Table 2.

Themes identified through interviews with pregnancy.

Theme	Category	*Quotes
1. Measures taken against the pandemic	1.1 Measures Taken Individually	“…. I did not visit anyone… I did not accept anyone much… There were not many people coming and going…. there is no cuddling… I neither went to places where old people were, nor took my children… we really paid attention…. I don't know if it was enough but (P10)”. “…. in terms of hygiene… we pay extra attention. When my wife comes home…. at home… she changes her clothes without touching any place and she sits like that… everything is washed, we take extra care for that… we go out, for example, we take a shower… my child… never wash… I don't let anyone touch anything at home (P9)”.
	1.2. Measures and care taken by healthcare professionals	“… I did not see any deficiencies… they were taken to the ultrasound rooms one by one and they were disinfected one by one at that time… I was pleased… the employees were understanding this by communicating with us… being polite (P8)”. “The hospital was careful about this…family practice center as well…they opened a polyclinic just for pregnant women. They did not take anybody except pregnant women into the room and they left half an hour cleaning interval between the appointments… (P3)”.
	1.3. Expectations related to the pandemic from healthcare professionals	“…they could have given us a little more information about both pregnancy and this COVID… disease, what we should do, what we shouldn't do, so we would be a little more relaxed (P17)”.“ … we do not know where to go and where we should not go… I learn everything from the internet, for example, I ask everything on the internet… it would be good if there was a doctor to consult because there was so much information pollution on the internet.” (P10)
2. Problems Regarding the Antenatal Period during Pandemic	2.1. Decrease in antenatal follow-up frequency or postponing follow-ups	“. I couldn't get an appointment in those troubled days… I constantly stroke my paunch and examined movements… it was okay” (P20). “… my controls… I did not go for a long time, in a period of two or three months… due to the probability of getting infected in the hospital… since I felt the movements of my baby… the doctor recommended me not go to hospital… (P24)”.
	2.2. Problems regarding healthcare service and living area	“There are hundreds of women… not enough doctor… It's not enough for people… they know that the most needed is OB/GYN clinic in hospitals…. The doctor examines a patient in 5 min… You can't talk to your doctor comfortably, he/she says okay, don't talk, he silences you, you are already psychologically collapsed at that moment. You cannot ask the things in your mind and get an answer (P25).” “I went without an appointment. They didn't examine. It was my last week… my baby's movements slowed down for 2 days… We have only one or two obstetricians… There are restrictions between cities, I cannot go. You can even go to Erzurum or Van to be safe. In Van, it is said that COVID-19 is so widespread in Van. So, I'm panicked, I'm afraid, I can't go (P30).”
3. Gestation Period and Change in Social Life	3.1. Maintaining health-protective behaviors during pregnancy	“I started to eat more fruit and vegetables to boost my immune system (P22).” “.. I could not do sports, I could not walk, I could not go out, we could not see a human face… Therefore, I put on weight… I ate more as I stayed at home, I ate and ate all the time… (P12).”
	3.2. Isolation due to the decrease in social life and support systems	“… Since I am a very social person… it was a bit of a problem for me… not being able to leave the house, not being able to do the activities I like at first, and not being able to get together with my friends is a very troublesome process.” (P3) “… we are always at home…Now we could never go out… that's why it was very stressful (P28).”
	3.3. Changes in family processes and disruption of routines	“…Positively affected. He (husband)… presence gave me strength. I did not get bored… We both supported each other (P12).” “One is second grade, one is kindergarten, one is first class… while one of them has learned literacy completely, the other one will start the year one next year. Education challenged me the most (P10).”
	3.4. Change in Business Life	“.… I couldn't spend the day very active… the house is not like a workplace. Here I get up a little early in the morning for a couple of hours… maybe one or two hours in the evening… That is, work efficiency has decreased (P1).” “Since I am a civil servant, I can do my job on a computer… I conduct business from home (P11).”
4. Psychological effects of the pandemic and methods for coping with them	4.1. Negative Emotional experiences during pregnancy	“... if it gets infected with me, I was very worried about the young one and for the first boy, I was constantly in fear, so this is not a lie (P22).” “Depressed… You know, the fear of losing my baby, then the longing for the family…the rate of deaths increased or the incident increased… if something happens before seeing my baby… if something bad happens… if I lose it… it was too much… I relieved myself by crying…” (P29)
	4.2. Emotions regarding birth process	“... let's imagine I did not get sick and the birth took place and there was a… health worker with COVID-19 helping my delivery and my baby caught COVID-19 at the delivery, what would happen. I have no idea.” (P1) “How will it end; how will it end… I always said this… until the birth… in July… until then, we will come and go in relief… well, if I am taken to cesarean section, if no companion is taken, how will I take care of myself all the worries…” (P10)
	4.3. Factors increasing/reducing stress and anxiety	“There was more fear, and when I heard that my relative… got the virus, I was more scared…” (P13). “…When the number of deaths increased, it quite impressed me… I stopped watching television, I was not watching the news…” (P15) “We also see it on TVs… our healthcare provider… she is infected with the virus and she is pregnant… she passed away… it affected me a lot… I cried… I have worries” (P7)
	4.4. Coping Methods	“I was painting to cope with stress, I am going to a course, now I draw at home, I say so” (P11) “… We tried to do activities at home… we read books, watched a lot of movies… we tried to get through the process in some way” (P5)
	4.5. Psychological Support	“... I cried a lot during this pregnancy process, I would like to have a suggestion and support to find a solution to this… My mood was normal before but pregnancy and COVID process affected me a little… made things worse” (P14) “…I know that getting a call and support will comfort people a lot” (P3)