LMCN and AJIMS organize Regional Conference on ‘Safe Motherhood’
Laxmi Memorial College of Nursing {LMCN} in association with A J Institute of Medical Sciences {AJIMS}; and Department of District Health and Family Welfare DK organized a Regional Conference on the theme “Motherhood Shapes Our Future-Let’s Make it Safe” to mark “National Safe Motherhood Day’ celebrated very year on 11 April.
The pivotal role of being a mother is still the divine mission assigned to women alone. From a classic poem written by William Ross Wallace entitled ‘What Rules the World’, he said that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. It illustrates the influence a mother plays to her child and in the long run to the society; that as a mother strives to nurture and teach a child, she explicitly makes the world a much better place. Women are actually given an opportunity and a privilege by God to be His partner in giving life to another human being.
Mangaluru: The best part of every woman’s life is when she gets pregnant and becomes two. The point she comes to know that she is pregnant she starts dreaming about her child. She starts listing down new names for both boy and girl. She starts taking care of her more. She gets curious and excited about every single brief given by any relative or doctors. But we need to be more concern about her health and her baby’s health as well.
On April 11th, every year the National Safe Motherhood Day is observed, and on this day an initiative was taken to enforce that women must have the availability and adequate access to care during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal services. India is the first country in the world to have officially declared National Safe Motherhood Day. The pillars of Safe Motherhood are listed as: Family planning; Antenatal care; Obstetric care – clean and safe delivery; Prenatal care; Postnatal care; and Control of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infections. We need to work towards protecting lives of women and newborns in India by: Building alliances for improving maternal health facilities; Strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers; Influencing policies of maternal care; Harness resources for technology and training; and Inspiring action at various levels.
And here in Mangaluru, Laxmi Memorial College of Nursing in association with A J Institute of Medical Sciences; and Department of District Health and Family Welfare DK organized a Regional Conference on the theme ” Motherhood Shapes Our Future-Let’s Make it Safe” to mark “National Safe Motherhood Day’ celebrated it on every 11 April 2018 at the AJIMS Conference Hall. The programme began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song by students of LMCN, followed by welcome address by Dr Jennifer D’souza- HOD of Community Health Nursing, LMCN.
The conference was inaugurated by lighting the lamp by chief guest- Dr Ramakrishna Rao-Dist Health and Family Welfare Officer, DK; along with other special invitees namely- Dr Ashok H- RCH Officer, Dist Health and Family Welfare Office; Dr Badarudeen MN-District TB and DAPCU Officer, DK; Dr Kishore Kumar M-Deputy Medical Officer, TB and Chest Disease Hospital, Moodushedde, together with other dignitaries on the dais namely- Dr Larissa Martha Sams- Principal, LMCN; Ms Saritha R Hegde-Dist Supervisor/Programme co-ordinator, DAPCU; Ms Sandhya D’Almeida-HOD of OBG Nursing, LMCN; Dr Vatshala Kamath- HOD of OBG, AJIMS; and Dr Jennifer D’souza.
Ms Sandhya D’Almeida giving a brief description of the Motherhood Day, unveiled the theme ” Motherhood Shapes Our Future-Let’s Make it Safe”, which was followed by the address of the Chief guest Dr Ramakrishna Rao, where he gave an elaborate speech on the importance of being a pregnant woman/motherhood. “A mother understands what a child does not say. Indeed there exist a dynamic between mother and children. Mothers can hear sentences in the silences of their children. God has given mothers the special gift of intuition because it gives her a strong sense of what is right for her children, what they are good at, how they may excel in the future what gifts and abilities she needs to make sure are developed in their lives as God intended” added Dr Rao.
He further said, ” Women especially mothers are the most influential educators. They bequeath to us timeless wisdom, a legacy so precious and valuable. Mothers have often shaped our world from the cradle, by rocking, nurturing and instructing children to grow up to make life-changing and history-making accomplishments. For every person, there is a mother behind who fostered her child’s sensibilities to their full potential. As India observes National Safe Motherhood Day, doctors said the issue of postnatal mental health, especially postpartum depression following childbirth, remains largely ignored and under-recognized.”
“Despite the issue being universal and experienced by “100 percent of the mothers”, there is a complete lack of interest towards the mental health of a new mother after she gives birth to a child. Women suffering from postpartum depression usually show the same symptoms associated with other kinds of stress and depression such as a feeling of despair, crying for no apparent reason, being irritable, restless, oversleeping or not sleeping enough, eating too little or too much, and staying aloof from friends and family. In acute cases, it can lead to self-harm or even injuries to the child. Support from the family and intervention of counsellors and therapists, if required, can help a new mother get accustomed to the changes and her new role in life. Conferences like these also bring awareness and help health care personnel to handle such situations”, added Dr Ramakrishna Rao.
Ms Saritha Hegde and Dr Larissa Sams also spoke and gave a brief note about the importance of this Conference, and wished it all success. Following the vote of thanks by Ms Saritha Hegde, it was time for scientific sessions. The programme was compered by Ms Cletta D’Cunha and Ms Ranjini, both lecturers at LMCN. Resource persons of the Conference namely : Dr Ashok H spoke on ‘Reproduction child Health and Nutrition’; Dr Kishore Kumar M spoke on ‘Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission, and Post Exposure Prophylaxis; Prabhath Kalkura-Project Manager, World Diabetic Foundation, Manipal on ‘Rapport building with clients and community; and Dr Poornima J -Gynecologist, on ‘misconceptions about Care in Pregnancy and Puerperium’.