Everyday, more than 1,000 women die from problems related to bearing children. The national average of 18% low birthweight babies directly reflects poor maternal nutrition. The six prime messages can help to save the majority of those lives and prevent many serious illnesses.
But to make full use of this knowledge, women need the support of their husbands, other family members, their communities, and their governments.
The government has a particular responsibility to train people to assist at childbirth, to make available routine prenatal services, and to provide special care for women who have serious problems during pregnancy.
The risks of childbirth can be drastically reduced by going to the nearest health worker for regular check-ups during pregnancy. Many of the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth can be avoided if the woman goes to a health center as soon as she believes she is pregnant. A health worker will help the woman to have a safe and healthy baby by:
1. Checking the progress of the pregnancy so that if problems are likely the woman can be moved to a hospital for the birth
2. Checking high blood pressure, which is a danger to both mother and child
3. Giving iron tablets to prevent anemia ("thin blood")
4. Giving the the two injections of Tetanus Toxoid which will protect the mother and her ne-born baby against tetanus infection
5. Checking the baby is growing properly
6. Giving malaria tablet to pregnant women whose blood examination is positive for malaria
7. Preparing the woman for the experience of childbirth and giving advice on breastfeeding and care of the new-born
8. Advising on ways of delaying the next pregnancy
9, checking the mother's breast development so that those who have breast problems like inverted nipples can do proper exercise to insure proper sucking by their babies.
The trained person should assist during pregnancy and at every birth. A trained birth attendant will know when labor has gone on for too long (more than 12 hours) and a move to hospital is necessary; how to keep the birth clean and reduce the risk of inspection; how to cut the cord cleanly and safely; what to do if the baby is being born in the wrong position; what to do if too much blood is being lost; when to call on more expert medical help; what to do if the baby does not begin breathing right away or has difficulty in breathing; how to dry and keep the baby warm after delivery; and how to help the mother space births.
To reduce the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth, all families should know the warning signs. With any pregnancy, it is important to ask the advice of a health worker about where the baby should be born and who should attend the birth. If a family knows that a birth is likely to be difficult or risky, it may be possible to have the baby in a hospital. or it may be possible to move, temporarily, closer to a clinic or hospital so that the mother is within reach of medical help.
So it is important for pregnant women, their husbands, and other family members, to know the signs which indicate that extra care, and regular visits to a health worker, are needed.
Warning signs before pregnancy begins:
An interval of less than two years since the last birth;
Woman less than 18 or more than 35 years old;
Woman has four or more previous children;
Woman has had a previous baby weighing less than 2 kilograms at birth;
Woman has had a previous difficult or caesarian birth;
Woman has had a previous premature birth;
Woman has had a previous miscarriage, abortion or still birth;
Woman weighs less than 38 kilograms before pregnancy
. Woman measures less than 145 cm. in height;
Woman had previous excessive bleeding after childbirth;
woman has had labor of more than 24 hours;
Woman has had previous convulsion;
Woman has goiter and/or other medical problems of heart, lungs, etc.
Warning sign developing during pregnancy:
Failing to gain weight (at least 6 kilos should be gained in pregnancy)
Paleness of inside eyelids (should be red or pink);
Unusual swelling of legs, arms, or face;
Woman has had previous convulsion;But to make full use of this knowledge, women need the support of their husbands, other family members, their communities, and their governments.
The government has a particular responsibility to train people to assist at childbirth, to make available routine prenatal services, and to provide special care for women who have serious problems during pregnancy.
The risks of childbirth can be drastically reduced by going to the nearest health worker for regular check-ups during pregnancy. Many of the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth can be avoided if the woman goes to a health center as soon as she believes she is pregnant. A health worker will help the woman to have a safe and healthy baby by:
1. Checking the progress of the pregnancy so that if problems are likely the woman can be moved to a hospital for the birth
2. Checking high blood pressure, which is a danger to both mother and child
3. Giving iron tablets to prevent anemia ("thin blood")
4. Giving the the two injections of Tetanus Toxoid which will protect the mother and her ne-born baby against tetanus infection
5. Checking the baby is growing properly
6. Giving malaria tablet to pregnant women whose blood examination is positive for malaria
7. Preparing the woman for the experience of childbirth and giving advice on breastfeeding and care of the new-born
8. Advising on ways of delaying the next pregnancy
9, checking the mother's breast development so that those who have breast problems like inverted nipples can do proper exercise to insure proper sucking by their babies.
