Women must develop a healthy balance between their mothering duties and self-care after giving birth. Lack of rest can cause mothers to become restless, potentially leading to postpartum depression. Parents, particularly first-timers, who do not have a family member to help care for the mother may benefit from the MamaCare programme, which offers mothers holistic postnatal care with the purpose of improving both their own and their families’ reproductive health and wellness.
Postnatal care for mothers, newborns
Childbirth is a difficult and exhausting process since it demands both physical and mental strength from the mother.
Mothers must take care of themselves after giving birth, especially during the six-to-eight-week postpartum period, because they will undergo emotional and physical changes.
Women must learn to balance their responsibilities as mothers as well as take care of themselves.
Lack of rest after childbirth can cause mothers to become moody, leading to problems such as postpartum depression, a mental illness that affects women after giving birth.
The World Health Organization (WHO) links postpartum depression to chemical, social, and psychological changes that occur during childbirth. The term refers to a range of physical and emotional changes that many new mothers go through.
The chemical changes include a rapid drop in hormone levels following delivery. The female reproductive hormones oestrogen and progesterone increase tenfold during pregnancy and then decline drastically after delivery.
These hormone levels return to pre-pregnancy levels three days after a woman gives birth.
In addition to these chemical changes, the social and psychological changes associated with having a baby raise the risk of depression.
Parents and their respective family members must be aware of the importance of postpartum care.
Mothers should not only get enough rest, but also need to consume healthy food and take care of their health.
In fact, Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said that the difficulties experienced during the postpartum period and breastfeeding, as well as the physical, mental, and emotional challenges faced by pregnant women and women giving birth, are described in the al-Quran.
“That is why mothers must be respected. Our state government also provided Bantuan Ibu Bersalin (BIB) to assist mothers during confinement or postpartum care.
“BIB is a Sarawak government initiative that offers a one-off cash payment of RM450 to each “K” status mother or wife of a “K” status identity card holder. It was introduced in 2020 with the aim of easing the burden on mothers following childbirth, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or socioeconomic status,” she said.
Nevertheless, just because women are happy with the arrival of a new child does not mean that they must face all of the responsibility of caring for the newborn alone. You run the risk of developing stress if you are overtired.
If you can afford it, hire a babysitter to help with housework and care for the newborn when you need to rest. If not, get assistance from a close family member.
Parents, particularly first-timers, who do not have a family member to help care for the mother might take advantage of the postnatal care package, which is now widely offered by caregivers.
The majority of the packages available vary from three to 44 days, depending on the parents’ budget.
In these packages, the caregivers will provide the mother with berurut (a massage), bertangas (a steam bath), bertungku (a hot compress), food, and other services, in addition to bathing and massaging the newborn.
Parents from the B40 (low-income) group shouldn’t worry because registered MamaCare practitioners can provide these services at a very reasonable price as well.
The MamaCare programme is a holistic postnatal care service for mothers who aims to improve their reproductive health and wellbeing, as well as that of their families.
This training capacity is also one of the initiatives under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) of the 1Malaysia Women’s Initiative for Self-Empowerment (1MWISE), as well as a smart partnership between the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), Eduskill, and Persatuan Warisan Urutan Melayu Malaysia (HAMA).
It initially targeted single mothers, the elderly, and women from low-income households. To assure the continuation of this programme, they have broadened their target audience to women from B40 families.
It was inaugurated on November 22, 2012, at the Malay Massage Academy in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, by LPPKN director-general Datuk Aminah Abdul Rahman. Since 2014, this initiative has been implemented throughout Malaysia.
For the record, Malaysia has 500,000 births per year, with about 70 per cent of young mothers still receiving traditional massage services and traditional postpartum care.
However, the ‘one practitioner to 212 postpartum mothers’ ratio makes it difficult for mothers (particularly young ones) to obtain the market’s care services.
Recognising this issue, MamaCare has attempted to train as many women as possible who are interested in traditional massage and postpartum care so that the practitioner-to-postpartum mother ratio can be balanced.
Through a community empowerment approach that provides support services for women and their families, the sustainability of MamaCare’s innovations has helped minimise the strain on the government in delivering postpartum care services.
Furthermore, the federal government has saved up to RM65 million per year on the treatment of depression, particularly postpartum depression, as a result of the existence of MamaCare.
Sarawak currently has 120 MamaCare practitioners.
Rosmawati Bolhassan, one of the programme’s seniors, said that MamaCare is able to raise professions such as traditional and modern massage practitioners as careers that not only pay well but also have commercial value.
“I joined MamaCare in 2014, and in 2018, I helped develop MamaCare UTC Kuching to assist low-income women who do not yet have a market in generating their money.
“This initiative indirectly increases the worth of women’s entrepreneurship and psychosocial skills,” she said.
In addition to providing services such as massage to women after giving birth, MamaCare practitioners, according to the 51-year-old, have a role in providing moral support and listening to mothers’ problems or concerns.
“Giving birth is by no means an easy task. Therefore, it is important for mothers to obtain adequate rest and follow a nutritious diet in order to restore their energy.
“Also, family members’ support is crucial because the mother’s emotions are still unstable owing to hormonal changes at this time.
“A well-balanced meal rich in protein (such as chicken and fish), vegetables, and fruits is essential for restoring the mother’s strength.
“I don’t limit the mother’s diet to only particular foods unless the mother has an allergy to that food,” she said.
In fact, Dr Imelda Balchin, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at KPJ Damansara Specialist Hospital, said on Facebook that the practise of not eating foods that cause wind (makanan berangin) is a myth. She believes that if the mother does not have allergies, itching, or digestive issues, there is no reason to force her to avoid eating nutritious fruits and vegetables.
She added that the real causes of disease are obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, eating processed foods, consuming too much sugar and fat, and not exercising.
When asked about the pricing, Rosmawati said that customers can get their services for as little as RM480 for a three-day care package.
She also said that she will first consult with the customers to see what they require more of throughout the confinement period.
“For example, if the husband is capable of cooking for the wife, we will not provide this service (cooking), and so the payment will be lessened.
“Normally, I would advise them (especially B40 couples) to only choose services that are truly necessary, such as focusing on mother and baby care.
“What matters is that we do not want to burden the parents. Our priority is to ensure that the newborn and, most importantly, the postpartum mother receive adequate care,” she said.
Women interested in getting a massage or mothers-to-be interested in learning more about MamaCare’s postnatal care package can visit their branch at UTC Kuching, Jalan Bukit Mata, from 9am to 5pm daily.
To conclude, no matter how excited a mother is to welcome a new baby, this does not imply that she should forget about and ignore her own care.
Mothers are the most important individuals who require self-care, so make sure you get enough rest and sleep, as well as take care of your diet by consuming nutritious foods to provide your body with the energy it requires.
If you love your baby, you should love yourself first, right?
