Special workshop for Pregnant Women on Valentine Day By LifeCell International (Bengaluru, 14th February, 2009)

With Valentine Day creating news headlines for varied reasons, LifeCell International, a Chennai based leading stem cell banking company decided to celebrate the Day with a difference. This Valentines Day was made special for many expecting parents awaiting their bundle of joy as they attended the exclusive antenatal workshop organized by the company in Bengaluru at the Taj Gateway hotel. The workshop was conducted by MS. Sonali Shivlani, Antenatal specialist from Mumbai and was attended by many enthusiastic expectant mothers.

‘The more relaxed you are the more you will enjoy pregnancy, was advised to the moms-to-be. Over the 4 hour session Ms. Shivlani busted certain myths associated with pregnancy and allayed the fears of expectant mothers. She informed that there are no hard and fast rules to be followed during pregnancy. ‘Just follow the cues your body gives you.’

Couples should remember that pregnancy is not a status, it is a responsibility. Mother’s psyche will influence the baby’s personality. Hence it is important that the mother should be relaxed and happy during this period. All husbands should take care of this aspect.

The session also discussed upon the various tips which would help expectant mothers face the physical, psychological and hormonal changes related with pregnancy and handle this turbulent phase effectively. The session focused on the basic tips on diet and nutrition, relaxation techniques, pre-natal and post-natal exercises necessary for a safe and uncomplicated pregnancy.

Regarding the diet to be followed Sonali said, ‘don’t miss your meals and don’t overload your stomach. Ensure that you drink plenty of milk. Drink as much fluids as you can. A pregnant woman should drink 7-8 glasses of water every day.’

The participants were also given information on the milestones and symptoms to look out which will help them prepare mentally and physically for child birth.

“A child is a symbol of eternal Love, hence we thought there could be no better way of celebrating the Valentine’s day and build a connect with the Bangloreans. This workshop was aimed at providing quick but essential in-depth information on Pregnancy management that would help these couples prepare themselves both mentally and physically for their child’s birth.” says Mr. Mayur Abhaya, Executive Director, LifeCell International.

“We wanted to plan something really special this Valentines day as we are expecting our first baby this year. Living miles away from our parents we were worried and tensed about handling this period alone. Time was also a big constraint for us to attend regular pregnancy management classes. This workshop was very thoughtfully planned and will be very helpful for working couples like us. Today I also decided to gift my child its first Valentine gift by banking his/her cord blood stem cells with LifeCell”, Said a participant at the workshop.

LifeCell has been conducting many such programs for expectant mothers in association with Hospitals, however this will be LifeCell’s first ever large initiative to reach out to all the expectant mothers in Bengaluru. LifeCell plans to extend this initiative across all metros and mini metros on a larger magnitude.

About LifeCell International Pvt. Ltd.:
LifeCell is India’s first & largest umbilical cord blood stem cell bank to bring the revolutionary concept of banking a baby’s umbilical cord blood stem to the country. LifeCell facilitates the cryogenic preservation of stem cells in technological collaboration with Cryo-Cell International Inc, USA - the world’s largest and oldest stem cell bank with more than 16 years of expertise in stem cell banking.
LifeCell in the past 4 years has positioned itself as leaders in the Industry and was recently accredited by AABB (American Association of Blood Banks) for adopting their international standards and today LifeCell is the “First & only AABB Accredited Stem Cell Bank in India” and recognized by DSIR, Govt. of India for R&D.

Today LifeCell has over 16,000 members who have preserved their baby’s cord blood stem cells and has over 35 centers across India and abroad. The company will soon be launching another revolutionary service of Menstrual Blood Stem Cell Banking for every woman to preserve her stem cells and potentially secure her future from life-threatening diseases.

With addition of this service LifeCell will become the first & only comprehensive stem cells solutions provider in the world to offer a complete spectrum of services in stem cells through multi-service banking, R&D, Clinical Trials and Stem Cell Therapy.