Perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pregnancy and childbirth experiences of Nigerian women

Background/Aims The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted maternal and child health services in Nigeria as a result of the lockdown that restricted women's access to antenatal and postpartum healthcare centres, potentially worsening maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate women's perinatal experiences during the pandemic in Lagos, Nigeria, focusing on their views of healthcare support, concerns about changes to perinatal care and the impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. Methods This cross-sectional study explored the perinatal experiences of a convenience sample of 133 women who were either pregnant or ≤6 months postpartum. Data were collected using a modified version of the Coronavirus Perinatal Experiences Impact Survey tool and analysed using Chi-squared tests. Results Around half (56.4%) of the participants felt very well supported during the pandemic and reported that either the event did not impact their birth (25.6%) or that there was no change specifically to the support they received (28.6%). The most common change reported as a result of the pandemic was to antenatal care (49.2%). The majority (71.4%) of participants were concerned about future changes to their care, with many expressing moderate (47.4%) or high concern (24.1%). Most participants felt that information about how to reduce stress was very important during the pandemic (69.9%), with 21.1% of participants involved in an online support group and 43.6% interested in joining in the future. Conclusions This study highlights that there was a need for tailored interventions for perinatal women during the COVID-19 pandemic and that there was increasing interest in online support groups among Nigerian women to address perinatal needs and reduce maternal mental distress. Implications for practice Maternity care systems need to integrate tailored mental health support and strengthen provider–patient communication to better address the emotional and psychological needs of perinatal women, especially during crisis. Growing engagement with online support groups presents a promising avenue for expanding accessible, community-driven support that can help mitigate maternal distress and improve overall wellbeing.