Doha, 16 February 2011: New and expectant mothers can now avail of the antenatal and postnatal exercise program at Al Khor Hospital, a member of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). The hospital inaugurated on Thursday the first such program at HMC, which provides classes to all pregnant and delivered mothers receiving care at the hospital.

"The antenatal and postnatal exercise program's aim is to improve the well-being and fitness of mothers during pregnancy and post-delivery, prepare for a smooth childbirth, protect and promote the healthy development of their unborn babies, and encourage our patients to participate in a regular moderate physical activity," said Dr Hussein Sharara, senior consultant and chief of Al Khor Hospital's Obstetrics and Gynecology Department.

Dr Sharara highlighted the multidisciplinary team approach to developing the program. "We collaborated with our colleagues in Physiotherapy, Patient and Family Education, Nursing Administration and hospital administrators who are contributing actively to achieve high quality and patient-centered care for mothers," he said.

The exercises offered under the program include pelvic floor muscle training, stretching the abdominal muscles, relaxation, breathing and gentle aerobic exercises. Education on posture and back care is also provided in the well-designed facility specially established for the program.

Speaking on the benefits of the exercises, Dr Sharara explained that antenatal exercise increases the strength of all muscles of the body especially abdominal muscles, helps avoid all pressure symptoms, difficulty in breathing, abdominal hernia, antenatal depression, pregnancy-induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, varicose vein and deep vein thrombosis; improves posture and body awareness; reduces backache and minor ailments of pregnancy such as muscle stiffness, tension, constipation and insomnia; and controls the weight of the mother.

The exercises help promote normal labor and shorter duration of labor, promote normal delivery and help avoid Caesarean section, and decrease the need for sedation or pain relievers during labor.

Postnatal exercise increases the strength of the abdominal and perineal muscles, helps enhance the mother's ability to breastfeed, aids in postnatal recovery and promotes weight loss, relieves stress, and helps avoid abdominal hernia, stress incontinence, and postpartum depression.

However, Dr Sharara advised against exercise for mothers with heart disease, cardiac arrhythmia, asthma, incompetent cervix, multiple gestational risk for premature labor, severe anemia, persistent second or third trimester bleeding, placenta previa, ruptured membrane, premature labor, and extreme morbid obesity or if the mother is extremely underweight, with a body mass index of less than 12. "Patients must consult their doctor and obtain medical approval before beginning the exercise program."

Maternity care services at Al Khor Hospital have received praise from patients as being among the best in the country. The hospital provides a one-room birthing procedure in four well-equipped labor-delivery-recovery rooms, with an adjacent dedicated theater for Caesarian section operations. It also offers continuity of care, wherein patients are seen by the same doctor on each visit--ensuring a thorough awareness of the patient's condition, history and medical needs throughout the pregnancy until the post-delivery period.

"We have a multidisciplinary team of highly trained midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists and neonatal nurses taking care of each mother and baby," said Dr Sharara. "We specialize in making sure that motherhood is the most beautiful and stress-free experience for our patients."

"The exercise program follows international guidelines. We are focused on increasing public awareness by providing education on the benefits of physical activity for mothers, as we believe that 'fit moms lead to healthy kids'," said Mohamad Ali Al-Jusaiman, executive director of Al Khor Hospital. "Currently the classes are generally delivered to the Al Khor community but we hope to expand this to other communities in the near future."

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About HMC:
Hamad Medical Corporation is the premier non-profit health care provider in Doha, Qatar.  It was established by Emiri decree in 1979 and manages five highly specialized hospitals, namely, Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women's Hospital, Al Amal Hospital and Al Khor Hospital.  Since its establishment, HMC has rapidly developed medical facilities capable of providing state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers.

HMC prides itself in providing quality and cost efficient health care for all patients regardless of nationality, in line with the State of Qatar's pledge of "Health for All".  For this purpose, the Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. HMC's ethos is based on three key pillars which are Health, Education and Research.

For more information, please contact:
Marketing, Media and Public Relations Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 5272
Fax No.: +974 4439 5002
www.hmc.org.qa

© Press Release 2011