Dr. Eithne N? Longphuirt:

We spoke earlier about the importance of control for women and their sense of efficacy when they go into services. Some of the more qualitative research on the pandemic has talked about uncertainty and the impact that has had on women, that is, uncertainty about what services would be provided for them; whether they would be lucky to see a month where restrictions had been lifted; whether restrictions would be lifted in the hospital they were to be in; and whether their partner would be able to come in and for how long. Such uncertainty has had a considerable impact on women.

As people who provide a service, we have seen a much higher influx of postnatal women accessing our services, many of whom will say they do not leave their house except to come to the service or that it is their first time and their beginning. It happens less than it did a year ago but it absolutely happens.

We talked about infant mental health. There are women who worry about their infants and whether the lack of community involvement in those first few years has had an impact on their two- or three-year-old. It can be very hard to decipher whether it has had an impact and what we are looking at. People need support. There has been a considerable increase in anxiety. International papers say that the levels of perinatal anxiety have gone up because of Covid.