At perinatal workshop, expecting moms get answers to their queries
More than 100 couples, most of who are going to be first-time parents, attended the workshop. Dr Sandeep Kelkar, renowned pediatrician and neonatalogist, Lukmita Pawaskar, child birth and lactation educator and Chaitali Kohli belly-fit instructor spoke on various topics which tend to allay fears of expecting mothers.
dna’s Baby on Board perinatal workshop on Saturday proved true to its expectations for expecting mothers and would-be parents. Organised at Hotel Tip Top Plaza, the three-hour workshop addressed the nagging worries of first-time mothers regarding lactation, newborn care and fitness pre and post pregnancy.
More than 100 couples, most of who are going to be first-time parents, attended the workshop. Dr Sandeep Kelkar, renowned pediatrician and neonatalogist, Lukmita Pawaskar, child birth and lactation educator and Chaitali Kohli belly-fit instructor spoke on various topics which tend to allay fears of expecting mothers.
The workshop started with Pawaskar, who also runs an ante-natal workshop at Vasant Leela, speaking about the benefits of breastfeeding. She spoke about the need to breastfeed the baby in the first hour of his birth. “Once the baby is out of the womb, you need to breastfeed him or her for the first two days as its immunity is low. For this, the first time feed of Colustrum is important as it increases baby’s immunity,” she said.
Colustrum is the first milk your body produces and is full of antibodies and immunoglobulins which in a way vaccinates your baby from bacterias and viruses. She also emphasised how breastfeeding benefits the mother and baby.
“Breastfeeding helps you lose weight, lessens postpartum depression among women and in babies it increases immunity, leads to high intelligence quotient, less chances of obesity and respiratory disorders,” she added. She also advised on looking for feeding ques from the baby and various breastfeeding positions.
Dr Kelkar who runs Shri Prathamesh hospital in Thane spoke about routine newborn care. “The child makes a transition from intrauterine to extrauterine environment. So it is important to have a routine that stabilises him into this new world,” he said. He spoke about dry-wrapping the child except in summer and covering its head after birth.
He also spoke about skincare of the infant and gave baby bathing tips, hygiene to be maintained while changing nappies, immunisation schedule, how to monitor growth and development of the baby, sleep pattern and when to contact the pediatrician. “Contact the pediatrician when the child is not active, not sucking well, urinates less than five times in 24 hours,” he said.
The last and the most interesting segment which put everybody in a groovy mood was belly dance session hosted by Kohli from Pachpakhadi. It lightened up the mood of the pregnant women who took to the dance floor to learn some moves.
“Belly dance helps expecting mothers stay fit and eases pain in lower back and shoulders,” said Kohli, adding, “However, women can take it up only after three months of pregnancy and not before that.”
Participants enjoyed themselves and felt that this workshop answered most of their queries. “This was an informative workshop and an eye-opener. It scientifically answered my doubts which normally get buried under societal superstition. The fun part was the belly dance session,” said Sonali Patil, one of the expecting mothers.