Nursing Care for Pre-marital Care

The components of premarital care services include the following:­

Medical Examination:

    Includes the following:

·       Health, medical, and family history

·       External physical examination

Laboratory tests:

-  Mandatory tests: including a complete blood count, Rh factor determination, and a random blood sugar test.

-  Supplementary (optional) tests: determined through health, medical, and family history, external clinical examination, and informed counseling, such as semen analysis and hepatitis B and C testing.

Counseling

     Includes the following:

-  Counseling on the health condition according to the results of the medical examination

-  Counseling on marriage and reproductive health, which includes:-

·       Health education on a healthy marital relationship and correcting misconceptions and false beliefs.

·       Information about pregnancy, how it occurs, its signs, and the benefits of prenatal care.

·       Emphasizing the benefits of folic acid in preventing birth defects.

·       Information about childbirth and the importance of giving birth in health facilities.

·       Information about family planning methods and appropriate methods for delaying the first pregnancy.

·       Information about newborn care.

Health Awareness and Education

General information on healthy dietary patterns and disease prevention.

Genetic Counseling:

Genetic counseling services are provided for cases where the health, family, and medical history and family tree chart indicate a suspicion of hereditary diseases that may be passed on to offspring.

Vaccinations (optional):

 For those not previously vaccinated: rubella vaccination for girls and hepatitis B vaccination for both parties.

Health Education for Couples About to Marry

General Objective: To build the capacity of the medical team so that it can create the desire and intention in the beneficiary (male/female) to adopt healthy patterns and behaviors in various aspects of daily life and avoid behaviors that may affect their safety and the safety of their offspring.    

Proper Nutrition

Food is essential for the human body to perform its various functions actively, efficiently, and vitally. Food is a mixture of different substances, some of which supply the body with energy, some of which carry out growth, building, and repair of damaged tissue, and some of which also protect against disease and boost the body's immunity.

Characteristics of an Ideal Healthy Diet:

·       It should contain all the nutrients needed by the body, in addition to an adequate amount of dietary fiber.

·       It should be free of any chemical contaminants or substances harmful to health.

·       It should be appetizing and appealing in appearance.

·       It should suit the prevailing dietary habits in society.

·       It should be commensurate with the family's economic situation.

Important Food Groups for the Body:

The Energy Group:

·       This group supplies the body with the energy needed to perform work and carry out the body's basic vital processes, and is divided into:-

·       Carbohydrates, which include starchy foods: such as rice, pasta, and bread, grains and tubers such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and taro.

·       Sugary foods: such as sweets, sugar, jams, and honey.

·       Fats: such as animal fats and various types of oils.

·       The body prefers to burn carbohydrates first to generate energy, even though fats contain more calories (9 kilocalories per gram compared to 4 kilocalories per gram for carbohydrates).

·       The body needs a certain amount of fat because it needs the essential fatty acids found in these foods.

The Building Group: (Proteins):

These are necessary for growth, renewal of body cells, and replacement of lost cells. This group includes various types of proteins, some of animal origin such as meat, eggs, fish, poultry, and dairy, and some of plant origin such as legumes of all kinds, like fava beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, and beans.

Protective Foods (Vitamins):

·       These are necessary for disease prevention and increasing the body's resistance, and are found in fresh vegetables and fruits.

·       A balanced diet must contain all the previously mentioned elements together, in addition to a dairy product to provide the calcium needed for bone building in the body.

·       A meal does not have to be expensive; many balanced meals can be made that give the body what it needs at the lowest possible cost.