Table of contents:
- 1. Provide practical support
- 2. Help meet nutritional needs
- 3. Applying a healthy lifestyle in the family
- 4. Be supportive socially and emotionally
- 5. Accompany the wife to attend the medical examination
- 6. Help decide and meet the needs for preparation for childbirth
The period of pregnancy is a period awaited by married couples who want to have children. The wife has a bigger role because she must conceive and undergo physical changes during the pregnancy process. With the husband's support, the wife will feel very helpful and tend to experience less stress. This condition will also affect the health of the baby because stress hormones during pregnancy can make children more sensitive to stress.
Here are some things that husbands do to support their wives during pregnancy:
1. Provide practical support
Pregnancy is a tiring time for a wife because with limited energy, she must be able to provide for herself and for the development of the baby. Moreover, hormonal changes during pregnancy will reduce energy so that pregnant women will find it easier to feel sleepy and asleep. Husband's help is needed to prevent excessive fatigue and ensure that his wife gets adequate rest.
The main thing that can be done is to take over household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and so on. That way the wife will have more time to rest.
2. Help meet nutritional needs
Fulfillment of nutrition is important for maintaining health during pregnancy and the development of the baby in the womb. Pregnant women will need more vitamins and mineral intake. Therefore, the husband plays a very important role in meeting the needs of his wife's intake by ensuring the availability of the necessary food during pregnancy, as well as reminding the wife to check their nutritional status and consume vitamin A and iron during pregnancy.
3. Applying a healthy lifestyle in the family
The development of the baby in the womb is greatly influenced by the lifestyle of its parents. Pregnancy can also be a great time to initiate lifestyle changes. As a future father, the husband must remind his wife to avoid consumption that is harmful to her womb, such as alcohol and cigarettes. In addition, remind you to control your intake of caffeine, sugar, and excess salt to avoid complications during pregnancy. Husbands also have to set an example by adopting healthy lifestyle habits and the most important thing is not to consume alcohol and smoke around a pregnant wife. Cigarette smoke will be very harmful to the womb and make the air around the house filled with toxins from cigarette smoke.
4. Be supportive socially and emotionally
As the pregnancy progresses, the wife will experience physical changes and feel uncomfortable with her pregnancy. Your husband is one of the closest people who can provide support to get through the pregnancy. Here are some forms of social and emotional support that husbands can do to provide support during pregnancy:
- Being near your wife during pregnancy
- Invite your wife to communicate and listen to all her complaints
- Energizing and providing a sense of comfort
- Fulfill your cravings for certain foods and do things like take a walk out of the house
- Create a pleasant and comfortable home atmosphere to rest
5. Accompany the wife to attend the medical examination
Health checks during pregnancy or what is known as antenatal care is a routine check which aims to determine the progress of pregnancy, potential complications in pregnancy, and to find out whether the wife has met the nutritional needs during pregnancy. By attending health checks, a wife's access to health services will be easier than if she went alone. In addition, the husband can know the health of his wife directly and can ask health workers about what things can be done to improve the quality of the wife's health.
With more knowledge, husbands can provide better health support and help wives have greater opportunities to give birth to children in a healthy state. However, if you do not have time to accompany your wife for the examination, at least show concern for the condition of the pregnancy by asking how the results of the health examination.
6. Help decide and meet the needs for preparation for childbirth
The birthing process requires a lot of preparation and requires readiness to deal with the unexpected. Several things that must be planned by a husband and wife before giving birth, including the fulfillment of equipment to care for a newborn, a delivery plan by estimating the date of delivery, method, and place of delivery. With the husband helping with careful planning, the wife will feel safe and ready to face childbirth. In addition, wives also need support during childbirth, with a husband in addition to his wife.
