Preventive Care - Mother's e-Guide

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Healthy Tips

"A good care is beyond child birth." - Dr. Simelela, 2018

Stay fit at Pregnancy and always

The Irresistible Key Points:

The body system will need more oxygen and energy as the fetus develops; on this note, routine exercise should be modified in line with the constant body demands and changes.

Exercise for a maximum of one hour after eating is not encouraged; always exercise on a flat surface for stability and balance as these two areas of importance cannot be assured always while pregnant.

Pregnancy comes with a demand for more calories for the growth of the developing baby. Hence, more calories MUST be added to the diet to make up for the ones used up when working or while engaging in the daily activities.

Take water always, it is your best option while replacing it with sugary drinks and Caffeine. Simply put, stay hydrated.

Highly processed foods should be reduced or consumed in small quantity while fresh fruits and foods rich in protein is advisable.

Avoid jumping, running or skipping, be it cold or hot weathers; such taxing exercise is not fit for pregnancy.

Exercise is important for muscular build up yet it is advisable to stop any form of it and report to a medical expert in case of any discomfort like: swollen ankles, hands or face, chest, abdominal or pelvic pain, decreased or no fetal movement, persistent contractions (while it is not yet time for labour) and headaches, nausea, leaking fluid from the vagina or vaginal bleeding, shortness of breath, feeling faint, irregular heartbeat, muscles/ joint weakness and difficulty walking.

Engage in breast self-examination, to be done once a month to become familiar with the feel and appearance of your breast. The simple exercise is essential for early detection of any problem such as Cancer. Perform a self-check Now.

The breast should be given adequate attention at antenatal and postnatal; most especially through preventive care or therapy. It includes: frequent washing of nipples daily with clean water, breast inspection on a regular basis, gentle breast massage (in clockwise and anti-clock wise direction) while bathing with oil based soap and water to enhance blood circulation etc.

At pregnancy and postpartum, the breast is undergoing physiological and biomedical transformation; therefore meticulously, the breast must be guided against cyst and other breast related problems. If nipples become sore or cracked at breastfeeding period, small bit of lanolin or petroleum jelly should be applied after breastfeeding. It will help keep the nipples dry and soft between feedings.

Causes of Cyst on the Breast for Precautionary Measures

Mother and Child

The best practice in breastfeeding is having most or all of the areola (dark area around the nipple) in the baby’s mouth. Wear a good maternity and nursing bra, prevent engorgement and treat blockages. Engorgement is when the breasts become full of milk, hard and painful; to resolve or avoid this, breastfeed as often as possible.

Immunization is a life time activity; as a result mothers should note that apart from vaccinations administered to the baby at birth, there are other necessary ones too to cater for communicable and non-communicable disease. They are but not limited to: Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine, Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine, HIB vaccine, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Influenza vaccine, Meningococcal vaccines, Rotavirus vaccine, Pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) and others as prescribed by the medical doctor.

Some medical experts even recommend that children can get vaccines in combination when possible (rather than one at a time). This combination strategy is to reduce the number of times/ counts a child get immunized while quantity (in terms of vaccine) is not affected.

Children should be well fed with balance diet; maintain the needed adequate temperature and blood pressure in life time: right as a kid to adulthood. Undue temperature could signal different health issues, therefore such case such be reported to health experts without delay.

Blood Pressure Chart by Age