Seoul’s Jung-gu will host the “Namsan Trail Autumn Picnic” for pregnant women and their families on October 24th at 2 PM. This event is designed to aid prenatal education and provide emotional stability for expectant mothers.
The autumn picnic program includes forest play that awakens the senses, handkerchief dyeing using leaves and other natural materials, making wooden rattles, forest meditation, and hiking. Participants can enjoy a healing time in the forest.
Pregnant women and families wishing to participate can apply via phone or QR code until September 19th. The event is open to 30 participants on a first-come, first-served basis.
As the average age at childbirth increases and the number of older mothers rises, the importance of health management for expectant mothers is growing. Jung-gu addresses this by operating nature-friendly forest prenatal education programs to alleviate physical and psychological changes due to pregnancy and provide emotional stability.
The Namsan Trail, designed as a barrier-free forest trail, allows pregnant women to walk comfortably while enjoying the clean air and sounds of nature. Accessibility is expected to improve with the pilot operation of the “My Side Jung-gu Bus” starting this month and the installment of a vertical elevator in the Cheonggu-dong village square next year.
In a prenatal education class held at the same location in April this year, pregnant women said, “It wasn’t strenuous to walk and had diverse hiking courses that were beneficial,” and “The small-scale operation allowed for the sharing of information, which was good.” After participating in this program, pregnancy-related stress decreased by 13%, and fetal attachment increased by 8%.
Jung-gu also runs various projects supporting preparation for pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare. This month, it will operate a “Mom’s Meeting” where mothers can share parenting tips after giving birth and hold a “Mother and Child Health Exercise Class” in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Corporation’s Jung-gu branch, offering a 12-week program of Pilates and baby massage.
An official from the district stated, “We hope that families in the pregnancy and childbirth period can comfortably walk and prepare for a healthy and happy birth through the city’s barrier-free forest paths.”