Childbirth experience and practice changing during COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Aim: To evaluate mothers’ satisfaction with childbirth experience in a cohort of women who delivered during COVID pandemia and to compare them to a pre-COVID cohort. Design: We performed a cross-sectional study in a low-risk Maternity Unit. Methods: Women who delivered during COVID-19 pandemic were compared to a pre-COVID cohort recruited in 2018 in the same setting. Italian version of the Birth Satisfaction Scale-Revised (I-BSS-R) was used. Results: Three hundred and seventy-seven women were included (277 pre-COVID and 100 during COVID pandemic). No differences in terms of satisfaction at birth were reported (I-BSS-R mean 27.0, SD 5.3 versus mean 27.6, SD 6.1, p 0.34), despite an increased rate of active intrapartum interventions. Intrapartum variables that significantly reduced satisfaction were the same in the two groups: epidural analgesia (p <.0001 in both groups), prolonged active phases (p <.0001 in both), oxytocin administration (p <.0001 in both) and operative delivery (p 0.0009 versus p 0.0019).