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Health Promotion to Pregnant Women
Introduction
All expectant women should ensure that they stay healthy during pregnancy since most of what they consume is shared with the foetus. Some of the things women take are good for the baby while others can be harmful. To educate a group of first-time teenage mothers, I will use posters to inform them about the following important information.
First, I will emphasize on the need for pregnant women to maintain a balanced diet. Most meals should include starch –based foods such as cereals, rice, fruits as well as vegetables. Women should also eat a lot of fiber and proteins. Weight monitoring is also of great importance although it has been found out that a weight increase of between 11 to 16kg during pregnancy is normal.
Pregnant women also need an extra 200 calories especially in their last month of pregnancy. Rauh et al. (2013) support the idea that folic acid supplements are ideal during pregnancy and should be taken up to the end of the 12th week of pregnancy since they aid in avoiding anemia, a common condition among pregnant women.
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Tobacco smoke contains harmful chemicals that pass through our bloodstream and goes into the growing foetus’ blood. Therefore, the pregnant woman should be counseled to stop smoking and avoid risks such as ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, and premature labor (Piano & Phillips, 2013).
Additionally, during pregnancy women should avoid drinking alcohol because it slows down growth and causes serious problems in future. Pregnant women should also avoid pets which at times may carry germs that can be passed to the unborn baby. For instance, toxoplasma is bacteria commonly found in cats, therefore, I will educate women to wash their hands after handling cats.
This will aid in minimizing the effects of these germs. Using any illicit drugs when pregnant can have a detrimental effect on the unborn baby. Illicit drugs in most cases cause birth defects or miscarriage. Drug use can also affect the baby central nervous system according to Simkin et al. (2016).
Conclusion
Pregnant women should seek advice to get more information on how to stay healthy during pregnancy and after giving birth. Lifestyle adjustments will enable both the mother and the baby to stay healthy.
References
Piano, M. R., & Phillips, S. A. (2013). 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Alcohol. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 28(4), 318-319.
Rauh, K., Gabriel, E., Kerschbaum, E., Schuster, T., von Kries, R., Amann-Gassner, U., & Hauner, H. (2013). Safety and efficacy of a lifestyle intervention for pregnant women to prevent excessive maternal weight gain: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. BMC pregnancy and childbirth, 13(1), 1.
Simkin, P., Whalley, J., Keppler, A., Durham, J., & Bolding, A. (2016). Pregnancy, childbirth and the newborn: The complete guide. Simon and Schuster.
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