Worldwide Mother’s Day celebrates motherhood and the numerous positive contributions of mothers to the society. It falls on the second Sunday of each May. It is the result of a campaign by Anna Marie Jarvis (1864–1948), who, after the death of her mother on May 9, 1905, devoted her life to establishing Mother’s Day as a national, and later an international day to remember mothers. Being born as the fairer sex, being a female, a wife, a mother…indeed a woman plays so many roles and characters in life. In the Bible it is acknowledged, “Adam named his wife Eve, because She would become the mother of all the living” Gen 3:20. Mothers are special people God knew that from the start and that’s why he created them in His own image and to them gave the biggest heart. The love and heart of a mother.
What is a Mother?
Katherine Nelson Davis
A mother is someone to shelter and guide us,
To love us, whatever we do,
With a warm understanding and infinite patience,
And wonderful gentleness, too.
How often a mother means swift reassurance
In soothing our small, childish fears,
How tenderly mothers watch over their children
And treasure them all through the years!
The heart of a mother is full of forgiveness
For any mistake, big or small,
And generous always in helping her family
Whose needs she has placed above all.
A mother can utter a word of compassion
And make all our cares fall away,
She can brighten a home with the sound of her laughter
And make life delightful and gay.
A mother possesses incredible wisdom
And wonderful insight and skill -
In each human heart is that one special corner
Which only a mother can fill!
Being a woman, each one of us is blessed to experience the role of a mother, the joy of motherhood which comes naturally and instinctively to most of us! Every mother has the gift of procreation, a gift that has been thoughtfully crafted and design only for the unique being which only a mother can fulfill. Giving birth to a life however, can make a mother vulnerable to complication, disability and even death. Lessening death and other complications related to pregnancy/childbirth would make a lot of difference in the way we treat a women’s health, decision, safety and wellbeing. It would also mean creating circumstances within which a woman is given the free will to choose whether to conceive and when to conceive a child; and if she does, ensuring, that she receives care for prevention and treatment of any pregnancy complications.
Some essential care for all pregnant women is to follow these simple steps:
• Register pregnancy by 12-16 weeks
• Antenatal checkup at least 3 times during pregnancy at 12, 22 and 36 weeks. Its purpose is to monitor progress of the pregnancy and to identify and refer risk cases for appropriate treatment.
• Two doses of Tetanus Toxoid at one month interval should be given to all pregnant women.
• Iron and Folic Acid prophylaxis for at least 100 days to all pregnant women.
• Safe and clean delivery services.
• Post-natal care, including advice and counseling, services for limiting and spacing of births.
• Early detection of complications through screening of high risk mothers and its management.
• If there is bleeding before 28 weeks Anti Partum Hemorrhage (APH) and excessive bleeding after Post Partum Hemorrhage (PPH), she should be referred to the nearest hospital by the quickest mode of transport.
Women in their reproductive age must know the importance of care during pregnancy, during delivery and after child birth. To have a safer pregnancy and to regain the strength after childbirth; optimal timing and spacing of birth should be shared equally by both partners and also their choice of contraceptives. It is disheartening to hear when a woman dies because of her of lack of knowledge, awareness or limited facilities. The life of a woman is too precious to let her die due to complications during or after delivery or unsafe abortions. Many a time induced abortions are illegally conducted using hazardous methods leading to complications like death due to shock, bleeding, perforation of uterus, Septiceamia and in the long term causing RTI (Reproductive Tract Infection), pelvic inflammatory disease, Ectopic (Tubal) pregnancy, or Infertility. Each year an estimated 20 million unsafe abortions are performed worldwide, 95% of which are performed in low-income/developing countries. Every year 1,30,000 women in India die giving birth and 20,000 women die every year due to unsafe abortions. For this reason, to save women from quacks, unsafe and unskilled practioners, the Government of India legalized abortion through the MTP Act, of 1971, to avoid further deaths due to unsafe abortion. Under the MTP Act, an abortion can be legally conducted within 20 weeks of pregnancy by a trained Doctor from a licensed clinic. It is kept surreptitiously; nevertheless it is well known that women in any part of the world, when faced with unintended pregnancies, resort to abortion regardless of the legality of the procedure. Many have no choice but to undergo abortions performed by unqualified practioners/quacks in unhygienic settings. The rational behind the formation of MTP Act is neither to challenge any cultural, political, religious or moral sentiments nor to disregard emotions based on believes/faith. The message that needs to be sent across, is that all pregnancies should be wanted and planned, and that every woman has the right to avail family planning, counseling and services because why should a woman in the course of her life go through the ordeal of unsafe abortions, complications, fatality and death? A women’s life is too precious to let her die in giving birth to give another life. Celebrate joy of motherhood, celebrate life! in each human heart is that one special corner which only a mother can win!
Counselor FPAI, Nagaland Branch Daklane Kohima
