How did you change your life when the pandemic hit?

For mommy-influencer Nins Po, many family-oriented shifts took place.

“We really had to change our lifestyle when the pandemic hit,” said the first-time mom and content creator who goes by Mommy Nins Po online. From being a make-up artist, she had to close down her studio, which enabled her to become a 100% full-time and hands-on mom.

Influencer marketing became her side-hustle, which allowed her to work from home and follow stay-at-home restrictions, all while ensuring the safety of her family.

Even as she shared her new and personal experiences on motherhood with her community of followers across different social media platforms, family and child health & well-being remained an ever-important topic. Aside from her lifestyle content of self-care videos, hauls and unboxing videos, baby product reviews, and pregnancy tips, Mommy Nins is also an advocate of good health within the family.

“As cliché as it sounds, health really is wealth,” she emphasizes. “We used to spend on luxuries and travel, but now, we have a bigger budget for vitamins and supplements, regular check-ups with our pediatrician, and even vaccines, which should already be a part of the list of expenses when one has a child.”

A child’s health is a family’s wealth

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that, in 2019, around 5.2 million children under five years old, and 500,000 children between 5 and 9 years old, died mostly due to preventable and treatable causes. The organization revealed that the leading causes of death in children under five years old include preterm birth complications, birth asphyxia/trauma, pneumonia, congenital anomalies, diarrhea, and malaria.

Even more unfortunate is the fact that these circumstances may be prevented or treated through interventions including immunization, adequate nutrition, safe water and food, and quality care by a trained health provider whenever needed – all of which should be easily accessible to every parent.

With the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents, Mommy Nins included, felt worried about what that would mean for the safety of their families.

While there have been fewer reported cases of children contracting the COVID-19 disease compared with adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that children are just as susceptible to the virus and can still spread it to others.

Getting vaccinated against the virus at the earliest chance possible became the major course of action for the Po family. To ensure health and safety amid a global health crisis, Mommy Nins shared that they proactively kept in touch with their medical doctors, including her child’s pediatrician to consult the well-being of her child throughout the initial wave of the pandemic.

Among her first concerns at the beginning of the pandemic was how her son would continue his pediatrician visits and receive his on-time vaccination shots based on the child vaccination schedule provided by his pedia. Luckily, her pedia mentioned ‘catch-up vaccinations’!

While not a health expert, Mommy Nins is a parent that trusts her pediatrician, and carefully and constantly collaborates with them to ensure that her child is well and healthy. While understanding that every child may have unique health concerns and needs, the mom-fluencer gives a very important reminder: parents should carefully consult with their own pediatricians to discuss the best ways to take care of their own kids.

“I think it’s very important that the parents have open communication with their kids’ pedias, and vice versa,” she reminds. “Although health information is readily available on the internet, and information on social media is just one click away, it is important to have a trusted health expert to confirm those findings with, and properly ask about your child’s health concerns.”

When asked about their next steps as a family, health-wise, Mommy Nins said that they continue proactively talking with their doctor via teleconsultations and making visits to the clinics when allowed. In addition to this, she emphasized the importance of adopting healthy habits, such as taking vitamins regularly, eating healthy, and exercising – practices that they do together as a family.

Amplifying the power of vaccines

More importantly, Mommy Nins emphasized the importance of practicing all these healthy habits to all members of the household – immunization for seniors and house help included! She noted how one member of the family contracting a disease may lead to health risks for the rest of the household.

“Prevention is better than cure. I will always share this reminder with other moms who are still hesitant with immunization, especially since we’re trying to achieve herd immunity [amid the pandemic]! Everyone, whether young or old, should always be well informed when we take care of ourselves,” she reminds.

Over the years, vaccines have consistently prevented the spread of diseases and have saved countless lives. In fact, a CDC article revealed that 14 diseases that used to be prevalent across multiple countries have been eradicated, thanks to vaccines.

One campaign shining a spotlight on child immunization is Call The Shots PH, an awareness advocacy that calls for moms to take the reins and be proactive with their children’s protection against vaccine-preventable diseases. The campaign offers bite-sized information readily available via its social media pages on everything parents need to know to help protect their kids against vaccine preventable diseases. It also hosts webinars and events featuring healthcare professionals so parents can get fact-based advice straight from the experts.

When it comes to family protection amid the pandemic and beyond, ask your family doctor, including your pediatrician, and schedule a consultation today. For more information on how you can call the shots on your child’s immunization, visit https://www.facebook.com/CallTheShotsPH.

ADVT.