The Nation Newspaper

Tag: motherhood

  • Safe motherhood programme holds in Delta

    SEPLAT Petroleum Development Company Plc, operators of the NPDC/Seplat JV, on November 7, held the 2017 edition of its annual Safe Motherhood Programme in Sapele, Delta State. The programme is in alignment with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) of the United Nations (UN), which promotes good health and well-being.

    The event, held at Okpe Hall, is the fifth edition of the maternal and child health intervention programme, which has over the years reduced maternal and infant mortality.

    According to the World Health Organisation (2010), the infant mortality rate in Nigeria is 71.2 per cent, and a woman’s chance of dying from pregnancy and childbirth is 1 in 3. Seplat has screened 13,746 expectant mothers, vaccinated 1,500 children and renovated equipped a 30-bed female children’s ward the the Central Hospital, Sapele, since the programme in the last five years.

    General Manager, External Affairs and Communications Dr. Chioma Nwachuku said the programme has helped to reduce maternal and child mortality through the provision of safe delivery kits, insecticide treated nets, supplements and vitamins, and one–on-one consultations.

    She added that Seplat has big plans for mothers in the coming year.

    “We will ensure that through this programme, mothers and can feed themselves and their child. How we will do this, you will know in the coming year. That is to show you that we have you in mind,” she added.

    Doctors from the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, Oghara were on hand to educate participants on modern safe pregnancy and delivery practices, as well as dangers in pregnancy and child sexual abuse.

    They included Dr. Ufuoma Efole, Dr. Dr. Ngozi Nzekue, Dr. Urenma Okeabe and Dr. Onyi Owa-Nwabuzo.

    Distinguished guests at the event included Seplat Director, Chief Mac Ofurhie; GM, Internal Audit, Seplat, Mrs. Kike Asuelime; Duke of Elume District, Chief William Avwigborighe;Okpe Kingdom Traditional Chiefs, Chief L.O. Esidje and his wife.

    Also present were Mrs. Maureen Eseh, who represented the Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mofe Pirah.

  • Zahara begins journey into motherhood

    Zahara begins journey into motherhood

    After the highs of wedding day comes the hard task of keeping the marriage going. So far, recently-wedded couple Zahra Buhari and Ahmed Indimi are succeeding on that count. That is pretty much unlike many other high-profile weddings which begin to show cracks as soon as they are consummated.

    If the gist currently making the rounds is anything to go by, Zahra Indimi’s baby bump will become obvious anytime soon. Close family sources say the beautiful daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari has the journey into motherhood.

    It will be recalled that Ahmed and Zahra tied the knot in a series of high profile celebrations in Abuja and Maiduguri, Borno State capital, in December last year. The royalty-themed wedding was a colourful and affair that drew bigwigs from the political and social spheres.

  • Who is a Mother?

    Who is a Mother?

    A lot of people believe that a mother is any woman who gives birth to a Child. However, it is important to note that Mothers come in different form.

    They can be Mother by birth, Stepmother and a mother by adoption.

    Having said that, a real Mother is someone who shelter, guide and care for a child. She’s a patient and virtuous woman who is always ready to do everything for her children.

    She is supportive and always ready to accept her Children’s flaws and weaknesses and knows how to correct them.

    Every lady as the tendency to become a mother, yet only a Mother knows the biological Father of her Children.

    Furthermore, it is important to note that the actions of a Mother influence her children in diverse ways. When the society expects her to influence her children morally, academically, spiritually and in every area of life, she has to be careful not to influence them wrongly.

    Some Mothers train their children with tight fists.

    A Mother should be her Child’s first love and best friend, anything a Child learns from his Mother cannot be separated from him.A mother should instil in her child the accepted norms and values of the society and ensure that the socialisation process at the family level is effective and qualitative.

    As a mother, ask yourself these questions
    1.When last did I pray for my children?
    2  When last did I correct them?
    3. When last did I sit them down and let them understand how life works?
    4. How did I interact with my children? Am I harsh or too jovial?
    5. In what way do I show them love?
    6. How often do I pay attention to them?

