Dr. Anjali Arora - 5 Steps to a Healthy and Positive Childhood

Childhood is where dreams begin. Often, with these dreams are associated factors of innocence, naivety and zest. How these factors translate over time eventually gives us the personality of the individual. Actually it all starts with the mothers pregnancy, how the little one does in the womb and then at birth. Later, it depends upon the formative years taking their toll or shielding the child from ailments and mental traumas. The age at which the child is considered responsible for his actions has also changed over centuries. This is due to the social attitude towards a child. A healthy childhood is protection, prevention, recovery and growth. It is a survival story from the cocoon to the butterfly!

Care of a woman should begin even before she conceives. She should be physically and mentally mature for her first pregnancy.

Prenatal advice consists of genetic counselling for the prospective parents and also guidance on natural nutrition, personal hygiene and protection of the unborn against intrauterine infections. Advice of no smoking and avoiding alcohol is a must. It should be remembered that a pregnancy in total duration consumes a number of calories over and above the normal metabolic requirements. The diet therefore must be more than adequate.

The major factors associated with anemia in the mother are iron and folic acid deficiencies. It is well known that anemia during pregnancy often results in a high incidence of premature births and other diseases.

1.First antenatal visit to the doctor should be as soon as the pregnancy is detected.

2.Thereafter the pregnant womens doctor or gynaecologist guides her for the following nine months of pregnancy.

The apgar test is usually given to your baby twice: once at 1 minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth.

Apgar stands for: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance and Respiration

Five factors used to evaluate the babys condition are:

Activity and muscle tone

Pulse (heart rate)

Grimace response (medically known as reflex irritability)

Appearance (skin coloration)

Respiration (breathing rate and effort)

Each factor is scored on a scale of 0 to 2, with 2 being the best score.

A baby who scores a 7 or above on the test at 1 minute after birth is generally considered in good health. After 5 minutes of birth, the Apgar score is recalculated and should be 7 or above otherwise your baby will be closely monitored by the pediatrician.

HIV infection is a source of great concern especially in a newborn with an HIV positive mother. About 30 per cent babies born to HIV positive mothers get infected. Transmission of infection mostly occurs at the end of the pregnancy. There is also a risk of transmission of HIV infection through breast milk.

Infancy (upto 1 year of age)

Neonatal period (first 28 days of life)

Post-neonatal period (from 28th day to 1 year)

Pre-school age (1- 4 years)

School age early childhood (4-9 years)

Middle childhood (9-11 years)

Puberty and adolescence (9-18 years)