2020 Rainmaker Readiness - Pregnant During the Pandemic: Does Midwifery Continuity-of-Care Buffer the Effects of COVID-19-related Stress on the Wellbeing of Mothers and Babies?

The current study aims to investigate whether greater continuity of midwifery care during pregnancy and early postpartum may protect women and their babies from more adverse outcomes following exposure to the COVID-19 pandemic during pregnancy, including breastfeeding rates, postnatal maternal anxiety and depression at 2 and 6 months, and infant neurodevelopment and temperament at 6 months postpartum. A qualitative sub-study will use in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of pregnancy and birth during the pandemic with First Nations women and women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD), with the aim of identifying the models and qualities of midwifery care or social support that may most effectively minimise distress of pregnant and birthing women in these communities during times of crisis.