The trained person should assist during pregnancy and at every birth. A trained birth attendant will know when labor has gone on for too long (more than 12 hours) and a move to hospital is necessary; how to keep the birth clean and reduce the risk of inspection; how to cut the cord cleanly and safely; what to do if the baby is being born in the wrong position; what to do if too much blood is being lost; when to call on more expert medical help; what to do if the baby does not begin breathing right away or has difficulty in breathing; how to dry and keep the baby warm after delivery; and how to help the mother space births.
To reduce the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth, all families should know the warning signs. With any pregnancy, it is important to ask the advice of a health worker about where the baby should be born and who should attend the birth. If a family knows that a birth is likely to be difficult or risky, it may be possible to have the baby in a hospital. or it may be possible to move, temporarily, closer to a clinic or hospital so that the mother is within reach of medical help.
So it is important for pregnant women, their husbands, and other family members, to know the signs which indicate that extra care, and regular visits to a health worker, are needed.
Warning signs before pregnancy begins:
An interval of less than two years since the last birth;
Woman less than 18 or more than 35 years old;
Woman has four or more previous children;
Woman has had a previous baby weighing less than 2 kilograms at birth;
Woman has had a previous difficult or caesarian birth;
Woman has had a previous premature birth;
Woman has had a previous miscarriage, abortion or still birth;
Woman weighs less than 38 kilograms before pregnancy
. Woman measures less than 145 cm. in height;
Woman had previous excessive bleeding after childbirth;
woman has had labor of more than 24 hours;
Woman has had previous convulsion;
Woman has goiter and/or other medical problems of heart, lungs, etc.
Warning sign developing during pregnancy:
Failing to gain weight (at least 6 kilos should be gained in pregnancy)
Paleness of inside eyelids (should be red or pink);
Unusual swelling of legs, arms, or face;
Woman has goiter and/or other medical problems of heart, lungs, etc.
Five signs which mean get help immediately:
Bleeding from the vagina during pregnancy;
Severe headaches (sign of high blood pressure);
Severe vomiting;
High fever;
blurring of vision
Unless she is already overweight, a woman needs more food during pregnancy. All pregnant woman need more rest.
The husband and family of a pregnant woman should ensure that she has extra food every day and more rest than usual during the daytime, especially in the three months before the birth. A pregnant woman needs not only a variety of the best foods available to the family: milk, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, dried beans and legumes but also the right amount of these foods. There is no reason to avoid any of these foods during pregnancy.
If possible, a woman should be weighed as soon as she knows that she knows that she is pregnant. It is important to gain weight every month during pregnancy, and try to gain a total of 6-12 kilos before the baby is born. Gaining more weight than this is not good for the woman or her child and can be dangerous.
A pregnant woman can damage her unborn child by smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, and using narcotic drugs. Nicotine causes the lungs of the child to get weak. It is particularly important not to take medicines during pregnancy unless they are absolutely necessary and prescribed by a physician.
Spacing pregnancies at least two years apart, and avoiding pregnancies below the age of 18 or above the age of 35, drastically reduces the dangers of child-bearing:
One of the most effective ways of reducing the dangers of pregnancy and childbirth for both mother and child is to plan the timing of births. The risks of child-bearing are greatest when the woman is under 18 or over 35, or has had four or more previous deliveries, or when there is a gap of less than two years since the last birth.
Avoiding births by having an abortion can be very dangerous. Maternal mortality is higher among mothers below and above the reproductive age of 18 to 35 years. main causes of maternal mortality are: postpartum hemorrhage, and hypertensions and its complications.
BREASTFEEDING
BREASTFEEDING is advocated for good reasons. Breast milk contains the right balance of nutrients as well as antibodies. Studies have shown that breast milk strengthens a baby's immunity and protects against gut and respiratory infections. Babies will be less prone to coughs, colds, diarrhea and ear infections.
Breast milk is convenient in that it doesn't need to be prepared. But mothers need to be available night and day, unless they express and store the milk. Some women may become discouraged because breast feeding can be difficult initially; the nipples can be painful until feeding is established. But how to breastfeed is often covered in antenatal classes, and after birth, the midwife will be able to offer help.
But for those who are not able to breastfeed, they should not be made to feel that they are letting their baby down. Over the years, formula milk has been developed to be very similar to breast milk and there are many other ways in which mothers can bond with their babies.
Breast milk is convenient in that it doesn't need to be prepared. But mothers need to be available night and day, unless they express and store the milk. Some women may become discouraged because breast feeding can be difficult initially; the nipples can be painful until feeding is established. But how to breastfeed is often covered in antenatal classes, and after birth, the midwife will be able to offer help.
But for those who are not able to breastfeed, they should not be made to feel that they are letting their baby down. Over the years, formula milk has been developed to be very similar to breast milk and there are many other ways in which mothers can bond with their babies.
