Maternal and child care

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.
Although important progress has been made in the last two decades, about
287000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020.
This number is unacceptably high.
The most common direct causes of maternal injury and death are excessive
blood loss, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion, and obstructed
labour, as well as indirect causes such as anemia, malaria, and heart disease.
Most maternal deaths are preventable with timely management by a skilled
health professional working in a supportive environment.
Issues which need to be considered when women's health is examined include
the unique influence of:
a) The reproductive cycle and bearing of children
b) The multiple roles managed by children (raising children, nurturing family
members)
c)The association between health status and broader cultural and socioeconomic
factors.
Over the past 20 years, physical therapy assessment and treatment have
developed, with practitioners using their basic skills in musculoskeletal and
neuromuscular care to untreatable.

EARLY PREGNANCY CLASSES

A woman should be encouraged to join early pregnancy classes as soon as she
knows she is pregnant.
Goals of the classes are:
 To recognize physical and emotional changes that occur during
pregnancy.
 To leam appropriate comfort measures.
 To provide a forum for women and their partners to enter the experience
together and express their immediate concern.
OUTLINE FOR EARLY PREGNANCY CLASSES:
CLASS 1:
Introduction
 Relaxation instruction
 Immediate concerns of couples
 Break
 Emotional aspects of pregnancy
 Fetal and maternal changes
CLASS 2:
 Options for delivery
 Nutrition
 Pelvic floor toning
 Break
 Body mechanics
 Pelvic tilt positions of comfort
CLASS 3:
 Continue relaxation
 Continue options and planning for delivery
 Father's role
 Stretching and toning, body mechanics
 Discussion, questions
 Course evaluation

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
Comfort positions: lying on side
Jacobsons type relaxation: various body parts are contracted and let go plus
deep breathing techniques.
Propped on pillows
Contraction of muscles of forehead, jaw, face, tongue, shoulders, biceps, fists,
abdomen, buttocks, quadriceps, heels and feet.
Semi recline, perhaps against the body of their partner.
NUTRITION
Playing a tape or environmental sounds to reduce stress
Four reasons for proper nutrition:
To monitor proper weight gain.
To ingest adequate high-quality protein to meet the need of mother and fetus.
To ingest adequate caloric intake to metabolize the protein.
To assess the selection of a balanced and varied diet that includes items from
a) Dairy products
all
basic food groups.
The five food groups are:
b) Proteins
Supply calcium, protein, riboflavin
Mother's need 4 or more servings a day, 6 or more when lactating.
e) Fats
Supply iron and B vitamins
75-100 grams of proteins
needed during
pregnancy
Includes meats, eggs, dried beans,
lentils
etc.
c) Vegetables and fruits
Provide vitamin A and C,
4 or 5 servings per day of dark roughage green and yellow vegetables and citrus
fruits
and juices required.
d) Breads and cereals
Provides
carbohydrates,
iron
and vitamins
4
servingsS
per day of whole
grain
products recommended
2 tbs. per day to aid
bacteria of intestine. function of hormones of adrenal cortex and valuable
Iron supplements
are recommended
during pregnancy.
Avoid
smoking, alcohol
or caffeine abuse. PELVIC FLOOR TONING
Pelvic floor exercises
a) Stop test
While urinating, stop and hold the flow of urine. Try not allow dribbling of
urine.
Hold tightly for 5 seconds before starting urine flow again.
b) Long contractions
In supine or side lying (legs apart), draw pelvic floor upward (sphincters are
tightened).
Hold for 10 seconds and relax.
Try other positions such
as sitting, standing
and squatting.
50 repetitions a day-
10 repetitions
at a time
c) Quick contractions
In supine
or
side lying (legs apart), draw pelvic floor upward, hold for 2-3
seconds
and
relax.
50 repetitions a day- 10 repetitions at time
d) Elevator
Assume any position, lying is easier.
As you ascend each
floor, draw up the pelvic floor muscles until you reach your
limit.
Imagine you are in an elevator on the first floor.
Then descend floor by floor gradually relaxing the pelvic floor in stages.