    A Mother’s Impact on a child’s life cannot be overemphasised, as she plays the lead role in constructing the child’s future. Train up your child in the way he should go and when he grows older he will never depart from it.

    God bless all the virtuous women who have not been found wanting in their duties. Who have done all they can to see their children succeed, who have hawk under the hot sun to buy their children a pair of shoe, who have received insult from their husbands and families just because of their children, who have cut their sleeping time short just to ensure their children sleeps well, who never get tired of loving their children, who has made praying for their children a lifestyle. Only God can reward you!

  • Toyin Collins savours motherhood…after two decades of fruitless search for baby

    FAMOUS beauty aesthetician, Toyin Collins, has been savouring life as a mother since she was delivered of a bouncing baby girl in December last year. The birth of the bouncing baby girl was said to have thrown the brains behind Fresh Look, a multi-purpose beauty parlour on Joel Ogunaike Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, and her husband, Debo Collins, a suave businessman and politician, into fits of uncontainable happiness.

    Feelers indicate that Toyin Collins and her baby have become inseparable as she savours the fresh fruit of the womb after more than two decades of fruitless search. The amiable new mother has been married to her beau Debo for less than three years and is already reaping the rewards. Her joy was accentuated by the fact that in her former marriage, she was childless while her husband managed to father four children with three different women.

  • Ineh: Celebration of motherhood

    Ineh: Celebration of motherhood

    The complexities of parenthood and the sacrifices that accompany motherhood are the primary themes in a new musical drama, Ineh. Excerpts of the drama have been staged at the National Arts Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos.

    The play raises the question of whether it is possible to be a good mother and a career woman.

    While the play does not provide answers to the question, it, however, leaves the question open to interpretations by the audience. Their perception of the action occurring on stage would help to form their answers to the question.

    Many modern families seem to have this scenario often. Should the mother stay at home like a housewife and man the affairs of the home until the husband gets back from work? This one question seems to form the thrust of the conflict – a conflict that can materialise in many forms based on the peculiarities of the individual families.

    That conflict also forms the backbone of the story of Ineh. Ineh, which means a royal title for a mother, and a woman who defines her goal and destiny, is also the title of the drama. It was inspired by the story of the mother of the Producer, Fred Ijewere. The play was dedicated to her and excerpts from it were dramatised on her 80th birthday.

    The musical tells the story of a teacher who quit her profession to raise her children and face family life.

    Ijewere said the essence of the drama is to make the world know the productivity of women, and that such women who displayed their diligence should be honoured.

    The play goes well beyond wealth and the extent of material possessions. Wealth, in the final analysis does not guarantee the happiness of a family or the peace that will reign it. Ineh is a play that applies to the old and young, married and  single alike.

    It cuts across age and is not about wisdom or knowledge. It tells the story of an individual that is consequently interwoven between choices in the world. It is similar to the story of choices that individuals confront everyday of our lives as parents or prospective parents, and will connect to many as it captures the emotions of many people.

    The play helps bring the viewer to the awareness that life is as a maze. One moves from one puzzle to another.

    The upbringing of a child and the training of such a child is important in nation-building. Many times, both parents have no other choice but to work to sustain the family. Most times, the women have to make a choice to forfeit her careers and stay home to look after the children, thereby becoming housewives. In most cases, she has no side-jobs or activities to support her as a personal source of income.

    The play’s Director, Makinde Adeniran, noted that the production cost over N100million. Watching the 12-minute excerpt of the play, aimed at raising issues that have become controversial, the audience was left spell-bound.

    Makinde added that the play is not an attempt to give a solution, but to put down issues in the story to the conscience of the individuals. The play will feature during the last quarter of the year.

  • From Ebola survivor to motherhood

    From Ebola survivor to motherhood

    OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA and WALE ADEPOJU write on how Ebola survivor Dr Ada Igonoh weathered the storm to become a mother.

