The Secret Ingredient: A Mother's Love and Good Nutrition
"Come on, Zarah, take a bite," Indah said as she fed her firstborn, Azarah. That day, Indah had cooked chicken vegetable soup for her child's meal. The soup contained carrots, cabbage, potatoes, spring onions, celery leaves, and shredded chicken. Indah began introducing family meals as complementary foods (MPASI), adjusting the size, frequency, type, and texture to suit Azarah's needs. When Azarah turned one year old, Indah had given her MPASI with a solid food texture similar to the other family members, with adjustments made to the size, type, and texture.
"I often received home visits from several community health cadres, starting from my first trimester of pregnancy until the third. Every visit, the Posyandu cadres always explained about the foods that should be consumed during pregnancy. Of course, it had to be nutritious, there had to be rice, fish, tofu, vegetable soup, and fruit. The visits didn't just stop when I gave birth, but continued until Zarah was one year old and even now," said this 22-year-old mother.
Home visits by Posyandu cadres to pregnant mothers or mothers with toddlers in Simokerto, East Java, have had a positive impact on parents' literacy about child nutrition. This home visits initiative was carried out in collaboration between Posyandu cadres, Wahana Visi Indonesia, and Amerta Kasih (FKM Unair). Before conducting home visits, the cadres first attended PMBA (Infant and Young Child Feeding) orientation. The aim is for the cadres to be skilled and understand the general concept of PMBA, feeding infants and children aged 0-23 months, how to feed pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, breaking the chain of malnutrition problems in the first 1,000 Days of Life (HPK), and conducting PMBA counseling.
"Because I was often visited, I knew about nutritious foods that consist of four groups. My husband and I always tried to buy nutritious food and cook at home," she recalled with a smile. Indah and her husband both work as laborers. Despite living under high economic pressure, Indah and her husband still prioritize meeting their child's nutritional needs. The routine visits of Posyandu cadres who tirelessly reminded them of the importance of nutrition for Azarah made Indah and her husband aware of the importance of meeting their child's nutritional needs, especially from conception to the age of two.
The benefits of home visits were also felt by Zarah, who was 1 year and 5 months old. "She also liked chicken, fruits, and vegetables. Every time she ate, there had to be watermelon, but she liked dragon fruit and vegetables soup the most. Maybe it because I always give her variety of foods, so she liked it. When she was six months old, I always gave her chicken or eggs, tofu, vegetables, and fruit. I am thankful because the cadres always came so I always has updated informations about child’s nutrition," she said.
Indah is an example of how nutritious feeding must be started and prepared consciously by mothers as the primary caregivers of children. Indah tried to find the right information about child growth and development, then she practiced it so that her child's nutrition was fulfilled. "Thank you WVI, hopefully there will always be training for cadres so that they can continue to disseminate knowledge to the community. I hope there will also be training for pregnant women in the future," Indah hoped.
Author: Gloriana Seran (MCHN Specialist for Sumatera, Sumbawa, and West Kalimantan)
Editor: Mariana Kurniawati (Communication Executive)
