetal heart rate monitoring X2 (1, N = 140) = 6.87, p = 0.009 were higher in mothers infected with COVID-19. The non-infected group reported higher use of analgesics during labor X2 (1, N = 140) = 5.42, p = 0.02, episiotomy occurrence X2 (1, N = 140) = 36.96, p = 0.001, incidence of any laceration during labor X2 (1, N = 140) = 38.60, p = 0.001 and gestational age F (1, 8.926) = 0.003, P < 0.05. Conclusions This study indicated that COVID-19 could lead to significant adverse outcomes for pregnant women. It also emphasized the need for more understanding of the implications for newborns born to women infected with COVID-19. Outcomes could serve as a baseline for future studies exploring the effect of COVID-19 on maternal and neonatal outcomes among birthing women.