Many joked the pandemic would lead to a baby boom, but medical research experts say it has likely lead to a baby bust.The Brookings Institute pulled from a number of surveys, news reports and other research to compile its data. It estimates there will be at least 300,000 fewer births in 2021 compared to 2020. The report said the decrease may even be deeper than that, depending on how much longer the pandemic lasts.A survey done by the Guttmacher Institute found a third of the women asked said they would rather wait to get pregnant or have fewer kids because of the pandemic.Unemployment leading to a loss in employer health insurance and financial instability are some factors.A decrease in overall sexual activity is also to blame, largely due to kids and adults all working from home. In one survey, almost half of the adults asked reported a decline in their sex lives.Restrictions on public and social gatherings have also led to a decrease in pregnancies, as well as the fear of getting COVID-19 for potential mothers."We know that within the hospital system, every single precaution is being taken to make the birthing experience as safe as possible, but the fear of unknown has also influenced those who are planning families," said Teresa Johnson, a professor in the college of nursing at UWM. "So some of them have put off subsequent pregnancies until the future is more certain."Kelly Stevenson said her second pregnancy was completely different from her first, because of the pandemic."Soon after, I found out I was pregnant in the pandemic and everything started shutting down," Stevenson said.Stevenson said her pregnancy went well, but it was also full of unknowns and anxiety."It's the constant anxiety of trying to live your life and not getting the virus," Stevenson said. "I think the scariest piece is to not know what impact the virus has on pregnancy and a baby."Stevenson, who gave birth to a healthy baby girl in December, said even the birthing process was nerve-wracking, in part because of the nurses and doctors going in and out of the room treating other patients."It was very surreal. You walk in with masks, everybody else has masks. You're going through this very personal experience and you can't see your husband's face," Stevenson said. "We were definitely anxious to get out this time, compared to last."Stevenson said there were some positives to having a baby during the pandemic. She could work from home and isolate herself. She said she enjoyed the virtual checkups with Froedtert, so she could stay home."The ability to be able to have those virtual doctors visits helped to stay connected to my care team, while not having to physically put myself out in public," Stevenson said. "You don't have to hide during first trimester; nobody can see if you're not feeling well; you don't have to buy or wear uncomfortable maternity clothes."Stevenson said she understands why families would choose to wait to have children."It's totally understandable for people to say let's just wait for this mess to be over," Stevenson said.The Brookings Institute said it will still be months before official data will be available on the number of post-pandemic births."As of now, we stand by our prediction of a COVID baby bust of around 300,000 fewer births. But the longer the pandemic lasts, and the deeper the economic and social anxiety runs, it is feasible that we will see an even larger reduction in births with an increasing share of them averted permanently," the report said.