The effects of not having continuous companion support during labour on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

OBJECTIVE: With the surge of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its associated morbidities and mortalities, continuous companion support during labour was halted in all public hospitals in Hong Kong to prevent the spread of the virus in hospitals. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of not having continuous companion support during labour on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic period in a regional hospital. STUDY DESIGN: We retrieved information on women without continuous companion support during the COVID-19 pandemic period from February 1, 2020 to May 15, 2020 and those with continuous companion support within the same period in 2019 in Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. The pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 446 women with continuous companion support in 2019 and 340 women without continuous companion support in 2020 were included in the analysis. The rate of labour augmentation was significantly lower in women with continuous companion support than in those without continuous companion support (3.1% vs. 6.5%, respectively, p = 0.027). Babies born to women with continuous companion support were less likely to have Apgar scores <7 at 1 min than those born to women without continuous companion support (2.5% vs. 5.3%, respectively, p = 0.036). More women with continuous companion support had breastfeeding at the first hour of delivery than those without (86.3% vs. 80.6%, respectively, p = 0.030). There were no differences in other pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. The subgroup analysis with only Chinese women showed that the pregnancy and neonatal outcomes were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Women without continuous companion support during labour had an increased chance of labour augmentation and babies with an Apgar score <7 at 1 min, and a reduced immediate breastfeeding rate when compared with those with continuous companion support.