A Study on Primigravida Mothers of Rural Karad Taluka, Maharashtra in Acknowledging the Child Developmental Milestones

Abstract

<strong>Background:</strong> The best moment for any women in this world is to give birth to her child after months of wait and anticipation. She is accompanied with overwhelming feelings of bliss and divinity. The process of growth and development continues throughout the entire life of a human being; however, the duration in which the integral changes take place is from inception to the end of youth. The health workers need to understand this early period as well as the total life cycle of an individual and understand the behavior of parents and other adults who pond care for the child. Thus, it is necessary to educate mothers in the antenatal period about the developmental milestones so that they can impart this knowledge during the care of their children and also this will help them to rule out any developmental delay in their children at the earliest. Objective: To acknowledge child developmental milestones in primigravida mothers of rural Karad taluka, Maharashtra.<strong> Method:</strong> A study was conducted with 98 subjects from in and around Karad. They were selected on the basis of the criteria of inclusion and exclusion and a prior written consent was also taken. Primigravida mothers were included in the study. Then they were assessed with the help of a structured questionnaire on child development milestones. The data was then collected and analysed accordingly. <strong>Result:</strong> After analyzing the data, it was found that primigravida mothers had 53% knowledge about biological development, 34% knowledge about sensory development, 42% knowledge about social development, 28% knowledge about cognitive development, and 36% knowledge about moral development. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The knowledge about child developmental milestones in primigravida mothers is inadequate. Out of all the developmental domains, they have considerable knowledge about biological development (53%) and the least knowledge about cognitive development (28%).