Pregnancy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Communicated Narrative Sense-Making and Resilience

Abstract

Grounded in communicated narrative sense-making (CNSM) theory and communication theory of resilience (CTR), the current study investigated how women narratively constructed resilience surrounding pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the adverse effects of stress on pregnant individuals and their babies, it is important to understand the triggers and process of resilience in this context. We interviewed 21 cisgender women who were pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic to solicit their stories of stress and resilience. Findings revealed that pregnant women managed structural, informational, and interpersonal stressors unique to the COVID-19 pandemic. They engaged in re-storying to reconcile the gap between their expected pregnancy, fueled by the U.S. master narrative of pregnancy and birth, and their lived pregnancy during a pandemic. Participants demonstrated narrative resilience through reconnecting, reframing, and recentering. These findings advance theorizing in communicated resilience by centering CNSM as the sense-making process of enacting resilience and recognizing the importance and burden of resilience during pregnancy. Practical applications are explored such as contributing to narrative-informed programming, interventions, and education efforts regarding future health crises.