Mysore/Mysuru: For an expectant mother, her life revolves around the baby as soon as she is confirmed about her pregnancy. During this phase, she is often puzzled about pregnancy. To address these conundrums, Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru (a unit of Manipal Hospitals) had recently organised Parent Craft, a webinar to address all queries from the to-be-mothers. 

Parent Craft is an informative event organised by Columbia Asia Hospital to assist soon-to-be mothers in terms of their health, precautions to be taken during pregnancy, delivery methods and taking care of the new-borns. This session not only addressed the queries by expectant mothers, but also proved to be an educative session helping the to-be-parents to understand more about the lifestyle, diet and exercise which they need to follow. 

This virtual meet was addressed by Dr. Madhura Phatak, Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dr. B.P. Anjali, Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dr. Bhuvaneshwar, Consultant, Paediatrics — all from Columbia Asia Hospital, Mysuru —  Shifain, Dietetics & Nutrition, Pavitra, Nursing and Aruna from Physiotherapy. Topics like premature delivery, pre-eclampsia, high blood pressure during pregnancy, exercises, diet and methods of delivery were discussed in this virtual meet. 

Highlighting the importance of the session, Dr. Madhura Phatak said “Parent Craft helps women to get over their confusions about pregnancy and delivery. This is the time when they have to be relaxed and enjoy every moment. Knowing the facts and breaking the myths is crucial at this point. Creating awareness among the expectant mothers and building their confidence will help in a healthy delivery. In this session we educated both to-be-mothers and family members.”

Dr. Anjali said, “Starting from the right diet to following the required exercise regime, everything counts to have a healthy pregnancy. It is common to be confused during this time. But clarifying it and taking the right step will help both the mother and the infant. With Covid cases everywhere, many had come up with questions about infection during pregnancy and how it might impact their delivery.” 

Replying to the queries related to new-borns, Dr. Bhuvaneshwar said “Delivering a healthy baby is the foremost concern of every mother and they take all precautions to ensure it.  However, taking care of the new-born may be a challenging task initially as the mother needs to be well aware of neonatal procedures like holding the baby or feeding it..”

In this educative session, the hospital organised exercise demos which are vital during pregnancy and post-delivery. To educate about the food to be consumed, healthy diet recipes were also shared with the participants. Sixty-eight expectant mothers enthusiastically shared their experience. Questions related to delivery options like vaginal birth, C section, epidural delivery were also discussed during the session.