    Female Ebola survivors rarely get pregnant and when they do, many do not carry it to term. So far, only two women in Africa are known to have given birth after recovering from Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF). They are Sierra Leone’s first Ebola survivor Victoria Yillia and Nigeria’s Dr Ada Igonoh, who was delivered of a baby girl in the United States (US) two weeks ago.

    Mrs  Igonoh of the First Consultant Medical Centre (FCMC), Lagos, became infected with Ebola last year during the treatment of the index case, Liberian Patrick Sawyer, who died about two weeks after coming down with the deadly virus. The birth of Igonoh’s baby is being celebrated because it is a rare medical feat. Reason: Expectant mothers with active Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and expectant mothers who survive EVD without pregnancy loss, according to World Health Organisation (WHO), may transmit the virus during delivery and/or management of obstetric complications.

    Although WHO claries that there is no evidence to show that women who survive (EVD) and subsequently become pregnant pose a risk for EVD transmission.

    It was for the fear of Mrs Igonoh’s and her baby’s health that extreme precautions were taken to manage her pregnancy.

    FCMC Chief Medical Director (CMD) Dr Benjamin Ohiaeri said being the first Post- Ebola survivor to become pregnant in Nigeria, “we could not afford to take chances with her while pregnant and at delivery. This is because when you survive Ebola it is difficult to get pregnant, and if pregnant, it is difficult to carry the pregnancy, and much difficult to deliver the pregnancy. Ada carried the pregnancy well. She made us proud, as a nation”. Statistics show that such fears may not be misplaced.

    Fifteen (14 percent) of 105 women with Ebola haemorrhagic fever hospitalised in the isolation unit of the Kikwit General Hospital in Democratic Republic of  Congo were pregnant. In 10 women (66 percent), the pregnancy ended with an abortion. In three of them, curettage was performed, and they received blood transfusion from an apparently healthy person. Curettage is to remove tissue by scraping or scooping. One woman was prematurely delivered of a stillbirth. Four expectant mothers died during the third trimester of their pregnancy. The women bled severely. Only one survived; she had curettage because of an incomplete abortion after eight months of amenorrhea. The mortality rate of expectant mothers with Ebola Haemorrhagic fever (95.5 percent) was slightly but not significantly higher than the overall mortality observed during the Ebola epidemic in Kikwit (77 percent; 245/316 infected persons).

    Dr Ohiaeri said: “There are so many tests she undergone that couldn’t have been done in the country. We hypothetically assumed so many things and that is how we work as medics, so we could not afford her some chances. She is a first of First. Best decision was the America. Dr. Igonoh is the only female medical doctor to have survived the deadly disease and gotten pregnant. Since her conception, she has been placed under medical surveillance to ensure that her child is Ebola-Free. The baby, upon birth, has been certified Ebola-free. The baby girl weighs Nine pounds One ounce. Everything about the baby is normal because all tests carried out on it came back negative. Vanderbelt University Medical Centre did the tests.”

    According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) there is no evidence that women who become pregnant after recovery from EVD are at risk of EVD transmission.  But it recommends Standard obstetric infection prevention and control (IPC) precautions that should be used when exposure to bodily fluids is possible during childbirth and/or management of complications.

    Yillia, the first survivor to have a child, lost 21 relatives to Ebola. She gave birth to a healthy 6lb, 3oz (2.8kg) baby boy with no complications.

    EVD in pregnancy is associated with a high rate of obstetric complications and poor maternal and perinatal outcomes, including spontaneous abortion, prelabour rupture of membranes, preterm labour/preterm birth, antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage, intrauterine fetal death, stillbirth, maternal death and neonatal death. Although rare, some pregnant women with EVD have recovered without loss of pregnancy. Evidence has shown that intrauterine contents remain PCR positive for Ebola virus RNA. There are no reports of survival beyond the neonatal period.

