Summary of the child birth class
The birth class was scheduled on October 05, 2014 from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM at Sebily Memorial Hospital. It was made up of twelve women with each woman having a partner accompanying them to the session. The instructor always insisted on the pregnant mothers coming with a trusted friend or husband to the class sessions. The instructor was called Mrs. Danielle Kontz. She had been with the class from the beginning where she had twelve women and two nursing students. The class was very intense; it was eight hours long in which she talked about a topic for half an hour with breaks in between to help the mothers relax. The instructor is a graduate of anthropology and certified child birth educator. She was certified through ALLCE, ICEA, and birth doula since 2006. She completed her education as a child birth educator at Mercy Medical Center. She has vast experience in the field as she had been a child birth educator for the past eight years in different health facilities across the country.
The people attending the child birth classes were of different characteristics. Among the group, majority of them were married, one couples were boyfriend and girlfriend and one single mom. Half of the women in the class were approximately between the ages 22 to 34. The class consists of one African American couple and a few Hispanic and Asian couples; the bulk of the couples were Caucasian. Only one pregnant women was a single mother to be, the rest were married and came with their partners to the child birthing classes. The single woman came to the class with her Godmother whom she said would be present during the birth of her child. All the pregnant women in the birthing classes were in their third trimester of their gestation period and it will be their first time being a mother. The instructor informed me that some of the women started their birthing classes in their second trimester with some beginning the classes as early as their first trimester. The socioeconomic status of these women fell in the category of middle-class income earners. These women were working and had an average income. They were in a position to pay their medical bills and buy most of the things the newborn would require. The pregnant women were also able to provide for themselves independently and with the help of their partners.
Topics discussed
There were various topics covered during the birth class. One of the topics was the importance of breastfeeding immediately after birth. When discussing this topic, the instructor told the mothers how imperative it was to breastfeed the newborn immediately after birth. This session was mainly to discuss the benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the child. These included the creation of a bond between the mother and the child immediately after birth. The instructor also touched on proper breastfeeding positions for the mother and child that would ensure maximum comfort for both of them. The other topic under discussion during this session was the choice of birth method for the mother. The instructor provided various scenarios where the mother had the choice to determine the birth method she wanted. However, she also pointed out that there were emergency cases that took this privilege of making the choice from the mother. She also talked about the role of fathers in the whole process of birth; before, during and after birth. The instructor emphasized on the value the presence of the father helped in the process of giving birth and the bond it created in the family (Larsen & Plog, 2012).
Missing topic
In my opinion, I believe that the instructor should have stressed on the issue of proper feeding on nutritious food and the importance of breastfeeding, proper positions and so on, but she did not mention the role of nutritious food and exercising on the health of the mother and the child (Hotelling, 2013). As she was talking about breastfeeding, I expected her to stress on the importance of the mother ensuring that she takes a balanced diet to ensure that the child gets all the nutrients required. It does not only apply after the child is born, but even during the last stages of the gestation period where the mother requires all the energy she can reserve for the labor. Nutrition is an important part of the gestation period, where the mother requires more nutrients from the food she eats to provide to her child than she does when she is not pregnant. This applies to the time after birth, when the mother needs sufficient energy from the food she eats to give her the strength to recover and provide or to produce enough milk for the child.
Nutrition is important for the mother and child and the instructor should have taken this into consideration when preparing the topics discussed that day. This encourages patients to focus on proper diets before and after delivery (Guszkowska, 2013).
Nutrition is very important for mothers and new born babies. According to a research at the University of Southampton, having a well-balanced diet should be one of a mother’s priorities before conception. The health of the child gravely depends on the mother’s preconception of maternal nutrition. Professor Keith Godfrey, one of the editors for the study, claims that “while it is clear that diet in pregnancy can affect immediate outcomes, far less is known about diet around the time of conception or the consequences for the child's health in later life.” That is why nutritional education is so critical to minimizing unintended outcomes in the overall health of the newborn. It can also have long-lasting effects as the child will grow with a strong foundation which can subsequently help their immune system be at an optimal level. Early pregnancy healthy diet of pregnant women is based on obtaining sufficient minerals, vitamins and the like. Further nutrition should focus on increased consumption of protein, as it is now active growth of the child, his internal organs. For all it needs building material -protein.
Vitamins and minerals that are essential for the development of internal systems of the body of the child, especially calcium for bone growth and development of the nervous system.
When planning a pregnancy, a proper diet is also very important. Proper nutrition during pregnancy, as well as, in fact, any proper nutrition involves rejection of fried foods, pickled and smoked foods. Much more useful would be the food, steamed, boiled, stewed or baked.
Food for pregnant women should be as fresh, it should not contain preservatives, excess salt, and the like. Of course, it is advisable to abandon the fast food. However, it should be noted that if the choice is - stay hungry or eat something not too useful, it is better to choose the second. Starving pregnant woman is not worth it. Another thing, if such a choice before you get up suspiciously often, you should think about how to carry fruit or sandwiches. Of great importance is the balance between these essential components of nutrition, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Of course, a balanced diet for pregnant women at different stages suggests a different balance of these components, the fact remains the same.
The next most important things to do for expectant mother is exercise regularly. It has so many benefits for both the mother and newborn. It reduces the chances of delivering the baby by means of caesarian allowing the mother to go back to pre-pregnancy body image sooner and help her to have a boosted energy level. The baby’s health and wellbeing mostly lies on mom’s activities. According to Kansas City University of Medicine women who exercised at least for 30 minutes and three times a week had fetuses with lower heart rates which is believed to be a sign of heart health -- during the final weeks of development. When it was first reported that exercising helps strengthen the fetus’s heart control a couple of years ago, most pregnant women made it a priority to take advantage of this development by joining yoga classes and doing light aerobic exercises. Now, there is even more evidence to suggest that exercising during pregnancy will have continuing effect even after the baby is born, having a positive impact on the health of a baby before they are even born can also kick start a healthy lifestyle that can hopefully be sustained in the long run.
References
M, G. (2014). The effect of exercise and childbirth classes on fear of childbirth and locus of labor pain control. - PubMed - NCBI.Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 19 November 2014, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24199962
Hotelling, B. (2013). The Nocebo Effect in Childbirth Classes. J. Perinatal Education, 22(2), 120-124. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.22.2.120
Larsen, R., &Plog, M. (2012). The Effectiveness of Childbirth Classes for Increasing Self-
Efficacy in Women and Support Persons.International Journal of Childbirth, 2(2), 107-
114.
ScienceDaily,. (2014). Work to improve children's health should start before mother becomes pregnant. Retrieved 19 November 2014, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141020090136.htm
ScienceDaily,. (2014). Labor of love: Physically active moms-to-be give babies a head start on heart health. Retrieved 19 November 2014, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110407101406.htm
