Published Paper Details:

Covid-19 pandemic has caused unimaginable human suffering leading to tragic losses of human lives all over the World. It has left many people with the unprecedented challenges and fear of what could come next. When Covid hit Pune, India in the month of March 2021, the country was unprepared. Unfortunately nursing mothers were not spared by the virus. The pain mothers with young ones experienced is untold. Limited studies have been conducted on the experiences of nursing mothers who suffered from Covid. This study used the interactive theory of breastfeeding and Transcendental Phenomenology as a methodology to understand the experiences of nursing mothers affected by Covid. Purposeful sampling was used to select 3 nursing mothers who suffered with covid as participants of the study. The data was collected through in-depth interviews and analysed using thematic analysis based on the universal structure framework of Moustakas (1994). The themes that emerged indicated that the participants went through fear and anxiety, social isolation, spiritual growth and community support. The study suggests that nursing mothers should develop coping skills to reduce fear and anxiety during difficult times. Additionally, webinars on mental health for nursing mothers will be helpful in coping with fear and anxiety.