    WHO has Guidance on the clinical management of pregnant women with EVD it has as well a document that provides guidance for the screening, triage, and application of infection prevention and control (IPC) during pregnancy and childbirth care in the context of an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD), but it maintains that the diagnosis of EVD during pregnancy can be challenging due to overlapping symptoms such as nausea and fatigue, and potentially atypical presentation such as delayed onset of fever. Rigorous screening for EVD exposure during pregnancy is essential in areas of Ebola virus transmission. Ebola IPC (infection prevention and control (IPC)) precautions must be stringently applied when providing obstetric care to pregnant women and newborns that are known or suspected to be at risk of EVD transmission.

    Dr Ohiaeri said the Association of Nigerian Physicians in America (ANPA) facilitated Dr Igonoh’s transfer to the US and the delivery was done by Dr Julius Kpaduwa, an Obstetician-Gynaecologist in El monte, California, while Dr Stella Kpaduwa, a paediatrician attended to the baby. “It is a feat for Nigeria as a nation that Ada was delivered by Nigerian-Americans. Many stakeholders were in the delivery room with her-WHO team, CDC team, Global Affairs team, and US Government representatives, the CEO of the hospital where she delivered.

    The husband, Mr Godwin Igonoh said mother and child are not expected back in the country soon as, “there is need for the duo to bond and it is satisfactory to the stakeholders to allow them come back. Once they arrive, there will be celebration and all will be invited.”

    WHO declared Nigeria Ebola-free on October 20, 2014. The organisation said there had been 28,607 cases of EVD and 11,314 deaths as at November 1, this year. It said a year ago, the West African Ebola outbreak was generating so many new cases, and spread to other countries that the world was terrified. Many feared that the Ebola virus was the pathogen that would overwhelm humanity.

    In an abstract published by  the Infectious Diseases Society of America during the Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) epidemic in Kikwit, only a small number of women were pregnant, which contrasts with the epidemic in the neighbouring Yambuku, DRC, where 82 (46per cent) of 177 infected women were. Of the 202 EHF patients hospitalised at the Kikwit General Hospital, 105 were women, and 15 (14percent) of them were or had been pregnant during their illness. In 10 women (67percent), the pregnancy ended with an abortion. In three of them a curettage was done

    Spontaneous abortion is frequent in pregnant women with EHF. A high frequency of abortion has also been observed during infection with other hemorrhagic fevers, such as Lassa fever.  During the epidemic in Yambuku in 1976, 19 abortions (23%) among 82 pregnant women with EHF were reported.

    There are several factors that may explain the high incidence of abortions: pyrexia, intravascular coagulopathy, and EBO infection in fetuses of EBO-infected women. In Yambuku, a large number of pregnant women became infected with EBO because they had received vitamin injections with contaminated needles and syringes. Injections played only a minor role or no role at all in the Kikwit epidemic.

    Several infectious diseases, such as malaria, hepatitis, varicella zoster, polio, tuberculosis, and Lassa fever, have been reported to be more severe in pregnant than non pregnant women. Results for the small series of EBO-infected pregnant women in the current study suggest that EBO may also be more severe in pregnant women. More EBO-infected pregnant women presented with serious complications, such as hemorrhagic manifestations and neurologic complications, than did other EBO patients.

    A clinical diagnosis of hemorrhagic fever in a pregnant woman is complicated because pregnant women may bleed for other reasons, such as abortion unrelated to EHF or a placenta previa. During an EBO epidemic, every pregnant woman with genital bleeding should be considered as a suspected case of EHF.

    Pregnant women with EHF may present with severe genital bleeding and may need a blood transfusion or curettage (or both). Therefore, health care workers caring for these women have a particularly high risk of acquiring EHF if they do not apply barrier nursing techniques. This includes wearing double gloves, a plastic or rubber apron over a long sleeve gown, a mask, and a full face protector (if available) or protective glasses for personal protection. Moreover, linens, instruments, bedding, and floors that have been soiled with blood or other body fluids should be disinfected with sodium hypochlorite. The application of universal precautions and barrier nursing techniques is not only of particular importance in maternity units in Africa to protect health care workers against EBO infection but also against other infections that are transmissible by blood, such as HIV and hepatitis.

