Hit the streets after birth…to make ends meet

 

There is no time the popular cliche: ‘no food for lazy man’, comes closer to the fore than in the daily life of every Nigerian, in these times. 

The economy is so telling on Nigerians that survival is more miraculous than strategic. 

However, Nigerians, known for resilience, are also strategically plotting to survive by any means.

Though the cliche singles out men, even women have realised that what touches the eye affects the nose, eventually. So, they are also doubling their survival strategies.

To that extent, even pregnant women, who always look forward to three months of post-partum rest, popularly known as ‘maternity leave’, after delivery, now shun the idea. For them, that three months shouldn’t be wasted for a people whose survival depends on what they make daily.

The usual practice, before the economy doubled down hardship on Nigerians, was that women working in private organisations earn a month or two months of post-partum care leave.

Those in government parastatals earn a compulsory three-month pre-natal leave.

But the struggle for survival has made most of them abandon this important aspect of rest to be able to shore up their means of survival.

Economy&Lifestyle has discovered that nursing mothers now spend only eight days after childbirth, to begin their business activities. 

Mrs. Beatrice Akere, a hairstylist, said that she resumed work after 10 days of post-partum rest because she had to meet up with her targets for the year, in terms of savings.

“I am a mother of two children. My second child is just two months old. After giving birth to him, I rested for only ten days. Within those ten days, I was still attending to little business.

“After ten days, I resumed work because I am a hairstylist.

“The amount my husband and I spent on hospital bills was too much. But I thank God we are fine.

“I have to start working to be able to meet our target (savings) for the year and also assist him with other bills because the baby was not something we planned for.” 

Mrs. Hannah Chukwuma, a seamstress, said she only observed for two weeks as she and her husband could hardly afford money for transport fare to bring her mother from the East to take part in Omugwo.

“You know what we all are experiencing in this country. You can hardly feed and foot bills because the price of everything keeps increasing. I am a receptionist in a hotel and also make women’s outfits as a side hustle.

“After delivery,my mother was to come for my Omugwo. But the transport fare from the East is high. So I told her not to bother coming.

“An elderly woman in my church helped with the bathing of the baby till his christening day.

“I took it up from there and rested for two more days before starting to make outfits which I had collected from my customers a few days before childbirth to avoid disappointing them. 

“This is because I have spent their part payment. ”

People in the Eastern parts coined the name Omugwo for postpartum rest .

Omugwo is a traditional rite observed in the East. Here the mother of either the wife or husband is expected to take care of the newborn and mother for three months helping with the house chores, and bathing for the baby and its mother among other things.

At the end of the Omugwo, the mother leaves with various goodies.

But in this economy where there is a continuous rise in goods and services, low salaries, increased unemployment, low sales coupled with the high cost of transportation such rite has entered into oblivion. 

Mrs. Foluke Hakeem, whose daughter gave birth in February said she couldn’t visit her daughter for Omugwo until the end of last month.

She noted that her daughter who lives in Abuja said her husband couldn’t afford her transport fare then and she had to just see her grandchildren through video call.

She added: “When I arrived in Abuja, I was shocked to see my daughter going to her place of business with her children after observing post-partum rest for just three weeks.

“I had to help her for a few weeks before I left because my business was also at stake.

“These young women nowadays don’t even know the importance of resting after birth. 

“It helps to put the body in shape and allows the mother to regain herself after childbirth.

“Even those who were operated upon during childbirth hardly spend three months which is very very risky to their health.
“I don’t blame them. It is what the country has turned us into.

“Nowadays, you see women being the breadwinner of the family while the husband wastes away in a beer parlor everyday.
“She gets older than her age easily because the blood she has wasted during childbirth can never be regained as she loses blood monthly.

“Some even hardly visit the hospital for check ups after birth all in the name of looking for money.
“Some only attend postnatal schedules in the hospital when the home remedies applied to either the mother or newborn are not effective. Imagine such a risk.

“It is only God that will help us.” 

According to the World Health Organization,WHO, the postpartum period is critical in the lives of mothers and babies due to the risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.

The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2018, showed that only 38 per cent of women and 42 per cent of newborns received a postnatal check in the first two days after birth.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that postpartum women should have contact with healthcare providers within 24 hours, at day 3, days 10–14 and 6 weeks post-delivery.

It noted that multiple postnatal clinic (PNC) visits will allow assessment and prompt treatment of complications arising from delivery.”