Ibrahim Sulaiman
A Consultant Paediatrician at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Fatima Abdullahi, has stressed the critical role of postnatal care, hospital deliveries, and childbirth spacing in preventing life-threatening complications for both mothers and newborns.
Dr. Abdullahi delivered the lecture during an Adolescent Girls and Young Women Sensitization Workshop on Postnatal Care (PNC) and Childbirth Spacing (CBS), organized by the Faith and Cultural Champions Almanar Women Association at Annur Islamiyya Magajiya.
She emphasized that postnatal visits after childbirth are essential for early detection and management of health conditions that could endanger maternal and child lives if left untreated.
Key topics covered during the workshop included identifying danger signs after delivery, the importance of exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, continued breastfeeding up to two years, and appropriate complementary feeding for healthy child growth.
The paediatrician also cautioned against harmful cultural practices, such as excessive hot-water bathing, misuse of traditional drinks like kunu, unsafe home remedies for jaundice, and the application of henna, noting that these practices often delay hospital care and result in severe health complications.
Dr. Abdullahi further encouraged women to access childbirth spacing services through qualified health facilities and to maintain open communication with their spouses to support positive health-seeking behaviour.
She highlighted the importance of family support—including husbands, parents, and grandmothers—in promoting maternal and child health, adding that a healthy society begins with healthy mothers and well-cared-for children.
Earlier, the Ameerah Al’Manar Women Association, represented by Hajiya Rabi Sodangi, said the workshop aimed to enlighten adolescent girls and young mothers on the risks associated with home deliveries and the benefits of giving birth in hospitals.
She explained that complications such as excessive bleeding, dizziness, fainting, breathing difficulties in newborns, and poor breastfeeding often go unnoticed in home deliveries.
Hajiya Sodangi noted that many young mothers lack adequate knowledge of newborn care, which hospitals provide immediately after delivery, including proper breastfeeding techniques and early medical attention for infants with health challenges.
Selected young mothers will undergo continuous training over the next five months on maternal care, child development, and healthy living to improve family and community well-being.
In his remarks, a teacher at Annur Islamiyya, Malam Abdussalam Musa, commended the initiative, describing it as timely and capable of improving health-seeking behaviour among women and families. He expressed hope that the knowledge gained would help reduce preventable maternal and child health complications.