Loneliness, anxiety and fear of the unknown. That’s how many mothers have felt as they prepare to give birth during the pandemic – making the support and care of a midwife more important than ever.

“With the limited visitors that women could have present at the birth, as a midwife you really do become everything to your patient – which you often do anyway, to be fair – but forming those connections quickly has been even more paramount during this pandemic”, said Sarah Smith* a hospital-based midwife in NSW.

In reality, the profound impact of COVID-19 on mothers-to-be is set in motion long before a woman’s due date.

“First and foremost, many people would agree with this, the face-to-face opportunities have been limited due to COVID and it’s obviously a challenge as a profession to balance the risk on what was a bit unknown at the start about the virus, and the need to protect frontline workers”, Ms Smith told HealthTimes.

“But with these limited face to face opportunities, particularly during that critical antenatal period, this has really had an impact on women’s education and support through that time, and it’s been really sad to see.”

“And certainly, we then see the knock-on effects of that in the birthing experience, where women just haven’t had that level of support and education."

“So, you’re faced a lot with that in the birthing environment and it can add to that fear of the unknown”, Ms Smith said.

“Limiting the involvement of partners and fathers has been terribly sad. They’ve been unable to share that journey with their partner, the mother of their child, and that’s added to the anxiety of the birthing and early parenting period.”

Melanie Jackson, a private midwife who helps women in Greater Western Sydney give birth at home, said the anxiety around the pandemic and the possibility of giving birth without their partner has led many more women to seek a home birth.

“We have definitely felt the impact and have received so many more queries from women who are feeling frightened and are rushing around trying to find a private midwife so they can give birth at home instead", she told HealthTimes. 

“But the problem is, we’re often booked well in advance. Women book in when they’re 8 weeks pregnant, so when a  woman calls even at 20 weeks pregnant, we’re pretty booked out. So we can’t really take those women, unfortunately.”

“By far, the biggest fear for us has always been that an even stricter lockdown would happen and limit a woman to taking only one person into hospital with them. If they need to be transferred into hospital, that would mean they may not be able to take their private midwife with them.”

Ms Jackson said that generally, the implications of COVID-19 have been less disruptive for her patients.

“My clients wouldn’t have felt the same impact as women giving birth in hospitals.”

“I’ve still been seeing women for antenatal care, whereas some hospitals had to really limit the amount of face to face care that they provide.”

“Working with women in the home, we go through all of the necessary screening questions, and I answer the same questions in return – have I been unwell, have I been travelling – so we’re checking in with each other regularly to make sure that we’re well.”

“And we’re social distancing – as much as we can when someone is having a baby!”, Ms Jackson said.

As a hospital-based midwife, Ms Smith says she has adjusted to working as a midwife on the frontline of a global pandemic – it just took a little time.

“At the beginning of the pandemic 18 months ago, it was scary. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t frightened, seeing what was happening globally and the huge impact on frontline workers, especially given how long midwives spend with patients in hospitals.”

“But as many other healthcare workers would say, when you get to work, you put that aside and you just get on with it, and you realise that people are needing you more than ever and you throw yourself into it", Ms Smith explained. 

“Other than the fear that you were going to get unwell and that you were going to bring home the virus to your family – I have young children and a husband – being at work, connecting with women and colleagues during a worrying time actually made me feel very fortunate in some way."

“I was grateful to have the connection with others that so many people weren’t able to have", she said. 

“Apart from getting used to wearing the masks all day and the extra protocols that were in place, it then started to feel like every other day."

“I’m there to support women through the biggest life-changing event – becoming mothers – and that never changes, that’s still important, no matter what else might be going on.”

*Name changed to protect the privacy of the midwife