Maternal and Child Health Care

Maternal and child health care(MCH) refers to the promotive, preventive curative and rehabilitative health care for mother and children. The ultimate objective of maternal and child health care programme is life long health. The major objectives of maternal and child health care are as followings.

(i) Reduction of maternal, perinatal, infant and childhood mortality and morbidity.

(ii) Promotion of reproductive health.

(iii) Promotion of the physical and psychological development of the child and adolescence within the family.


The maternal and child health care programme includes the following component:

(a)Antenatal Care(ANC)

(b)Intranatal Care(INC)

(c)postnatal Care(PNC)

(d)Care of children under age 5 year.

(a) Antenatal care(ANC): Antenatal care is the care of the woman during pregnancy. It is universally accepted that only healthy mother can give birth to a healthy child. the pregnant mother needs special health care and that can be gives in the following ways.

-pregnant female should have proper check up their health where ever it is possible such as health post, health centre,hospital etc.Minimum four times check up is needed as following:

• first check up before 10th weeks .
• Second check up 20-24 weeks.
• third check up 28-32 weeks.
• Fourth checks up 36-37 weeks
  

- Pregnant female should take nutritious food which helps to make the health of both mother and foetus in a good condition. Pregnant female should can some 300kcal extra energy and lactating woman should can sume 550kcal extra energy every day.

-Pregnant female should do light physical exercise and also should take rest but should not carry heavy load because in many result abortion. She should take rest of at least 2 hours in a day time and 8hours in night times.


-Pregnant female should be immunized against Titanus, TT vaccine is to be taken at 16-20 weeks and at 20-24 weeks (with a gap of 1 month).

-She should not take drugs without prescription and she should not take X-ray.

-Pregnant female should not travel long distance.


(b) Intranatal care(INC): Intranatal is the care during delivery or child birth. The ways of caring the woman at the time of delivery are as following.

• Transport the casually to the nearest hospital.
• Advice the casualty to take bath and public hair should be cleanly shaved.
• Glucose water or plain water should be given frequently.
• Facilitate the casualty in a dorsal position.
• After delivery, facilitate for clear expulsion of mucus umbical cord and placenta .
• Advice and ask casually for urination.
• Home delivery should be done by Trained Birth Attendant(TBAs) and "3 cleans " should be born in mind i.e. clean hand, clean cutting instrument and clean sheet. Now days SUTKERY SAMAGRI has become popular which contains blade, plastic, rubber coin, soap and threads.
• Torn up part (i.e., perineum) should be stitched.
  
  
  (c) Postnatal care (PNC): Post natal care is the care of the mother and the child until 6 weeks after delivery. the woman has physically more weakness due to hard labour which may create various health problems. For this reason, proper health care postnatal mother is necessary and for that the following ways should be adopted.
  
  
• Mother should be advised to take bath with warm water.
• Mother should be kept in a warm and clean room where sunlight may easily come.
• Sexual intercourse should be avoided up to 42 days from the time of delivery.
• Soon after the delivery, the health check up must be frequent.
• Balanced diet should be given to the mother.
• The instrument used to cut the umbical cord should be sterilized by boiling.
• Breast feeding should be started immediately after the birth of child.
• The nose of the infants should be cleaned.
• Proper warm and clean clothes should be used for the neonates.
• Health examination9n of infants should be done from time to time.
  
  
  (d) Care of Infants and Children Ages Under 5 years: proper health care of children aged under 5 years is required and for this, the following ways be adopted.
  
  
• Breast milk provides adequate nutrition for infants till the age of 5-6 months.
• Introduction of additional food essential after reaches 5-6 months of age.
• Breast milk should ideally be continued till a child is 24 months of age.
• Infections diseases like measles, whooping cough, tetanus, diphtheria, Polio etc. are associated with under age five years. Therefore, children should be immunized by BCG, DPT,Polio, Measles and TT within the period of 12 months from the time of birth.