Women's experience of continuity of midwifery care in North-Eastern Italy: A qualitative study

Introduction: The establishment of a maternity path is often hampered by the fragmentation of care processes resulting in discontinuity of care. The interruption of continuity of care negatively affects the experience of maternity. The purpose of this research is to analyze the experience of women who get midwifery continuity of care from pregnancy till after childbirth. Methods: A qualitative study using a phenomenological-grounded approach was undertaken. Audio-recorded semi-structured interviews were taken from 11 pregnant women who received midwifery care during maternity. This research was carried out between March 2020 and February 2021. Results: Continuous and quality care is what allows women to develop new skills, increasing awareness and confidence in themselves and in their abilities both during pregnancy and after delivery. Assistance provided by competent professionals allows women to be taken in charge globally with greater personalization of care.Since the research was carried out during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the repercussions that the situation had on women during maternity were also experienced negatively, such as the interruption of continuity of care or the inability to choose whom to have next to. Conclusions: From the perspective of prevention and protection of maternal and child health, in the short- and long-term, it becomes essential to focus on developing maternal competencies. This may be possible by implementing midwifery continuity of care pathways with an appropriate and flexible organizational system capable of responding to women's needs throughout the maternity journey, even during periods of a health emergency.