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VOLUME 2 , ISSUE 1 ( January-March, 2018 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Study of Integrated Approach of Antenatal Care to improve the Gestational Age at Birth

Shubhada Neel, EV Swaminathan, Pandharinath B Neel, Joseph Lazar, EV Gireesh, Pushpa Pande, BK Pradnya Pawar

Keywords : Antenatal care, Antenatal exercise, Birth outcome, Integrated approach, Low birth weight, Preterm labor, Rajyoga meditation

Citation Information : Neel S, Swaminathan E, Neel PB, Lazar J, Gireesh E, Pande P, Pawar BP. Study of Integrated Approach of Antenatal Care to improve the Gestational Age at Birth. World J Anemia 2018; 2 (1):1-10.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10065-0020

License: CC BY-ND 3.0

Published Online: 01-12-2018

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2018; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim and objective: Study of integrated approach of antenatal care (ANC) to improve the gestational age (GA) at birth. Materials and methods: A total of 532 women attending the antenatal clinic at Neel clinic in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, India, were enrolled between 18 and 28 weeks of pregnancy from April 2015 to March 2017, in prospective nonrandomized, matched, interventional study. A total of 254 women were enrolled in the study group; 278 women were enrolled in the control group. Women were matched for age, gravida, parity, educational, religion, and residential area. Integrated approach of ANC: • Stress management through Rajyoga meditation (Brahma Kumaris). • Nutritious and satwik food. • Antenatal physical and breathing exercises. Exercises, walking, and meditation were practiced by the study group from date of entry into the study until delivery. The control group walked ½ an hour twice a day (standard obstetric advice) during the study period. Compliance in both groups was ensured by frequent telephone calls and maintenance of a daily activity charts. Result: Preterm labor was significantly lower (<0.02) in the study group. Conclusion: Stress management through meditation and nutritional management may contribute to decreased risk of premature delivery or low birth weight (LBW) babies, and eventually would decrease problems in the infant, children, adolescent, and fetal origin of adult diseases. Exercise during pregnancy would reduce the risk of cesarean delivery. Integrated approach of ANC is safe, relatively cheap to implement, and would reduce the costs of long-term health care.


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