The entry into motherhood - a beautiful phase in a woman’s life and the most awaited one - can sometimes be the most difficult one. A woman’s journey from conception to child-birth can evoke mixed feelings of joy and anxiety in some while there are others who encounter it with confusion, doubts and misconceptions. Few mothers even go into post-delivery depression. It is in these difficult times that workshops such as ‘Baby Blessings’ come as a boon.
“There is a whole list of things to do when someone is preparing for motherhood - the visits to the doctors, routine check-ups, ultrasounds, dietary changes, baby shower, pregnancy shoots, hospital record maintenance, packing of hospital bags, googling information or reading books on pregnancy and delivery etc. A beautiful and mandatory addition to the above list is pregnancy classes, which helps in understanding the process of pregnancy, delivery and baby care,” says Pradnya Desai, co-ordinator, ‘Baby Blessings’ and a US certified pregnancy fitness educator.
Desai, who has masters in Counselling Psychology from SNDT Pune, was certified by Rehabilitation Council of India as Rehabilitation Psychologist and was subsequently able to complete her postgraduate diploma in Industrial Psychology. Armed with clinical set up experience of counselling, Desai who is presently a lecturer in Psychology at DEd Special Education in Lokvishwas Pratisthan School for Handicapped, Bandora, conceived this concept of educating women on motherhood three years ago.
Speaking on the birth of ‘Baby Blessings’, Desai shares, “It was in a casual conversation that we realised that even in a highly educated state like Goa, there exists minimal awareness about pregnancy care and concerns, especially in rural areas. This is to such an extent that a pregnant woman does not visit the gynecologist in the first trimester and her folic acid intake is very rare.”
This compelled Desai to meet gynecologist Dr Jayant Kamat, who has 25 years of experience of running a hospital. She began visiting his clinic and hospital for three months to study the awareness level among expectant women about all aspects of prenatal care and child birth. Thereafter she met all the gynecologists in Ponda and explained her concept of starting antenatal sessions for the benefit of women in the vicinity.
“We thought of it as a multidisciplinary approach with a team of gynecologists, pediatricians, dietitians, physicians all coming together and sharing knowledge and information,” says Desai. ‘Baby Blessings’ was soon blessed with two senior doctors - Dr Purnima Usgaonkar, a practicing pediatrician for 36 years who along with her husband, a doctor himself, runs the first children’s hospital in Goa. The second was Dr Nutan Dev, again a pediatrician and in-charge at District Hospital in Goa. Just retired from her service Dr Dev has 34 years of experience in her field of expertise. She along with her doctor husband also runs their own hospital for the last three decades. The first batch of ‘Baby Blessings’ kick-started on April 30, 2016 with just three couples.
Thanks to Shree Sharada Granthprasarak Sanstha, Ponda, who offered their hall at concessional rate for the sessions to happen. The members of the Sanstha also promoted ‘Baby Blessings’ in their own events, programmes and literary conferences as this is a community awareness project.
‘Baby Blessings’ has so far guided around 30 women into their safe journey through pregnancy and motherhood and today there are couples coming in from all over Goa and also from neighbouring Karnataka and Konkan area. Desai and her husband also visit villages to create awareness and conduct free sessions for the benefit of society.
“We have divided our workshop into four sessions, two a day, morning and evening, which is to be attended by couples. We take maximum 10 couples per batch and charge Rs 1500 per couple,” briefs Desai.
As part of the sessions, there are interactive talks on pregnancy and delivery, the three trimesters, aches and pains and how to get relief, sleeping positions, videos of how baby grows in the womb, counting of baby movements, identifying signs of labour, understanding the process of delivery and how to cooperate with the doctor at each stage of delivery, labour exercise and family planning post-delivery, informs Dr Purva Sahakari, obstetrician and gynaecologist from Ponda.
In her baby and mother care session, Dr Sahakari offers guidance on post-delivery issues like how to take care of mother’s stitches, garments to be worn by mother and baby, mental health, how to bathe the new born, water temperature, alternatives to oil massage, immunisation and infections, the role of father in helping the new mom as well as handling alternative and contradictory views about baby care.
“Once the baby is born there begins a series of questions that need answers- naval and umbilical cord care, why to avoid giving sugar or honey, the right method to massage, malpractices carried out for generations, sleep and waking patterns, baby handling, exposure to visitors, dealing with colic etc. These dilemmas sometimes bring nightmares and hence should be dealt wisely,” says Dr Purnima Usgaonkar who conducts this session.
Dr Nutan Dev, meanwhile, concentrates on questions like the importance of breast feeding, the physiology behind it, how brain and milk secretion is positively related, positions and techniques of breastfeeding, cluster feeding, let down reflex, colostrum and it’s preciousness, expressing and storing breast milk, using breast pump, tips on nipple cracks, inverted nipples etc.
Pallavi Usgaonkar, a dietitian with Apollo Hospital, Margao suggests tailor-made diet plan considering individual medical conditions like diabetes, thyroid, BP, anemia etc. Desai herself briefs on the benefits of classical ragas and how music therapy reduces stress and enhances positive thinking.
“I will also offer training in practicing relaxation techniques,” says Desai, adding, “These classes are meant for those who are in the family way - pregnant lady and her husband, married couples and also couples planning for a baby. The sessions are highly interactive, full of notes, videos and hands on training.”
(Baby Blessings will be conducting a two-day workshop at Shree Sharada Granthaprasarak Sanstha, Ponda on June 2 and 3 between 10am-12pm and 4-6 pm)
