If we must effectively mitigate the high mortality rate during childbirth in Africa, we must educate men on the child birthing processes, highlighting their roles.
Many men think it is all about having pleasurable intercourse, fertilizing an egg/eggs and providing money for shopping/delivery.
A lot of them don’t know that it goes beyond that.
Page 43 of my book ‘I Am Not A Hebrew Woman All I Want Is Safe Delivery‘ did justice to ‘The Role of Men During Childbirth‘.
No matter how enlightened, empowered and self-aware a woman is, having/marrying a man who is ignorant of these things can go a long way to frustrate her or even break their home.
A good number of women die during childbirth because their spouse insists on a particular delivery method (Not always because of finance).
Read Also: How Religion Affects The High Maternal Mortality In Africa
These men have been indoctrinated, they watched and heard their mothers deliver on the farm, kitchen, market, etc…
They now have mental programming of what/how their ideal ” strong woman” should be/do.
They try to enforce their beliefs on the empowered woman and when these women try to fight for their lives by insisting on what must be done, it gives rise to problems in the home which sometimes can become irreconcilable, leading to divorce.
If you think my book and Safe Delivery Movement is for women alone, you need to think again.
Having this conversation during courtship is not enough!
We have to reorient and properly equip every individual with knowledge.
Dear men, you have a role to play during childbirth.
Grab a copy of my book and enlighten yourself.
You have a role to play in reducing the high mortality rate during childbirth.
You have a role to play in saving the lives of your wife and unborn child.
Don’t wait for things to go south!
It is time we educate every man in Africa.
Take your time and read this touching story shared with me by a man.
This story was shared by a man (A Pastor) who lost his wife and baby during childbirth.
He bought a copy of my book and expressed that he wish he had access to the information in the book before now. He wouldn’t have lost his wife and baby during childbirth.
He got married and his wife got pregnant the next month. He was happy and could not wait to see his first seed.
He looked forward to being called daddy by his little boy. All he wanted was to meet his son and carry him in his hands, watch him cry, smile, laugh, eat, play and sleep.
Fast forward to the ninth month everyone was prepared to meet the boy. Labour started and his wife was rushed to the hospital for delivery.
“She suffered, Nana my baby suffered, ” he exclaimed!
I watched her labour in pain for 3 solid days.
I didn’t have much money because I have not received a salary for the past 5 months. It was a general thing.
We held firmly to the Hebrew woman’s delivery. I fasted and prayed. We didn’t plan or budget for a cesarean section.
On the 2nd day, the doctor talked about operating on my wife to bring out the baby because the labour was not progressive.
The doctors demanded a deposit. Trust government hospitals.
They needed me to buy some things and still make some deposits before they could operate on her.
I ran back to the office, I asked my colleagues for money but I didn’t get any. We all have suffered no payment of salary for 5 months . Everyone was managing.
I could not raise the deposit that day. I made some calls and visited some people who I believe can help out.
My church was not big, it was filled with struggling individuals who I was better than so I didn’t bother my brethren.
I was able to raise a little above the deposit from my extended family and friends, I rushed back to the hospital.
While trying to pay at the payment unit, I got the news that crashed my whole world.
The doctors sent for me and I carried my smelly self to meet them only to see that my wife was swollen. That was 2x her size before I left in search of funds.
What happened? Why is she like this? Doctor kedi if me?
I could not hold myself. The whole world got dark at that moment.
I hated myself, I hated poverty, I hated my employer, I hated the country, I hated everything.
I could not save her, I could not save Chizaram, my son.
They operated on her to bring out the dead baby and all I could do was curse life.
This book of yours should be in every home.
What you just read is a review of this book.
Finance is one of the major reasons why most families reject cesarean section.
Get this book to know how you can pay less for delivery (vaginal birth and cesarean section inclusive).
Including how you can boycott some fees for tests and more during pregnancy.
We can mitigate the stigma of cesarean section moms and curb the high maternal mortality during childbirth in Africa.
Every man should be enlightened. Ignorance is not an excuse!
You can listen to the podcast on this topic here
