First 1000 days of life are important

A photo exhibition entitled “The First Days of Life are Important” is also conducted within the framework of the program.

The woman portrayed in the picture is the child’s grandmother. During the photoshoot the photographer was waiting for the child’s mother. The bathing of the child was to be shot. But the mother did not come. According to a tradition accepted in rural settlements, mother does not have a right to bath her child.

Grandmothers and other elder women of the family assume that duty. The photo depicts the moment when the woman is shaking the baby holding his legs. That tradition actually can harm the infant and cause health problems after some years.

They say swaddling clothes are used in regions up to now. Researches show that swaddling of newborns can later cause musculoskeletal deceases and other complications. But up today many families use that out-of-date way thus unwillingly endangering their baby’s health.

In order to get rid of this and other false ideas of a baby’s care, events with the program “Improvement of Health and Feeding of Infants and Young Children” have been held in Armenian regions since 2014. The initiative is implemented by USAID, UNICEF, World Vision Armenia and Armenian Ministry of Health.

Within the framework of the program trainings, workshops and consultations are held in 10 regions of Armenia. Host of the event, TV presenter of “Mothers’ Club” program of the Public Television of Armenia Mary Nersisyan said they teach parents and future mothers how to feed their children, how to take right care of them without forgetting about breast-feeding.

A photo exhibition entitled “The First Days of Life are Important” is also conducted within the framework of the program. Photos taken in different regions of Armenia present the routine of pregnant women and children, their nutrition and care. The 1000 days include the 9 months of pregnancy up to the first 2 years of the child after the birth. During that very period the features of a child’s immune system and nutrition are developed.

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