    Now, one year later that terror has been replaced by confidence that strong leadership, adaptation of the response to cultures and environments and innovation have turned the tide. Liberia has interrupted transmission and Sierra Leone is close to achieving that milestone. Guinea is still recording cases but in low numbers.

    At her address to the Regional Committee for Europe, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, says the Ebola outbreak is not yet over, “but we are very close. We are in a phase where we can track the last chains of transmission, and break them. To get to this phase, WHO deployed more than 1000 staff to 68 field sites in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

    Due to the Ebola outbreak, many countries closed their borders. But as of now, the following travel notices have been updated: Ebola in Sierra Leone (downgraded to Level 2, Alert, Practice enhanced precautions), Ebola in Guinea (updated to reflect change to Sierra Leone notice and Ebola in Liberia (updated to reflect change to Sierra Leone notice).

  • Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    IF you are married, let your children sincerely know you love and respect their father; your husband. This will teach them to know that a home is based on love and respect and they will treat their mates that way when they get married. If you are not, you need to be extremely careful with the sort of values you pass down to them so as not to derail them.acv

  • Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    WHEN your child begins to ask questions you consider funny and too young for her to understand, there’s more harm in ignoring her than answering her. Children get a lot of misinformation from their peers in school and the media. They are very confused so parents have to come to their elementary level and not only answer their questions but explain to them in a way their will understand.

  • Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    Tips on motherhood (For mothers)

    TAKE a look at your life from when you were a child. No one is perfect no matter how hard we try. However, if you are sincere enough, you may find flaws, shortcomings or mistakes brought about by either a faulty upbringing or the paths you decided to toe. If you have learnt your lessons or realised why your life could have been better, you will ensure you bring up your child to have a better life.

  • Changing face of motherhood

    Changing face of motherhood

    It’s Mothering Sunday. Usually, the celebration falls on the 4th Sunday in Lent. Historically, it was a time people returned smaller churches to the main church or cathedral in the area. Today, however, Mothering Sunday and mother’s day have now been mixed and it is usually a time to celebrate womanhood and motherhood. Yetunde Oladeinde takes a look at the challenges women face in contemporary society.

     

    WHILE we roll out the drums and clink glasses, it is also a time for reflections; a time to assess the changing face of motherhood. In the past, the roles of women were confined mostly to being a mother and wife, and she was expected to dedicate most of her energy to these roles.

    However, things are changing and a lot of people are pushing for the role of the father in child-care because the days of the full-time housewife have gone into oblivion. On her part, Funmilayo Bassey Mfon believes that women need to go back to the drawing board. She strongly believes that mothers have abandoned their duties and this has affected the way children are being brought up these days.

    “Things are not as they used to be. When we were growing up, mothers were mothers. A mother was always there for her children. She was the eye of the family and they didn’t have to work from 8am to 5pm and get home late in the night. Then, mothers opted to be teachers, but unfortunately that has changed now,”Mfon stated.

    Mfon added: “A lot of times, most mothers are religious but they don’t know God. If they know God they would know that money isn’t everything; they should be content and put their trust in God. Most of us are materialistic, that is the problem. Basically in the past, the priority was in the kids. I know the Bible says Godliness is contentment. The kids are the future; if the children are not well taken care of, then all the money that they are chasing will be wasted. I think mothers need to get their priorities right.”

    Sadly, Temitope Ashaolu takes you into her world with nostalgia: “I work in the bank and my day starts around 4.30am to 5.00 am every day except at weekends. I wake up early to prepare the children for school and then get out of the house by 5.45 to get to the office on time. The traffic in my area is very bad and if I do not leave on time I would be really late for work.”

    She added that “it is, therefore, very tough cooking a great meal during the week. So what I usually do is to prepare ‘bulk meals’ and store in the freezer. I do a lot of shopping and cooking on Saturday and in addition I stock the house with things that they can make easily when I am not available. When the children and my husband come back before me, they can pick what they want and microwave it.”

