The health of a newborn is solely dependent on the mother’s health. You must have heard many a times, when a healthy baby is born in a family, the credits go to the mother. We all by now, know the importance of maternal health at a glance. Let us understand what do we mean by the technical term of “Maternal Health”.
Maternal Health can be broadly described as the mental and physical conditions of a woman from the time of her pregnancy till the period when she is breastfeeding her child. A positive mindset along with proper nutrition and good physical fitness are the basic requirements for a mother or going to be mother.
A mother should be provided with all the basic facilities such as a balanced diet with all nutritional elements, regular health checkup, taking medications, good care and a healthy environment for the proper development of a newborn. There are many factors which affects maternal health. We are going to mention some of them here:
Factors affecting Maternal Health
- POVERTY – Economic status plays a vital role in providing better health care facilities and nutritious diet to a mother or going to be mother. Not only this, regular health checkups and medications and various tests are also done from time to time to know if both the mother and child are healthy or not.
Reports suggest many women had to face lot of challenges, in rural areas or those from poor economic background, during the time of their pregnancy or post pregnancy period.
You can check out these resources for more information:- Inequalities in the utilisation of maternal health Care in Rural India: https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-020-08480-4#Sec14
- Has the National Rural Health Mission made a difference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484741/
- LACK OF MEDICIAL FACILITIES – Villages or underdeveloped areas do not have access to updated medical facilities, diagnosis and expert doctors. Many women from those areas are unable to access these facilities.
- AGE OF MOTHER – The age of mother also plays a significant role because too young or too old women face many complications while giving birth to child.
- LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OR GUIDANCE FROM SOMEONE – A basic knowledge regarding pre-natal and post-natal care is important for expecting mothers. They can even take help or guidance from a trusted source or doctors if required.
In the above-mentioned points, we have discussed about what is the most common things which affects maternal health but there are many other factors in societal level which also effects maternal health.
Role of Society in Maternal Health
The society and surroundings in which a mother lives affects a lot in the development of her child. The thinking and culture of family members influence a lot upon the growing child and he or she tends to follow those ethics and behavior.
It is hence advised to have a happy, healthy and positive – minded surrounding and a supportive society around mothers and her child / children. For more information, visit this site given below – http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC5161796
Maternity Leave in India
Maternity leave is the period of relaxation given to a mother during the gestation period and after the delivery of the child. This is an important and basic right for every working woman as it allows the mother to spend time with her child. It also relieves her from stress and load of works piled up on the desks.
In India, 14 weeks along with salary payment is the current time period for maternity leave. In emergency cases, the time period may get extended up to more 15 days. The new law for maternity leave in India (Amendment Act 2017) has increased the rest period for new mothers for up to 26 weeks with full salary being paid to them.
In spite of so many rules and policies being ruled out by the government, many organizations do not follow them. This creates an unnecessary harassment for women.
A report from National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) states that around seventy – five percent of the women continued to work for at least one month after being pregnant. Unbelievably, around 3 women were working during the crucial ninth month of their pregnancy. Some of them even had miscarriage and no payment or compensation was given to them. For more information, visit these sites given below –
- https://labour.gov.in/whatsnew/maternity-benefit-amendment-act2017 – Maternity Benefit Amendment Act,2017
- https://youtu.be/iUj6Jd17Hl8 – Maternity Leave | OddNaari Show (Hindi)
Is Breastfeeding allowed in working places?
India is among the top 10 major countries in the world where breastfeeding at public places is allowed. However, due to social and ethical sentiments, women often have to search for private places to do such things.
According to the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961 (recently amended in 2016) women are allowed to breastfeed her child at workplace for up to 4 times in a day. Visit the site given below for more information-
Current Situation of Maternal Health in India
According to UNICEF, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has dropped down in figures. Reports claim an MMR of 113 in the year 2016 – 2018, while previously it was 122 in the year 2015 – 2017.
The current U.S. MMR states that there were approximately 660 maternal deaths in the year 2018. USA is among the top 10 countries where MMR has been recorded to be the highest. Countries such as Finland, Greece, Iceland and Poland have managed to record the lowest MMR in the recent years. Here is the record which shows about the current status of MMR in India –https://www.censusindia.gov.in/vital_statistics/SRS_Bulletins/MMR%20Bulletin%202016-18.pdf
How does Maternal Health affects the Child?
A mother carries the newborn in her womb for 9 months and so it becomes very important for her to lead a healthy and positive lifestyle.
During this time, whatever a woman intake is passed on to her developing fetus. Not only this, her mental health also contributes a lot to her child’s mental health. She should also eat healthy during post-natal period, as she has to breastfeed her child for another six months. It is utmost important that she stays free from diseases during these six months.
What steps should be taken to Improve Maternal Health?
- The family should pay proper attention to the expecting mother and give her sufficient, nutritious diet along with medications, if prescribed by the doctors.
- During the early stages of pregnancy, frequent visits to the doctor should be a must. Any pre – existing health complications should be brought in front of the concerned doctor.
- A happy and healthy environment should be provided so that the mental and physical health of the mother is stable.
- The post-natal period is crucial so the mother and her family members should be extra cautious during this time. During this time, a mother goes through lots of physical and emotional changes and so one should support and help her out.
- Government should make strict policies related to maternal health like breastfeeding at workplace, maternity leave, etc. Moreover, government officials can be appointed to check whether those in slum areas are able to get benefits of these policies or not.
GUIDELINES FOR MOTHERS AND EXPECTING MOTHERS
- https://youtu.be/R9mYuYH1t8M – 6 nutritional benefits for breastfeeding moms
- https://youtu.be/vw8-Wy8b4EE – Diet for new mothers and breastfeeding mothers
- https://youtu.be/XOySX6sE_8s – How can we improve maternal health before, during and after pregnancy?
- https://youtu.be/m97UjpughrM – Why maternal health matters?
