Archive for the ‘Spiritual Health’ Category

Personal Care of Health After Delivery

Giving birth is one of the most beautiful thing a woman can experience and one of the most painful indeed (well, next to divorce if you consider that painful). But the moment the baby arrives, you will feel a certain kind of happiness not even marriage can capture. This should not be the reason to be carried away and ignore important details after delivery. Remember, personal health care is essential to keep the mother and baby safe from any kind of illness or disease.

True, you should give every ounce of your attention to your newborn baby but, this doesn’t mean that you have to compromise your health in the process. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourself even after you have been discharged from the hospital.

Rest

Giving birth can be quite exhausting. Give yourself time to rest. You can allot even a couple of weeks for you alone. If possible, do not let visitors in because this will add up to the exhaustion. If your baby is sleeping, grab that opportunity to take a quick nap. Let your husband do the chores for the meantime.

Lifting precautions

As much as possible, lifting is prohibited but the baby’s an exception. You are not allowed to lift something that’s heavier than your baby’s weight. This may add certain injuries especially if you just went out of the hospital or a surgical cut were performed either on your perineum or abdomen.

Ask for help

Help after giving birth is gladly given by the family, relatives and friends. Let the people close to you know that you need their presence to get through tough starting times especially if your husband’s at work. Simple chores like cooking, doing the laundry or babysitting can be done easily if you only ask for a little help. Surely, these people won’t hesitate.

Stay clean

Always wash your hands after doing something to decrease the risk of infection that can be passed on to your baby. Do this very often especially after visiting the John, feeding your baby or changing his diapers.

Vitamins

If you’re given by the doctor vitamins to recondition your health, never try to discontinue it unless the doctor says so. Pre-natal vitamins are very important especially the ones containing supplementary iron.

Healthy diet

It is always advisable to eat healthy because it will equate on living healthy. Discontinue any bad habits that you have before. Refrain from eating or drinking food rich in caffeine and alcohol. Your diet can also affect your baby’s health especially if you’re breastfeeding.

Rehydrate

As what anybody is advised to do, drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday. You can also include milk and juice in your meals.

Exercise

Strenuous activities aren’t really advisable. Moderately, start with a simple walk around your neighborhood will do. Exercise can strengthen your body’s performance and keep you physically fit.

Visit your physician

This should be done right after a week of delivery. Always make an appointment to visit your obstetrician to know your present condition and what are the things that your still need to do or not to do.

Personal care of your health especially after pregnancy is very crucial for a mother and child relationship to flourish into one healthy image.

Childbirth complications high in Uganda
Thursday, 10th April, 2008

By Raymond Baguma

UGANDA is among the three countries in the world with the highest percentage of women suffering from uncontrolled leaking of urine and faeces due to childbirth complications.

The commissioner for clinical services, Dr. Jacinto Amandua, said Uganda annually gets 3,500 new cases of women with the condition called obstetric fistula.

He said figures issued by The Campaign to End Fistula, a global agency, showed that Guatemala and Benin were the other countries with high cases.

The 2006 demographic and health Survey found that one in every 40 women of reproductive age in Uganda has fistula.

Amandua, who on Wednesday was launching research findings on the condition at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala, said over two million people in sub-Sahara Africa, Asia and Arabia suffer from fistula.

In Uganda, over 8,462 cases have been recorded since 1990 and 4,877 women have received treatment, he added.

The research was conducted by Women Dignity Project, a Tanzanian-based women’s NGO and another organisation, Engender Health, with support from USAID.

Amandua observed that with only 45 doctors for fistula, Uganda needed to train more.

About 12 hospitals in Uganda are equipped to carry out fistula surgery, but the rate of treatment is slow, which has created a backlog of patients, he added.

“There are few skilled local surgeons and there is delay in completion. It is difficult to interest health workers and policy makers in fistula activities unless support is increased,” Amandua said.
The rural areas, he pointed out, were the worst hit.

Amandua said there was need to improve access to emergency maternal health services, equipping health centres, delay marriage and encourage child spacing.

“Fistula is a human rights issue. The Government must be committed and act to improve social services, especially maternity care.”

Margot Ellis, the USAID mission director, said maternal health care was still limited in Uganda and many women do not know that obstetric fistula can be treated.

Article from http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/219/621652