The Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC), in collaboration with Stemlife Berhad, Malaysia, hosted a public antenatal forum at the Radisson Hotel on Saturday.
The forum aimed to educate and motivate women to stay healthy for their overall well-being during pregnancy as well as identify disorders and preventable diseases in both the mother and child.
JPMC consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Hajah Siti Khadijah binti Ismail, in her ‘Reducing risks in pregnancy’ presentation, emphasised the importance of health optimisation before planning a pregnancy, particularly for women with chronic diseases.
Promoting healthy behaviours and parenting skills is important during pregnancy, she said.
Regular prenatal care by specialists enables prevention or early detection of complications such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension or other risks in pregnancy.
Stemlife Berhad Chief Executive Officer Raymond Wong spoke about the importance of stem cells from the cord blood of newborns, which can also help others in need of life-saving treatment.
He said “hematopoietic stem cells”, which refers to the blood-forming stem cells used in bone marrow transplants, can help treat more than 80 types of blood diseases. The forum continued with an interactive session where an experienced mother shared her prenatal journey and delivery experience.
The event concluded with a live demonstration of antenatal class on labour breathing techniques, breastfeeding and infant massage by certified nurses.
