A Healthy Mother A Key To Healthy Family and Society?

The Role of a Healthy Mother In Family’s Health

The word woman has a very close relationship with love, care, and happiness. When you haven’t seen your mother for some time and suddenly you hear her voice; That instant smile, happiness, and warmth you feel is priceless. The role of the mother in the happiness of the family cannot be undervalued. God was impressed by the sublime position of mother. That’s why he compared his love for humans to the love of a mother for her child.

Limiting the greatness of a woman only to the mother figure is injustice. Woman in the figure of a wife is the source of joy and lifelong peace. A healthy woman is the key to a healthy family. She is not only providing your lifelong company through thick and thin of life. But she is also the mother of your children. She is the backbone of your family.

Woman in every shape and figure is a blessing to humanity.

“Mothers are our world. Sisters are our sky. Daughters are our stars. Women are our universe.”

― Matshona Dhliwayo

Unfortunately, we failed to pay back the goodness to our women. Especially in third world countries and all over the world; women are facing distinct problems. They are not provided with the proper health facilities, diet, and emotional support they need. In African and several Asian countries, they are deprived of their due rights and respect.

A Healthy Mother Is a Key To Healthy Children

Photo by Andriyko Podilnyk on Unsplash

Imagine your children growing without a mentally, physically, and emotionally healthy mother. Your children not getting proper care and attention needed to them for their emotional mental and physical well-being. Imagine your home without that lovely existence of a wife! Who is always there to share your sorrows and provide you comfort her lap? Even imagining the situation is fearful. Isn’t it?

Well, the role of the mother in the family’s health and prosperity is crucial. The above havoc situation can be your real-life story if you do not care for the health of women.

We have hundreds of examples in history where the mother destroyed her family and children. Of course, you dislike your family to suffer; in fact, no one likes his family to suffer due to an unhealthy woman.

Does Healthy Mother Means Physical Health Only?

There are different aspects and several stages of a woman’s life. The woman of your life needs proper care and attention through all these stages. These stages include pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal period. A healthy mother is a key to healthy children. Your lady needs to be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy and strong.

Physical health

The physical health of a woman affects all the other aspects of her life. She is the caretaker of the whole family. She cooks food, wash clothes, breastfeed her babies, and cleans the house. Even her husband’s life and well-being are completely dependent on her. Besides lifting all this huge responsibility of the home, children, and husband, she goes for her job. She helps her husband financially and supports her family. The life of the whole family is disturbed when she is not physically well. Hence we cannot undervalue taking care of the physical health of women.

Here we are adding a checklist of five essentials. That will ensure the physical well-being of women. You should check it before going to bed. Think of how your next day can be better than today in terms of taking care of your physical health.

Did I,

• eat a healthy diet today: no fast food and junk food
• exercise today?
• do any risky habits: no drugs and smoking
• manage my stress properly?
• mediate today?

Related: How to be physically active at home without gym

Emotional health

Note that your wife is not a hotel waiter who served you. You uttered a formal thank you and left the hotel. She is your life partner. You should not deal with her as a maid. She needs quality time. She needs you to listen to her, to discuss her problems with her.

You need to try your best to solve her problems. Care for her recreation and refreshment as much as possible.

This is a direct investment in you and your children’s happiness.

Yes, next time do not hesitate to invest more time and resources in making your wife happy.

Here is the list of practical steps every woman should practice for emotional health.

• Be aware of your emotions 
• Do not show impulse reaction, instead take time and respond the right way 
• Express your feeling in an appropriate way 
• Manage stress. You can practice meditation, yoga, and prayer 
• Have some meaningful connections that make you happy
•  Find a hobby that you enjoy
• Find meaning and purpose in your life

Related: How To Fix a Toxic Relationship?

Maternal health

Maternal health refers to women’s health during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. 

According to World Health Organization, 295 000 women died during pregnancy and following childbirth because of mental stress, only in 2017. This is an alarming amount, and it has not dropped yet, significantly.

There are different reasons for such women losing their life during an experience(childbirth). This experience should rather be a pleasant experience for women. 

We can avoid most of the unfortunate happening during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. We should take proper care and obey the instructions of a qualified doctor.

How To Be a Healthy Mother During Pregnancy?

Maternal Health is further divided into three categories. The pregnancy period, Childbirth, and Postnatal period. We can make it a pleasant experience for women by following proper instructions and care.

Take care of women by ensuring these things during pregnancy

• Eat healthy foods
• Stay hydrated
• Go to your parental care checkups
• Avoid alcohol
• Avoid smoking
• Take a walk daily

Childbirth is a period of extreme physical pain and mental stress. Try to ease it as much as possible for a woman.

How To Become A Healthy Mother During Childbirth

• Have a caregiver (besides doctor and midwife, you need a caregiver during childbirth)
• Eat well
• Have some mental and physical exercises to minimize stress during childbirth
• Take parental classes before childbirth

Postnatal period

After childbirth, the period is called the postnatal period. It is usually 6 weeks long. A woman needs extra care and support during this time. Different types of hormonal changes occur during this time. The body is adjusting itself to the after childbirth life.

Here are some important points to take care of during the postnatal period

• Take extra rest
• Ask for help
• Eat healthy foods
• Take regular exercise

How To Stay Healthy During Breastfeeding

Photo by Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz on Unsplash

You cannot find any food better than your breastmilk for a baby. Mother breastfeeding helps the baby’s mind and body grow appropriately. It is better than all other kinds of milk and foods. Therefore, it is very important to take care of a woman’s health so that the baby can get the best food. During the breastfeeding period, a mother’s diet should be increased by ten percent if she is not physically active. And by 20 percent if she is moderately or very active. This is needed to cope with the energy required for breastfeeding.

Follow these during the breastfeeding period

• Practice good hygiene
• Wear a supportive bra
• Make sure your baby is latching on correctly
• Moisturize your nipples with breast milk

Birth to pregnancy interval

Do not consider your lady as a baby-making machine. A proper birth to pregnancy interval is very necessary for the health of mother and child. 

• With birth to pregnancy interval of 6 months or fewer, there is a higher risk of maternal mortality. 
• With a birth interval of 18 months is less there is a significant risk of neonatal and infant mortality, low birth weight, small size for gestational age, and preterm birth.
• It is highly recommended for couples to wait for at least 24 months before considering the next pregnancy.

Related: What are the signs of PCOS in teenagers?

Making a Healthy Woman; Maintaining a Healthy Society.

Do not let the goodness stop at your home. After you are done with creating a nourishing environment for women at your home, make it passes on to your children. That, of course, will happen indirectly as a healthy mother is a key to healthy children. So, you are helping grow a healthier society.