Maternal Health: Expert Advocates Child Spacing

The Medical Officer in
charge of the Model Primary Health Centre, Ozuoba, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, Dr Ufuoma Edewor, has listed child spacing as one of the ways of obtaining good health within the childbearing period of the woman.
Edewor, who stated this while delivering a speech on ‘family planning’ at this year’s Men’s Day activities organised by the Vibrant Faith Mission, Ozuoba, said the health of the woman was needful for a hitch-free conception and delivery of another child, maintaining that some of the maternal challenges faced by mothers were due to every year delivery of children.
To achieving this good health, the medical practitioner, who is also the Public Relations Officer of the Nigerian Medical Women Association, Rivers State branch, stated that family planning was the tool and advocated the Natural Family Planning  Method.
While noting that family planning has the natural and barrier methods, Edewor explained that the natural method of family planning entailed a good understanding of the women’s menstrual  cycle and  stressed the need for the men to  cooperate with their wives in achieving the goal.
She said: “good child spacing enhances the health of the mother. The first child must attain between the ages of one-two years before another pregnancy and these parents will have to take note. To achieve this, family planning comes in and indeed, the natural family planning method. The men (fathers) do not have to leave it in the hands of the women (mothers) alone.  They both must have a good understanding of the woman’s menstrual cycle and work together to achieve their aim of child-spacing”.
The medical practitioner, who posited that faithfulness among partners promotes good health in homes identified good hygiene practices,   consumption of natural foods, regular exercise, sleep, abstinence from cigarette smoking as ingredients of healthy living.
“We advise our women especially the newly married ones to go for the natural family planning method in order to space their children and obtain good health. Above all, couples should seek for divine guidance in whatever they do in their homes for their health and happiness”, Edewor said.

Lady Godknows Ogbulu