Page No , , 439-452
Amala Sudarsan, Ruth Angiel Padiri, and V. Vithya
Central University of Tamil Nadu
Pregnancy and childbirth trigger many transformations, demanding adaptations in
physicality, identity, relationships, and careers. These multifaceted adjustments
inherently introduce stress among women. The complexities of these transitions can
be exacerbated during a pandemic. Within this context, the present study encapsulates
the experiences of women who encountered COVID-19 during their pregnancy. Its
objective is to analyze these women’s challenges comprehensively and elucidate the
strategies they employed to overcome these obstacles. A purposive sampling technique
was used to collect data from a sample of 10 women who suffered from Covid-19 during
their pregnancy. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview schedule and
analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The study analysis
brought forth the themes that described participants’ experiences of pregnancy during
the pandemic. The main themes identified from the analysis of the subjects’ experiences
include the major challenges caused by Covid-19, the impact on mental health, and
ways of coping. Under each of these super-ordinate themes, further sub-ordinate themes
were identified and explained. A broad discussion of these themes resulted in a better
understanding of the pertaining issues, highlighting these women’s experiences and
the ways by which they coped