5 Steps to a Healthy and Positive Childhood

71 Pages·2011·2 MB·English

by  Dr. Anjali Arora

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5 Steps to
A Healthy and Positive Childhood
© 2010, Dr. Anjali Arora
[email protected]
ISBN 978 81 207 4921 4
E-ISBN 978 81 207 9045 2

The author wishes to thank all academicians, scientists and writers who have
been a source of inspiration.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss or risk,
whatsoever, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly
or indirectly of the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

All rights are reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise, without prior written permission of the authors.

Printed and Published by Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd.,
New Delhi-110020.
Contents
1. Its All Starts from Motherhood
2. Breastfeeding and Immunisation
3. A Positive Childhood
4. Childhood Problems and Ailments
5. Healthy Childhood and Progressive Mind
Myths and Fact File
Are You Aware of Some of These Factors?
The birth of a healthy child is a lot dependent upon the mother’s health during
pregnancy.
1. When a woman is pregnant she should not be deficient in a. Iron
b. Fats
c. Cholesterol 2. On the birth of the baby, what score is important?
a. Apgar
b. Lifestyle c. Zenith
3. Which is the first vaccine administered to the child after birth ?
a. Hepatitis B
b. Measles
c. Mumps
4. During pregnancy, which of the following shots is important for
motherhood ?
a. Tetanus
b. Thyroid
c. Chicken pox The more times you tick (a) more are your chances of having a
healthy baby.
1 Its All Starts from Motherhood
Childhood is where dreams begin. Often, with these dreams are associated
factors of innocence, naivety and zest. How these factors translate over time
eventually gives us the personality of the individual. Actually it all starts with
the mother’s pregnancy, how the little one does in the womb and then at birth.
Later, it depends upon the formative years taking their toll or shielding the child
from ailments and mental traumas. The age at which the child is considered
responsible for his actions has also changed over centuries. This is due to the
social attitude towards a child. A healthy childhood is protection, prevention,
recovery and growth. It is a survival story – from the cocoon to the butterfly!
PRENATAL CARE
Care of a woman should begin even before she conceives. She should be
physically and mentally mature for her first pregnancy.
Prenatal Advice
Prenatal advice consists of genetic counselling for the prospective parents and
also guidance on natural nutrition, personal hygiene and protection of the unborn
against intrauterine infections. Advice of no smoking and avoiding alcohol is a
must. It should be remembered that a pregnancy in total duration consumes a
number of calories over and above the normal metabolic requirements. The diet
therefore must be more than adequate.
Health Care
Anemia
The major factors associated with anemia in the mother are iron and folic acid
deficiencies. It is well known that anemia during pregnancy often results in a
high incidence of premature births and other diseases.
Antenatal Visits
1.First antenatal visit to the doctor should be as soon as the pregnancy is
detected.
2.Thereafter the pregnant women’s doctor or gynaecologist guides her for the
following nine months of pregnancy.
Apgar Score
The apgar test is usually given to your baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth,
and again at 5 minutes after birth.
Apgar stands for: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration Five
factors used to evaluate the baby’s condition are:
Activity and muscle tone
Pulse (heart rate)
Grimace response (medically known as “reflex irritability”) Appearance
(skin coloration) Respiration (breathing rate and effort) Each factor is scored
on a scale of 0 to 2, with 2 being the best score.
A baby who scores a 7 or above on the test at 1 minute after birth is generally
considered in good health. After 5 minutes of birth, the Apgar score is
recalculated and should be 7 or above otherwise your baby will be closely
monitored by the pediatrician.
HIV and the Newborn
HIV infection is a source of great concern especially in a newborn with an HIV
positive mother. About 30 per cent babies born to HIV positive mothers get
infected. Transmission of infection mostly occurs at the end of the pregnancy.
There is also a risk of transmission of HIV infection through breast milk.
Age related development phases of a child