Mothers and mothers-to-be anxious during pandemic, finds Tommy’s survey

on 04 January 2021 North East

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused anxiety amongst mothers and mothers-to-be according to a recent survey by UK pregnancy charity Tommy’s, with some feeling anxious due to hearing and reading misconceptions about pregnancy and birth.

Out of the 1,000 women who responded, around half of mothers-to-be or women who recently gave birth are feeling anxious, with over three quarters saying the COVID-19 pandemic had increased their anxiety.

The study also found that the majority of respondents heard wide misconceptions and false information about pregnancy and birth during the pandemic.

65% of women said they has encountered the myth “you can eat for two” and over half had heard “a little bit of alcohol will be fine”, with 1 in 4 saying they heard “baby movements are meant to slow down.”

Tommy’s has warned that these falsehoods could endanger mothers and their babies if believed.

Featured in the The Guardian, new mother Rachel said: “I didn’t know what to do because I’ve never been through this before – and, even if I had , Covid changed everything; I couldn’t just go to see my midwife, I hardly saw any professionals until I was close to giving birth, but I didn’t want to be a burden calling up with my concerns when the NHS was in crisis.”

In this study, 7 out of 10 women felt overwhelmed during pregnancy or during the early stages of motherhood, with 14% said they found it difficult.

Tommy’s Midwifery Manager, Kate Marsh, said: “Knowledge is power – and when it comes to pregnancy, feeling confident you have everything you need to do the right thing for you and your baby is important – but there is such a thing as too much information, which can leave mums-to-be anxious and overwhelmed.”