Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
National Safe Motherhood Day is an initiative of the White Ribbon Alliance. The government of India declared in 2003 the national safe motherhood day on April 11. This day on the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi wife of Mahatma Gandhi , the national motherhood day is observed every year. India is one of the most high-risk places in the world to give birth, accounting for 15% of total maternal deaths worldwide.This day also focuses on reducing anaemia among women, institutional delivery, for better pre and postnatal health care etc. which are necessary for mothers. A healthy mother is important because she is an incubator for her unborn child. If a woman eats a nutritious diet during pregnancy, then the brain development of the foetus is good. It also ensures there is a reduction in birth defects and the weight of the baby is healthy.
Every year 44,000 women die in India due to improper care during the pregnancy. Motherhood is the best gift of God and mothers are the most special person in an individual’s life. Women are blessed with a unique ability, i.e. to give birth. A woman nurtures her child in her womb for nine months, puts her body through a lot of misery in form of sickness, labour pain, and so on; hoping to deliver a healthy baby with safety. However, this does not always go in the desired manner, especially in a poor country like ours.Motherhood creates many responsibilities and often changes a woman as a person. It is considered the greatest gift of God, according to many cultures. It embraces the circle of knowing ones’ child and understanding them from a mother’s perspective. Motherhood encompasses all the phases of life, hopes, dreams, acceptance, failures, disappointments, repentance and forgiveness. It includes perseverance of a mother to raise her child for upcoming life trials and to show the next generation, the various ways of life.Motherhood is not just a physical happening and implies nurturing of the young individual and taking care of the child’s dreams and passion.Bleeding during pregnancy and delivery (postpartum haemorrhage) is one of the main health risks women face while giving birth. This life threatening condition is linked to malnutrition, both in rural and urban women. There is nothing that can come close to the love that a mother feels for her children. Women are inherently good mothers. Till birth women carry their young and then continue their love & affection throughout their childhood and even into adulthood. Every Mother always makes sure that their children are safe and happy throughout their childhood. Motherhood is the phase of being a mother and often comes with a lot of difficulties.
Motherhood is nurturing and loving one’s child deeply without any expectations. Motherhood has many cultural references also.A child’s vision of the world is a reflectance of the mother’s perspective mostly.
There are many debates about motherhood from a feminist viewpoint. Motherhood affects every woman differently, and it must be equally respected. Mothers can be managing household chores and take care of their child at the same time or create a balance between their work life and their child’s responsibilities.Knowledge about safe motherhood practices could help reduce pregnancy related health risks. There is no doubt that a mother is the most important person in a child’s life when it comes to assurance and a matter of security.Let us raise awareness for the prevention of child marriages because we can say that child marriage may be an indirect cause of maternal deaths. Is it not the right for every woman to take good quality nutrition proper healthcare services during and after pregnancy and childbirth?
—The Hawk Features