    Like Temitope, 38-years-old Hauwa Mustapha says that 24 hours a day is not enough for her. “On a daily basis I get home around 10pm and by the time I get home I am tired and exhausted. Usually, I pick the children from my mothers place and they would have had their dinner there. As soon as I get home I would throw their uniforms, underwear and socks into the laundry machine. In the morning, I do at least three things simultaneously just to get out of the house on time.”

    On a number of occasions, the meal gets burnt and there are times I forget to switch off the cooker and would definitely go back home as soon as I remember this. I thank God that my husband has allowed me to do things my own way. The only snag is that he is a typical African man, he can never assist you with house chores because he believes that this should be a woman’s duty.”

    Is it easier for mothers who are self-employed or housewives? “Personally, I think that they also put in so much. I do all the school runs and I am the children’s driver. At the end of every day, I am so tired and it’s a circle that never really ends. If we had to employ a driver or pay for the school bus, you can imagine how much we would have to cough out on a monthly basis. So, I fill in this gap and earn nothing but the consolation that my children would grow up to be responsible citizens,” says Bisi Phillips.

    This leads us to culinary skills which are supposed to be one basic duty of the wife and mother. “In the past, the best way into a man’s heart was said to be through the stomach. Unfortunately, this has changed these days. A lot of young mothers don’t even know how to cook. It is, therefore, common to find a lot of married men eating at eateries or even cooking their meals themselves,” enthused Gbolahan Adio, a Lagos-based businessman.

    For Chinwe Osuagwu, the executive director of the Green and White Initiative, mothers deserve a lot of recognition for the efforts they put into the development of the family. “Our women should be commended. They work so hard and spend all their time toiling for the family. It is tough getting assistance these days because a lot of the young people are in school now. Many now opt for matured and elderly women and pay through their nose while others have to do all the chores on their own because they cannot afford it.”

    Osuagwu stated: “Our men should learn how to appreciate their women. If they are appreciated they would do more. Most times they actually forget about themselves. A lot of the women I have spoken to tell us during counselling that we are doing so much and it’s like I am doing nothing.”

    32-year-old Emmanuella Nwankwo, who has been married for six years, confessed that it is tough spending quality time with her family. “Since I got married it has been tough juggling family and career. At a point, I thought of resigning from the job but I knew it would be difficult to make ends meet. Most times the children were abandoned in the daycare or with nannies and house helps who did not fill in the gaps properly for me. There were times I cried when I saw the kind of attention given to me, but somehow I knew that something just must give way for the other.”

    Nwankwo continued, “When we were growing up, my mother used to check our notebooks everyday and go through the assignments with us. When we finished the assignments, she would give us her own assignments and by the time she was through with us the homework becomes simplified and easy. These days, by the time I come back from work my children are already in bed sleeping. By the time they get up in the morning, everyone is rushing to work and to school. It’s so hectic, and so what I do is to pay their teachers for extra coaching to fill in the gaps for me.”

    Women are also marrying late now and we have more births by caesarian operation. Luckily, In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) has made pregnancy possible at ages well beyond natural limits.

    Life as a working mother many believe has wiped away the closeness between mother and child. “A lot of the women you find parading themselves as mothers today are not my role models at all. They are always looking for short cuts to everything. When a baby’s nose was blocked our mothers would use their mouths to suck it out to make the child okay. But you find a number of young mothers get so irritated that they cannot do this. They do not want to breast feed their babies because they claim that this would make their breast go sag. Experts say that children who are breastfed are healthier and more intelligent, so why are these mothers finding it so hard to give their children the best?” queried Phillip Idehen.

    For Tolu Banwo, a mother of five, motherhood isn’t as interesting as she expected it to be. “I work six days a week and try to give them quality time and attention on Sundays. I try to reduce my social engagements so that I can be with them. There are times when I feel so guilty, especially when they accuse me with their innocent words. There was a day when my daughter cried after me as I was escaping through the back door. On another occasion, she asked: “Mummy are you going out today, and I said no. Then quickly she replied, ‘you are lying; my teacher said parents should not tell lies o.’”