Awarenes linked to miscarriages

Awarenes linked to miscarriages

Leo Wahyudi S., The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Many expectant couples in the country lack proper
understanding of reproductive health issues, unaware of the
severe long-term consequences for their still-unborn child.

Obstetrician Hasnah Siregar lamented her experience with young
couples, many of whom lacked awareness, with some even oblivious
to the necessity of recognizing practical health aspects.

"Young mothers now are simply not aware," Hasnah said, noting
that many do not even have a personal record of their own state
of health.

"I am very disappointed about Indonesian women, who seem to be
unconcerned about their own menstrual periods," she remarked.

"It is no wonder that they then complain a lot about their
pregnancies."

On one hand they expected to bear intelligent babies, but they
were actually ignorant of what to do during their pregnancy,
Hasnah said during a seminar held at Siloam Gleneagles Hospital,
titled How to Create an Intelligent Child.

She also revealed the surprising results of a study, conducted
here five years ago, which found that miscarried embryos were
found in the menstrual blood of almost half of the women in the
survey.

Without fully elaborating, Hasnah pointed to simple ignorance
and carelessness as being the root cause.

During the seminar, another obstetrician, Dachrial Daud, urged
expectant mothers to ensure they had enough rest, maintained
adequate nutrition and had a healthy lifestyle.

A favorable life environment would enable them to avoid
stressors, a factor that could lead to depression, he added.

An often important, yet overlooked factor, is the role of the
father.

Dachrial underlined the role of the father in maintaining a
harmonious relationship with the expectant mother.

Similarly, Hasnah pointed out that the relationship between
the mother and father would already begin to influence the
emotional development of the embryo from the 16th week.

She said healthy pregnancies were very much affected by
favorable psychological factors from both parents.

M. Louise, a psychologist who is deputy coordinator of the
Parents Education Program at Harapan Kita Hospital, stressed the
significance of the psychological comfort and understanding given
by the father to the expectant mother.

Only when there was no psychological irritation during
pregnancy could an intelligent and emotionally healthy child be
born, Louise said.