Ex-Capt Ritu Kumar Singh On How Changing Gender Roles Are Important In Taking Care Of A Mother's Health

A woman's life has many phases. Sometimes she plays the role of a daughter, sometimes the role of a working woman and a mother. And in the midst of playing all these roles, a woman sometimes loses herself and her own identity and choices. But with the right support from family and society, a woman can achieve everything she aims for.

Coming from a humble background and a very conservative environment, Ritu Kumar Singh's life was full of hurdles since her childhood days. Her family member constantly criticized her parents for spending money on her education and only told them to focus on her marriage. However, Ritu's grandfather was a man of a different vision who believed that a girl should be given equal opportunity in all spheres of life. From being mocked for her language in her school to receiving harsh criticism, she stopped everyone when Ritu wore the Indian Army uniform with pride and elan. She was the first ever person to become an Indian Army officer from her village.

In 2016, she got released from her designation and started her journey with a loving husband and two lovely daughters. However, with the onset of motherhood, Ritu faced many ups and downs in her life. While her pregnancy period was not so hard, she had a difficult time during her postpartum. Staying alone with her infant child, and taking all responsibilities on her shoulder with no rest and sleep, she felt the importance of having the right support surround every mother. Society has always glorified the role of a mother and made it normal for a mother to sacrifice her own dreams and wishes. But Ritu felt that only a happy and fit mother is able to provide the perfect upbringing for her children.

In today's nuclear family set-up, where both parents are working, the job of the mother increases. It is even harder to transition to the role of a mother while she is dealing with her post part rum depression and body insecurities. A woman goes through a sea of change mentally and physically after she becomes a mother and she requires the utmost support and love from her near and dear ones. Ritu realized that many women just like she went through the same issues and were unable to find the perfect balance between motherhood and professional life. Due to a lack of support and a lack of co-existence, many women were compelled to leave their jobs to take care of the babies.

It is essential that a woman realizes that she needs the support of the man in her life and her family in times of difficulty. In this competitive world, every woman feels the compulsion to take lead against their partners. However, when we all learn to co-exist, a woman can have sound mental health and can pursue both the journey of her professional goals and motherhood with ease.

For Ritu, pregnancy was a marathon as she had many lows and highs during and post that period. She strongly feels that every woman should prepare herself for this long journey and must take care of their physical and mental health. If a woman willingly makes the choice to become a mother, she must understand that it is a demanding job. So, it is very important to take the support and surround yourself in a safe and healthy environment for the betterment of your kids' future. Ritu felt the utmost urgency of having a platform for women where they could freely voice their insecurities and provide them with a safe space. With this thought and objective, she started a non-judgemental community "Fit Moms, Fitter Homes" to help women overcome the various obstacles that they face during and post-pregnancy. She is a firm believer in the fact a healthy and fit mom is the best to raise fitter and healthier homes.

Ritu's unique journey and her determination to reach her goals have been an inspiration to many young women today.