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RESPONSIBLE
PARENTHOOD
Source: Responsible Parenthood and
Family Planning Resource Manual
 Responsible Parenting

• It is a series of decisions parents make to ensure the best

possible life for themselves, for their children, and for the
communities they belong. It includes the process of
deciding how many children to have and when to have
them.
ROLES OF THE
MOTHERS DURING
PREGNANCY
For a problem free pregnancy and
a healthy baby.
 GET IN TOUCH WITH YOUR
DOKTOR / MIDWIFE

 Check-up (e.g. prenatal)

 Advice about what to do and

not to do during pregnancy

 Laboratory test (e.g. ultra

sound, fetal heart rate monitoring,
glucose tolerance test)
  EAT A HEALTHY BALANCED DIET
Try to eat :
• at least five portions of fruits and vegetables daily
• Plenty of carbohydrates, such as bread or rice
• Daily servings of protein, such as fish, lean meat, eggs
and some milk and dairy foods
• Two portions of fish a week

NORMAL: 25-35 POUNDS

Underweight: 28-40 pounds
Overweight: 15-25 pounds
 EXERCISE REGULARLY

• Build your strength and

endurance to cope better
with the extra weight of
pregnancy and hard work of
labor.
 Brisk walking o swimming
 Pelvic Floor Exercise
 CUT DOWN ON ALCOHOL, CAFFEINE & SMOKING

• Drinking too much caffeine and smoking

may result to:
 Miscarriage
 Premature birth
 Low birth weight
 (Average weight for Filipino newborn baby:
2.5 – 4.5 kg)
 May be associated with the loss of a baby at
birth
 Nausea and vomiting ( morning sickness)
 Ectopic pregnancy
 Placental abruption
 GET SOME REST
The fatigue you feel in the first
few months is due to high
levels of pregnancy hormones
circulating in your body.
 Try to take a quick nap in the middle of
the day to catch up.
 If not possible, at least put your feet up
and try to relax for 30 minutes.
ROLES OF THE
FATHERS
 Support the mother
 Pamper her. Try giving her a massage, cooking
her favorite meal and bringing her drinks when
she is breastfeeding; do anything you can to
make life a bit easier.

Talk to each other

 You should praise her and the baby in equal
measures and use any opportunity you can to
discuss your thoughts on your new life.

Be prepared
 For emergencies, keep a list of useful phone
numbers (midwife, doctor, BHW, mothers or
friends who have had children)
Be a hands on parent
• You must learn to change diapers, how to bathe
the baby safely and how to give comfort when the
baby is crying as soon as possible to help you
and your partner and to help you bond with your
baby.

Be a breastfeeding partner
• Breastfeeding can last for hours. You should bring
her snacks and drinks and put something she
wants on TV or bring her a book or magazine.

Keep work separate

• When you do get home, make sure that the baby
is part of your evening routine. Set time aside to
take the baby for a walk, talk to him/ her, give
cuddles and read a story.
Soothe the baby
• The first thing to remember is that the baby may be
crying for a reason so try feeding, changing
diapers, rocking to try and get him/her to sleep, or
burp and look for any potential cause of pain or
discomfort.

Provide cuddles
• It is important for you to bond with the baby and a
great , easy way to do this is by cuddling. Take every
opportunity to hold your baby and talk to him/her. It
will comfort and reassure you both.

Remember to look after yourself.

• Find a way to relive some stress. (talk to a friend,
give yourself a bath and sleep)
 Factors that compound risks in pregnancies:
TOO SOON
The risk of death for young children increase by nearly 50%
if the space between births is less than two years.

TOO YOUNG
If mothers are not physically, emotionally or financially ready to
carry and care for a child, their babies tend to have low birth
weight and are predisposed to a variety of illness.
 Factors that compound risks in pregnancies:
TOO OLD
Pregnancy after the age of 35 increases the health
risks for the mother and her baby. High blood and
diabetes are common pregnancy problems in older
pregnant women.

TOO MANY
The health risks of pregnancy and childbirth increase
after four pregnancies. The risk of death for young
children increases by nearly 50% if the space between
births is less than two years.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS:
1. Providing physical care, love and basic needs
• The quality of a child’s physical, mental and
emotional health depends on the quality of
parental care he/she gets as he/she grows.
• Parents should provide their children with basic
needs such as clothing, adequate nutrition, happy
home environment and health care.

2. Inculcating the right values, conduct and

discipline to their children
• Parents should be the role models. Children
should be trained to think, reason out and
distinguish between right or wrong.
3. Developing social competence
• Social competence can only be achieved if children have high self-
esteem. This is developed by allowing them to do things on their
own, think for themselves, and make decisions in accordance with
their level of development.

4. Education
• Parents are the children’s first teachers. Suitable learning
experiences must be provided in the home to hasten their
mental development as early as infancy.
• Every child has the right to education. Parents are required to
send their children to school and provide for their education.
5. Citizenship training
It is necessary to teach children a sense of nationhood and
develop their commitment to their country. They are to be taught the
value of order, cooperation, tolerance, sportsmanship, self-discipline
and self- reliance in the home and play experiences aside from those
learned in school.

6. Spiritual formation
Parents should be the spiritual role models of their children in
loving, obeying and worshipping God. They should encourage their
children to be prayerful and get involved in church activities.
 Basic principles of good parent-child communication
o Let the child know you are interested and help when needed
o Turn off the tv or put down your cellphone when your child wants
to talk
o Hold conversations in private unless other people need to be a
part of the conversation
o Do not embarrass the child. It will lead to resentment and
hostility
o Do not tower over your child. Physically get down to the child’s
level then talk.
o If you are angry about a behavior or incident, do not attempt to
communicate until you regained your composure because you
cannot be objective.
Basic principles of good parent-child communication

• Listen carefully and politely. Do not interrupt when your

child trying to tell his/her story.
• Listen to their main idea and don’t just say “I don’t care
what they’re doing, but you better not be involved in
anything like that.”
• Do not use put down words like dumb, stupid, lazy.
• Show that you accept the child, regardless of what
he/she has or has not done.
• Reinforce the child for keeping communication open.