Expert counsels couples on how to reduce maternal mortalities

Child seeking couples have been advised to prepare adequately before getting pregnant to reduce mortality during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and post-abortion.

Pastor (Mrs.) Folakemi Adekugbe, the Chief Executive Officer, Motherhood and lChild Survival Foundation, gave the advice at her Golden Jubilee birthday held at Alakia in Ibadan.

The birthday celebration, held in honour of Adekugbe, featured  fundraising for the  Motherhood Ultramodern Multi-purpose Women Centre (A.K.A Mom’s Place) of the foundation.

Adekugbe, also a reputable Nursing Officer, said that adequate preparation would reduce the lifetime risk of Nigerian women dying during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and post-abortion.

She said it was important that women and men seeking to have children should prepare adequately before they get pregnant.

“Life is an inestimable value. It has no spare and hence, it must be preserved. Pregnancy is worth being thoroughly prepared for.

“I advise that all women should say no to unwanted pregnancy. Our young girls should practice Abstinence Toll Marriage (ATM).

“They should ensure that they have a regular source of income before marriage. They must ensure that their partners also have regular source of income before marriage,” the Nursing Officer said.

Adekugbe said that adequate child spacing would improve family health and economy, urging them to have a number of children they could conveniently cater for.

She said that adoption of birth control methods go a long way in helping couples to prevent unwanted pregnancies and associated complications.

“My experience in this organisation dates back to 2003 when I started health counselling and education in the Church, after which I started community outreaches.

“Then, we were checking blood pressure, weight and random blood glucose level of the participants and counselling them based on their test results,” she said.

Adekugbe narrated how they started the clinic base of the organisation in 2005 to concentrate on maternal and child healthcare.

She said that within the last 17 years, they had screened over no fewer than five thousand people for HIV (HCT and PMTCT).

“We connected Society for Family Health (SFH) in 2008 and were supplied anti-malaria drugs, as well as numerous mosquito nets, which were distributed at various outreaches.

“No fewer than 700 women were booked for antenatal and 500 normal deliveries conducted.

“We have provided many free long lasting family planning methods and about 50 surgeries have been done at a reduced cost,” she said.

Adekugbe said that the organisation had also conducted regular outreaches, monthly pregnant women conferences and monthly meetings of the Agbebis (traditional birth attendants).

“My major concern for conducting outreaches is to educate women, youths and school pupils (everyone) on how to take responsibility for health improvement, prevention of diseases, disabilities and death.

“All over Africa, research has shown that the major cause of death of women is complications of pregnancy and pregnancy-related problems,” she said.

According to her, World Health Organisation (WHO) had put the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of Nigeria at 814 per 100,000 live births.

“The lifetime risk of a Nigerian woman dying during pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and post-abortion is one in 22, in contrast to the lifetime risk in developed countries estimated at one in 4,900.”

She said current evidence suggested that high rate of maternal, as well as neonatal mortality in Nigeria, was linked to three forms of maternal delay proposed by Thaddeus and Marine.

Adekugbe added that such included delay in making decision to seek maternal healthcare, delay in arriving at a medical facility and delay in receiving skilled pregnancy care when the woman gets to the health facility.