Characteristics of the study participants, n=5210
| Pregnant (n=3411) | Postpartum (n=1799) | |
| n (%) | n (%) | |
| Sociodemographic characteristics | ||
| Country | ||
| Norway | 2376 (69.7) | 1113 (61.9) |
| Belgium | 360 (10.5) | 235 (13.0) |
| UK | 290 (8.5) | 120 (6.7) |
| Switzerland | 210 (6.2) | 176 (9.8) |
| Netherlands | 175 (5.1) | 155 (8.6) |
| Maternal age (years) | ||
| 18–30 | 1374 (40.3) | 675 (37.5) |
| 31–40 | 1707 (50.0) | 897 (49.9) |
| >40 | 68 (2.0) | 44 (2.4) |
| Relationship status | ||
| Married/cohabiting/ partner | 3092 (90.6) | 1595 (88.6) |
| Single | 57 (1.7) | 21 (1.2) |
| Professional status | ||
| Professionally active | 2799 (82.1) | 1430 (79.5) |
| Not professionally active | 348 (10.2) | 176 (9.8) |
| Education level | ||
| Low | 73 (2.1) | 34 (1.9) |
| Medium | 540 (15.8) | 290 (16.1) |
| High | 2516 (73.8) | 1279 (71.1) |
| Healthcare worker | ||
| Yes | 906 (26.6) | 486 (27.0) |
| No | 1879 (55.1) | 947 (52.6) |
| Smoking in pregnancy/post partum | ||
| Yes | 43 (1.3) | 31 (1.7) |
| No | 3106 (91.0) | 1585 (88.1) |
| COVID-19 characteristics | ||
| COVID-19 status* | ||
| Positive test | 163 (4.8) | 100 (5.6) |
| Symptomatic† | 224 (6.6) | 159 (8.8) |
| None | 2957 (86.7) | 1501 (83.4) |
| Severity of the infection | ||
| No or mild symptoms | 128 (3.8) | 97 (5.4) |
| Moderate symptoms | 185 (5.4) | 72 (4.0) |
| Hospitalised/long-term symptoms | 70 (2.1) | 31 (1.7) |
| Family member infected with COVID-19 | ||
| Yes | 520 (15.2) | 352 (19.6) |
| No | 2820 (82.7) | 1406 (78.1) |
| Health and reproductive characteristics | ||
| Pre-existing mental illness | ||
| Depression | 60 (1.8) | 19 (1.1) |
| Anxiety | 49 (1.4) | 26 (1.4) |
| Chronic somatic illness | ||
| Asthma | 195 (5.7) | 74 (4.1) |
| Allergy | 634 (18.6) | 230 (12.8) |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 44 (1.3) | 46 (2.6) |
| Diabetes | 33 (1.0) | 27 (1.5) |
| Epilepsy | 17 (0.5) | 0 (0.0) |
| Hypothyroidism | 157 (4.6) | 24 (1.3) |
| Other‡ | 343 (10.1) | 146 (8.1) |
| Parity§ | ||
| Nulliparous | 87 (5.2) | N/A |
| Multiparous | 1580 (94.8) | N/A |
| Infant age | ||
| ≤6 weeks | N/A | 674 (37.4) |
| 6–12 weeks | N/A | 1102 (61.3) |
| Planned pregnancy | ||
| Yes | 2673 (78.3) | N/A |
| No | 208 (6.1) | N/A |
| No, but it was not unexpected | 465 (13.6) | N/A |
| Gestational trimester | ||
| First trimester (<14 weeks) | 393 (11.5) | N/A |
| Second trimester (14 to <28 weeks) | 1151 (33.7) | N/A |
| Third trimester (28 weeks to end of pregnancy) | 1802 (52.8) | N/A |
| Currently breast feeding¶ | ||
| Yes | N/A | 1604 (89.1) |
| No | N/A | 172 (9.6) |
| Previous breastfeeding experience | ||
| Yes | N/A | 660 (36.7) |
| No | N/A | 942 (52.4) |
Numbers may not add up due to missing values; missing values for pregnant women: maternal age, relationship status and smoking in pregnancy, n=262 (7.7%), professional status, n=264 (7.7%), education level, n=282 (8.3%), healthcare worker, n=626 (18.4), COVID-19 status, n=66 (1.9%) and family member infected with COVID-19, n=71 (2.0%), severity of the infection, n≤5, planned pregnancy and gestational trimester, n=65 (2.0%). Missing values for postpartum women: maternal age, relationship status and smoking in postpartum, n=183 (10.2%), professional status, n=193 (10.7%), education level, n=196 (11.0%), healthcare worker, n=366 (20.3), COVID-19 status, n=39 (2.2%), severity of the infection, n=59 (3.7%), family member infected with COVID-19, n=41 (2.3%), infant age and currently breast feeding, n=23 (1.3%), previous breastfeeding experience, n=197 (10.9%).
*Refers to COVID-19 status since the start of the pandemic (not limited to pregnancy or post partum).
†Refers to negative test, but presence of symptoms.
‡Others include rheumatic illness, inflammatory bowel disease and other diseases.
§Applicable to women who have been pregnant before, n=1667.
¶Refers to breast feeding at the time of survey completion.
N/A, not applicable.