Data collection occurred over four months in 2021. There were 182 participants that accessed the survey. Six were under 18 years of age, and five were above the age of 45 years, so skip logic sent them to the end of the survey. A further, 21 women consented but did not answer sufficient questions, all of whom were also removed. Analysis was conducted on 142 completed surveys.
The demographic details of the participants are shown in Table
1 of the supplementary file. Of the 142 respondents, approximately half (49%) were currently pregnant, and most of these (62%) were 25–36 weeks pregnant. Most participants (77%) were multiparous, and most (68%) were aged between 25 and 34 years of age. Most respondents identified as being born in Australia (71%), with English as the primary language spoken at home (91%). Women were mainly well educated, with 56% having completed a university degree. All participants had regular access to the internet either via home modem or their mobile phones or tablets.
Podcast and online discussion group usage
The podcasts listened to and participation on online discussion groups as well as how and why they were used is shown on Table
7 of the supplementary file. There were 53 women that listened to podcast or engaged in online discussion groups in their pregnancy. ‘Australian birth stories’ was ranked highest with n = 26 women listening to it, followed by ‘Baby and beyond’ (n = 9), and ‘HelloBump’ (n = 8). Nearly half (n = 29) listened to pregnancy related podcasts daily. Most of the women were not concerned with where the information came from for the podcast content.
Women who engaged with pregnancy related online discussion groups (n = 40), were reading about what other people posted (n = 36) or posted about their own experiences (n = 21). Some felt comfortable posting questions (n = 24), whilst others gave advice to others (n = 15). participation in discussion groups were every month or so (n = 11), only once or twice (n = 9), or every week or so (n = 8).
Qualitative data
Content analyses was conducted on the open text questions, and two main themes were constructed; ‘social connection and support’, and ‘information seeking and providing’. Within these two themes there are five sub-themes.
Social connection and support
Most women described using digital media in pregnancy to connect with others, primarily as a form of peer support and for social support and reassurance from family and friends.
Seeking peer support
Most women described digital media as a means of connection with others as it allowed them to normalise their experience in pregnancy. For example, one woman said, ‘it gave me peace of mind that my situation was somewhat normal’. Given the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, peer support allowed respondents to feel connected when they did not have any other social interactions. One woman explained, ‘Being pregnant during COVID was hard, there wasn’t really any other way to get support.’ Similarly, another wrote, ‘Isolation, no face-to-face support groups’, and another, ‘I was pregnant during the lockdown, so it helped me feel supported by other mums.’
Many women felt that digital media was an opportunity to establish connections with other pregnant women. For example, one woman wrote, ‘[they] allowed me to join support groups for other expectant mothers due around the same time, allowing for advice and information to be shared’. For one woman, ‘I was looking for women to connect with who were experiencing the same things … I’ve made some lifelong friends in all of them’.
However, for a few respondents, connecting with other women was a negative experience, and they removed themselves from the digital media. One participant explained,
I actually ended up removing myself from groups on Facebook that connected me to other mums, as it just made me too anxious with all that could go wrong, and the ‘negative Nancy’ comments. [I] Felt a lot better once I removed [myself].
While another expressed, ‘sometimes it feels as though people want to share their horror stories more than provide helpful information’.
Connecting with family and friends
Most women felt that digital media gave them the platform to update family and friends on their pregnancy and birth announcements. For example, ‘Updating family and friends, following experts to get updates from them’, and another wrote, ‘I was also able to connect with family and friends and keep everyone updated on my pregnancy’, and ‘Sharing with friends and family birth announcement’.
Digital media was for some women it is especially important due to distance. One woman wrote, ‘to connect to others like my family who is far away for them to experience my pregnancy’ and another, ‘connect with family overseas’. However, some expressed that they have ‘very few friends with babies’ and ‘didn’t want to feel alone’ as a reason to ‘finding other mums to be, making friends online and being there throughout our pregnancies’.
Most women identified how using digital media in pregnancy provided them
‘ease of access’ and ‘
accessibility, [that was] not invasive, informative and flexible’. One woman described how pregnancy information would
‘pop up’ in her digital media as a result of the searches she had done:
Nice to see Instagram posts pop up in my search feed, and I could read mum blogs/posts. I don’t rely on Instagram for actual pregnancy information (I would always speak to my midwife team for actual information). I understand that a lot of information given on social media is not fact checked/may not be accurate.
Some women felt the need for pregnancy information specifically tailored to their needs, such as, ‘As a type 1 diabetic, it was good to be a part of a Facebook page run by a midwife/endo nurse and someone I trust. I know her off digital also’. Similarly, others wrote, ‘to chat with people sharing similar pregnancy issues (hyperemesis and placenta previa)’, and ‘managing pregnancy issues, such as heartburn, haemorrhoids, restless legs, nausea.’
Some women expressed the importance of having access to information provided by healthcare professionals. One woman explained, ‘information provided by the midwife was good as she gave facts and opinions without trying to push any views or scare people listening’. Another woman explained, ‘I follow some really great evidence-based health professionals who share invaluable information (e.g., Birth with Beth, Physio Laura)’ and another wrote, ‘I happened to find some great health professionals on Instagram and valued the evidence-based information they generously shared’.
The infrequent antenatal visits, especially due to the COVID pandemic, appeared to influence the participants digital media use. One woman wrote, ‘During COVID, didn’t have as much access to health professionals’, and another, ‘It was great to have the information at my fingertips as the midwife appointments were not regular to ask questions.’ This was common, as one woman explained, ‘Limited face-to-face appointments due to COVID’.
For one of the women, she ‘needed more information and felt compelled to immerse myself in content related to what I was going through’, while another felt the need for ‘up to date information as opposed to older content published in print and books.’ Most women expressed ‘wanting to learn more about my pregnancy’, with one explaining, ‘Everything is digital now. It’s how we collect information and view things. I read some books, but it’s helpful to see visually what to expect’, demonstrating how they were turning to digital media as a source of information.
However, some expressed concerns about the information found through digital media. Reliability was raised, with one woman writing, ‘I want to be able to understand what reliable research has been done about various decisions I have to make, so I can make informed decisions. But so much info online is overly defensive/fearmongering/not supported by any rationale’. Similarly, another woman wrote, ‘Video blogs [were the] only way of education, so were great to a point. Again, [they] got too deep and started to make us feel more panicked about what could go wrong, so I stopped watching’.
Contributing for others - a sense of giving back
Some women felt that digital media allowed them to share their own experiences as well as ask questions. One woman wrote, ‘[to have] Ongoing discussions that were relating to pregnancy that I could join in and contribute to and ask follow-up questions’, and another, ‘I really just used Facebook to make jokes about all the weird changes my body was going through and if other mums experienced these things’.
Reassurance from hearing other peoples’ experiences
Listening to other people’s experiences encouraged positive emotions in most women. One woman explained, ‘So inspiring listening to other incredible women’s birthing experiences, helped put me in a positive headspace prior to birthing’, and similarly, ‘I love listening to other women’s birth stories. it helped me enjoy my pregnancy and prepare for my homebirth.’ Sharing experiences was soothing for some women, ‘Listening to others’ experiences helped put my mind at ease’, and ‘I read and watched so many births before going into labour to help get me in a good headspace.’
Hearing other women’s stories allowed participants to gain knowledge for their decision -making. One woman explained, ‘exposure to more stories and resources made me feel more prepared for the possibilities of labour/birth and education is the key to making informed choices’, and similarly, ‘…decision to try for a VBAC [vaginal birth after caesarean]’, and ‘exploring different perspective relating to birth. Making sure I was able to experience a feminist pregnancy in which I was fully empowered about the choices I was making’.