INFANTS HEALTH INFLUENCED BY MATERNAL NUTRITION (SUPOSHAN)

INFANTS HEALTH INFLUENCED BY MATERNAL NUTRITION (SUPOSHAN)

Maternal health refers to the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period. Each stage should be a positive experience, ensuring women and their babies reach their full potential for health and well-being.

Child health refers to the health of children under five years and protecting and improving the health of children is of fundamental importance.

Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is the care that a woman receives during her pregnancy. This care typically includes regular checkups with a doctor. This is important because it can help identify and treat potential complications that can arise during pregnancy. For example, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, and preterm labour are all conditions that can be detected and treated during prenatal care.

-A healthy, balanced diet before conception and during pregnancy assists the growing foetus in being nourished and helps the mother create the best bodily reserves in anticipation of breastfeeding.

During pregnancy, protein forms and repairs blood and uterine muscle tissue as well as the baby’s tissue. Iron acts as the core element which transports oxygen from red blood cells to tissues. The brain and spine of an infant require folic acid. During pregnancy, folic acid also aids in blood production. A severe birth problem of a baby’s brain or spine, neural tube defects (NTD), can be avoided with enough folic acid in the diet. With adequate folic acid, NTDs can be prevented in 70% of cases.

Postnatal Care

Postnatal care is the care that a woman receives after giving birth. This care is essential for ensuring that both mother and child are healthy and recovering properly. During the postpartum period, the mother’s body undergoes numerous physical and hormonal changes, and postnatal care can help address any issues that may arise.

For example, postpartum depression is a common condition that can be detected and treated during postnatal care.

Breastfeeding:

-Breast milk provides a newborn with the ideal dietary foundation for the first six months of life because it is specially formulated to meet the needs. Additionally, colostrum aids in the early days of immunity building and infection prevention. It guarantees that the child receives the finest start in life.

-Human milk can meet all nutritional requirements in the first six months of life, with the exception of vitamin D. Infants who are less breastfed should be given a vitamin D supplement that contains at least 400 IU of vitamin D as soon as possible after delivery.

Importance of Maternal Health Care

-Maternal health care is essential for ensuring that both mother and child are healthy and safe. Proper prenatal care can help identify and address potential complications during pregnancy, while postnatal care can help ensure that the mother is recovering properly and that any issues that arise are promptly addressed.

-According to WHO approximately 830 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth every day. Additionally, an estimated 2.5 million newborns die each year, with many of these deaths occurring during the first week of life. Proper maternal health care helps reduce these statistics by detecting and addressing potential complications early on.

The first 1000 days:

The first 1000 days is defined as the period between a woman’s pregnancy and the child’s second birthday. It is a very crucial window as the foundations for optimum health and development across the child’s lifespan is established. Therefore adequate maternal nutrition during this window is vital to enhance nutritional status and reduce the danger of poor birth outcomes.

For children to reach their full potential, the focus needs to be on healthy birth outcomes, early identification of malnutrition and treatment of developmental delays and disabilities. Good nutrition and care during the mother’s pregnancy and after the child is born can help prevent malnutrition.

Major health problems affecting mothers and children in India are:

1. Malnutrition:

Malnutrition during pregnancy can result in complications like:

• Maternal depletion

• Anaemia

• Post-partum haemorrhage

• Toxaemia of pregnancy

• low birth weight in baby

Hence improving, protection and promotion of the nutritional status, is an essential element for improving the nutrition of mothers and children.

• Direct interventions for improving nutritional status are:

-Supplementary feeding programs e.g. ICDS, mid-day meal

-Food fortification e.g. Iodine, iron fortification of salt, Vitamins A and D fortification of vegetable oils.

- Iron and folic acid tablet distribution.

- Nutritional education.

• Indirect interventions are those that do not involve direct provision of nutrition but eventually improve the nutritional status: Control of infections through immunisation

1. In general infections deplete nutrition, hence preventing them would improve nutritional status.

2. Some infections like measles are known to specifically precipitate PEM, vitamin A deficiency etc. Hence measles vaccination.

 Infection

• Infections lead to increased morbidity and mortality among both, mother and the baby

• Children are at risk for

1. Diarrhoeal diseases,

2. Respiratory tract infection and

3. Skin infections

4. Some regions of the country have increased risk of TB and malaria.

• Frequent infections may precipitate severe PEM and anaemia.

• Infections can be controlled by

1. Immunization- children in developing countries need to be immunized against the major six infections covered under WHO’s EPI [Essential Programme on Immunization]

TB, Diphtheria, Whooping cough, Tetanus, Measles and Polio.

2. Improving nutritional status.

3. Provision of safe drinking water and sanitation.

4. Unregulated Fertility (uncontrolled reproduction)

• Unregulated fertility adversely affects the health of both, the mother and the child

• Adverse effects on the mother:

1. Severe anaemia

2. Abortion

3. Antepartum haemorrhage

4. High maternal mortality, the risk increasing significantly after the 4th pregnancy

• Adverse effects on the child:

1. Low birth weight

2. Anaemia

3. High perinatal mortality, the risk increasing greatly after the 4th pregnancy.

Objectives of Maternal and Child Health Programs

●       Provide basic health care to all mothers and children

●       Prevent malnutrition

●       Prevent communicable diseases

●       Promoting reproductive health

●       Ensure the birth of a healthy child

●       Encourage healthy growth and development

TABASSUM BANU

M.SC.  1 YEAR