ARE you an expectant mother or father-to-be? If so, do you realise that babies need special care? Even when babies are growing in the womb, they are developing at the discretion of their prospective mothers and fathers. Unless the mother eats the right foods and looks after her health, the baby could lack certain nutrients and suffer poor health at birth or later on in infancy. The prospective outcome in life for the child starts with the choices that the parents make during the nine months of his/her gestation.

Some mothers-to-be want to to do the same things they did before they were pregnant, such as drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes. Some even continue to take illicit drugs, all of which can affect the unborn child in a negative way. But mothers-to-be need to put their babies first and do everything they can to ensure that their babies develop healthily and are given every opportunity to enjoy a healthy life.

Fathers-to-be also have a duty to their unborn child. They must give the mother-to-be the support she needs wherever possible — this means emotional support as well as practical and physical support. The right foods should be provided and encouraged, e.g. plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Pregnant mothers need to rest, but should also stay active — there should be a healthy balance between the two, so fathers must do their share of the chores plus some extra chores to enable the expectant mother to rest when necessary. Fathers as well as mothers should ‘read up’ on information about the development of their unborn child. There are books and websites that offer a variety of information — the more informed you are, the better parents you will be.
Although newborn babies cannot speak and they may not be fully aware of what is going on around them, they can perceive when something makes them feel uncomfortable, unsafe, insecure, unwanted, rejected or unloved and although they will grow and strive despite the odds, they will do so at a disadvantage.

Loving parents
It is therefore important that parents give their baby love and attention from day one. Every child needs loving parents, preferably two — the more united and loving the parents, the more the child will strive in a positive way. Ultimately, all parents really want their child to strive in a positive way, but pressures and stresses of everyday life sometimes get in the way and prevent grown-ups from making the decision to put their child first — as a result, children suffer.
So be gentle, kind and thoughtful to your baby because he/she did not ask to be born or brought into this world and his/her future is in your hands and has been from the time of conception. This is a great responsibility, but nonetheless one you will enjoy and ‘grow’ with as your child grows. Allow your child to explore and enjoy a safe and secure environment around people who love and care for him/her. These simple, humble beginnings in a child’s life can make a big difference to the child’s overall development and potential outcome, because children strive well on love, understanding, attention, care and nurturing.

It is often said that being a parent does not come along with a manual, but parenting is natural and is not such a hard task, as long as you start out with the best interest of the child at heart. If you find any aspect of caring for a baby or child challenging or hard to cope with, there is help available. Please feel free to talk to an officer from the Childcare and Protection Agency on: 227 – 4082.
If you are concerned about the welfare of a child you can ring the CPA hotline: 227 – 0979 or email: chilcaregy@gmail.co
A Message from the Childcare and Protection Agency, Ministry of Social Protection