Antenatal care is crucial for safe pregnancies and healthy childbirth, according to health experts who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. They stressed that routine antenatal visits allow for early detection and management of conditions such as high blood pressure, anemia, infections, and gestational diabetes. Dr Charles Umeh, a gynaecologist at Charles Healthcare Hospital in Suleja, said antenatal checkups are vital for monitoring pregnancy progress and enabling timely medical intervention. He noted that even some women married to doctors avoid antenatal clinics, citing his own wife as an example, who initially saw the visits as a waste of time. A retired midwife, Maryam Isah, emphasized that antenatal care significantly improves maternal and newborn survival when expectant mothers access it consistently. She shared that she had to personally educate her younger sisters and brothers' wives on its importance before they accepted it. Rashida Lawal, a mother of seven, admitted she did not attend antenatal clinics during her first six pregnancies since her marriage in 1999. Her perspective changed only after her sixth child was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, which led her to embrace antenatal care before her final pregnancy. Experts continue to advocate for early and consistent antenatal visits, urging families and communities to support pregnant women in accessing these services. Public health messages describe antenatal care as a lifesaving intervention that reduces preventable complications for both mother and child.
A gynaecologist admitting his own wife avoided antenatal care despite his medical expertise reveals how deeply cultural resistance runs, even within health-savvy households. When a woman married to a doctor sees antenatal visits as unnecessary, it underscores how knowledge alone does not shift behavior. Rashida Lawal's story—six births without care, followed by a change only after a child's diagnosis—shows prevention is often undervalued until tragedy strikes. This pattern suggests public health campaigns may be reaching ears but not altering choices.
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