Seocho-gu marks Expectant Mothers' Day with special event for parents-to-be

Seocho-gu in Seoul held the 21st Expectant Mothers' Day commemorative event at Seocho-gu Public Health Subcenter on Thursday under the theme "Seocho Warm Mom's Everything, a Warm Journey Together."

The event was designed to reaffirm the value of pregnancy and childbirth and to promote a birth-friendly culture that supports expectant mothers. Thirty expectant couples attended, receiving practical information on childbirth and parenting while creating lasting memories as they looked forward to welcoming their babies.

The program opened with a prenatal cello quartet concert by the Snug Cello Ensemble, followed by a low birth rate awareness campaign and a gift presentation ceremony. Participants received baby products donated by the Seocho Eoulim Volunteer Association and J-Milk prenatal diaries from Design by J Co., celebrating the arrival of new life together.

A highlight of the event was a special lecture titled "Newborn Feeding, Play and Sleep Coaching" by Kwon Hyang-hwa, a newborn care specialist who has run a postpartum care center for 10 years and operates the YouTube channel "Director Kwon Hyang-hwa's Daul Children TV." The session offered expectant parents practical guidance on newborn feeding, sleep and play.

Alongside this, couples took part in a range of hands-on activities: making eco-friendly wood mobiles, writing prenatal messages on a wish tree and pressed-flower postcards, letting expectant fathers try a pregnancy experience suit, and taking photos at a four-cut photo booth.

During Expectant Mothers' Day week, the district also held a "Sharing Arcade" event Tuesday in partnership with "Our Neighborhood Mom Mate," a parenting exchange support project. The event was organized in response to mothers' requests to share unused baby items with neighbors. Residents exchanged more than 400 items — including baby and household goods and books. Leftover items will be donated to families in need.

Seocho-gu Public Health Subcenter, which opened in 2018 as the country's first maternal and child health specialty subcenter, provides one-stop healthcare services covering pregnancy preparation, childbirth and child-rearing for residents in the Seocho, Jamwon and Banpo areas. The district said it will continue to develop tailored programs in health, nutrition, exercise, psychology and play, as well as parenting education and infant care support, to foster a healthy environment for childbirth and child-rearing.

Seocho-gu District Mayor Jeon Seong-su said raising a child takes a whole village, and that the community must rally together to support parents. "We will continue to provide strong support so that Seocho becomes a place where parents and children alike look forward to tomorrow with happiness," he said.