Written By: Kriti Saraswat | Updated : August 6, 2013 12:14 PM IST
The prenatal workshop 'Baby on Board' organised by DNA was an informative session for parents-to-be as it highlighted the common problems or doubts parents have after the baby is born and also debunked various myths associated with childcare. The workshop was conducted in Vashi, at Hotel Tunga on Sunday, February 24. It was the second such workshop DNA organised, the first one being conducted in Andheri.
Many Indian rituals and customs that people normally practise could in fact be harmful for the newborn. One such custom is hiring maids to massage the newborn. Commonly known as 'maalishwaali aaya' they massage the baby with oil in a rather forceful manner which can lead to fractures and internal damages. There have been many such instances in the past where the baby's bones were broken due to too much pressure on them. Dr Deepak Ugra, a leading paediatrician stressed on the fact that only mothers should massage the baby and it should be done very gently. He also highlighted the fact that these maids stress on cleaning the child's tongue which shouldn't be done at all.
The session started with Sonali Shivlani, an Internationally Certified Pregnancy, Lactation and Child Nutrition Counsellor advising would-be parents on nutrition and diet during pregnancy. She told pregnant women that they can give in to their cravings of ice creams and chocolates once in a while. They can eat them in moderation and they shouldn't be stopped from doing that. "The baby will be healthy only if the mother is happy and healthy", she said. Sonali also gave tips to ease labour pain such as taking deep breaths and relaxing your mind instead of screaming.
Dr Ugra's session was an interesting one as he put up a presentation of the most frequently asked questions by parents about breastfeeding, and paediatric care. He covered questions from 'How do I prepare myself for a baby' to 'How to avoid sibling rivalry among the older one and newborn'. He also answered questions like 'How do working mothers manage exclusive breastfeeding' with useful pointers that'll come in handy to many such mums.
After an informative session, it was time to have some fun and a 'baby Pictionary' game was organised by www.thehealthsite.com for the expecting couples. The husbands had to draw pregnancy-related words and their wives had to guess them within a stipulated time. It was a hilarious sight as husbands struggled to draw words like uterus, sonography and morning sickness. The audience members prompted and won a few, cool prizes for the right guesses.
The last part of the workshop was conducted by Charlotte Marchant, an Internationally Certified Child Birth Educator. She stressed on the importance of exercise and keeping yourself toned during pregnancy for an easy delivery and health of the baby. She even showed some belly dance moves and yoga exercises that pregnant mothers can do on a daily basis. Many audience members attempted these dance moves and enjoyed the session. The workshop concluded with her giving tips and answering questions that the couples had.
