Grandmothers And After-Birth Care In Nigeria

     Grandmothers have proven over time to be invaluable sources of knowledge and experience for new moms and their babies. The culture of grandma taking care of her daughter or daughter-in-law and baby is as old as time itself. The Igbos call this practice omugwo, the Yorubas call it ojojo omo and it is called umaan in Akwa Ibom. In cases where the grandmother is late or cannot perform her duty, an elderly woman in the family can take her place. The significance of this practice is that it helps the new mother ease into her new role with the help of the mother.

     Postpartum care in Nigeria usually spans from when the baby is born until when the baby is christened. This takes roughly about three months. This care is not just for new moms but also mothers with children. During this time, she is allowed to have adequate rest and adjust to the increasing number of children she has to care for. For a new mom, her grandmother/caregiver takes full responsibility for the newborn while the mom watches and learns until she can start taking care of the baby herself. 

The role of grandmothers in after-birth care

• She bathes, massages and takes care of the baby while the mom recuperates. The baby is taken to the mother when she wants to feed and cuddle.
• She bathes the mom and prepares a sitz bath for her. Bath time could be a nightmare for new moms if caution is not applied. A towel is dipped in hot water and used to massage the mother's stomach to help the flow of, blood, remove the dark pigmentation of the stomach and flatten the stomach by burning excess fat. 
• She prepares meals with a blend of spices for the new mom that is believed to help flush out the lochia. The food is mostly yam or rice with pepper soup.
• She does the laundry for mom and baby.
• She advises the new mom with her wealth of experience on food that helps to increase the flow of breast milk and other issues.
• She helps the mother ease into her new responsibility without stress. 

     From the above, it is obvious that new moms need all the help they can get so why not from your mother? This is not to say that these relationships are without their share of friction. It takes understanding and patience to work out a common ground. Some babies have ended up in the hospital because some spices or oil were used on their umbilical cord to cause it to heal faster but they turned out to be infectious. Some of our mothers need to be educated and encouraged to go along for antenatal care to enlighten them. Let your baby's health and safety be your priority, don't be cowed into submitting to practices that can harm your baby. On the whole, we all love our grandma, don't you?

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