Support the nutrition of pregnant mothers in tribal communities

Undernutrition in pregnant mothers is a serious problem in tribal areas. This leads to poor weight gain during pregnancy and low birth weight babies. The average weight gain of a pregnant mother is found to be 5.5 kg in this area, whereas the expected weight gain in a pregnant mother is 10-12 Kg. 58% of babies born are low birth weight (<2.5 kg) and 5% very low birth weight (<1.5 kg).

              The causes for the poor weight gain during pregnancy is undernutrition and extensive physical work in the fields coupled with poor food intake. Mostly, food intake is only twice a day, with hardly any protein components. Poverty, lack of transportation and communication modes makes it difficult for pregnant mothers to access the much-needed healthcare. This makes it necessary for our organisation to reach out to them.

Swasthya Swaraj works to improve the nutritional status and weight gain during pregnancy of pregnant mothers, by providing them good nutritional support and nutrition education along with antenatal care, in Kalahandi, Odisha. The means of our process is as follows; -

• Regular antenatal clinics, where medical care is given to pregnant women, are conducted in remote villages. These clinics are conducted in 10 hard to reach locations, once in two months. The team consists of doctors, nurses, lab technicians, community nurses and support staff.
• Detailed physical examination, anthropometry, blood tests, risk assessment, treatment and health education are done at these antenatal clinics.
• Each pregnant mother is encouraged to visit the antenatal clinic at least 4 times during the course of her pregnancy.
• Nutritious snacks, lunch, and take-home nutrition supplements are provided at the clinics.
• We also combine the antenatal clinics with under-5 clinics, as young children often accompany their mothers.

• Reduction in percentage of babies born with low birth weight, from 58% to 10%.
• Increase in the average weight gain of pregnant mothers, from 5kg to 10kg.
• Pregnant women complete minimum 4 antenatal visits. They receive better care along with health & nutrition education.