“I feel more protective over my body:” A brief report on pregnant women’s embodied experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

• DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.06.007
• Publication Date: 2022-06-16T09:17:05Z
• Authors: Erin Nolen; Jaclyn A. Siegel; Madeleine Pownall; Catherine Talbot; Charlotte Dann
• Keywords: Pandemic; 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the experiences of pregnant people. For example, disrupted access to healthcare, social distancing reduced support, and vaccine rollout led safety concerns. Consistent with Developmental Theory Embodiment, which posits that our bodies are influenced by factors, studies have revealed an uptick in body dissatisfaction disordered eating during this time. However, research on people's their image been largely overlooked. In exploratory qualitative study, we aimed broadly understand how quarantine impacted way women (N = 190) US UK relate bodies. We used Consensual Qualitative Research-Modified (CQR-M) analyze women's brief textual accounts embodied identified eight core domains across dataset. Some participants reported no change experiences, whereas others appearance weight concerns, health behavior self-judgment, gratitude for isolation, appreciation, maternal healthcare COVID strategies. conclude implications recommendations supporting people well-being crises.