Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Faculty of member, Department of Midwifery, School of Public Health, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
3
Associate Professor, Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
10.22034/hp.2026.588634.1087
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted maternity care and amplified psychological distress among pregnant women. Those diagnosed with COVID-19 faced intensified worries about their own health, fetal wellbeing, and loss of support. This study aimed to explore the lived experience of fear of maternal and fetal loss in pregnant women with COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological study, based on van Manen’s methodology, was conducted in Mashhad, Iran. The study involved 14 pregnant women in the second or third trimester who had laboratory-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19. Participants were recruited purposively, and data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted face to face or online until data saturation was achieved. Data were analyzed using van Manen’s phenomenological approach with MAXQDA software (version 20).
Results: Analysis produced three main themes: (1) Dread of infection and the looming threat of loss; (2) Burden of care—reduced support and compromised self-care; and (3) Psychological disruption and existential rupture. Participants reported pervasive anxiety about fetal viability and maternal deterioration, recurrent fear of infecting family, and heightened vigilance about pregnancy outcomes. Enforced isolation, caregiving strain, interpersonal conflict, and guilt amplified helplessness, exhaustion, sleep disturbance, and depressive symptoms. Perceived healthcare inadequacies and limited access intensified distress and deepened uncertainty about pregnancy and childbirth.
Conclusion: COVID-19 in pregnancy was a multifaceted crisis—persistent fear of maternal and fetal loss, uncertainty, reduced support, isolation, caregiving burden, and severe psychological distress. Perceived healthcare inadequacies eroded trust. Maternity care during infectious outbreaks must complement clinical monitoring with proactive psychosocial measures: telehealth education, virtual counseling, continuity of obstetric/midwifery support, and targeted outreach to reduce isolation and restore trust.
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