How Gombe fathers are encouraging child spacing
Chima Azubuike, writes about the sacrifices of some Gombe fathers who have risen above culture and encouraged their wives to opt for child spacing methods
Usman Muhammad Babawuro, Middle aged father of two, has been married for seven years to Aishatu.
According to Babawuro, he chose to encourage his wife opt for child spacing about 3 years now after been sensitised by health workers.
He narrated that his family has become alot productive, robust, adding that his wife is better energized to conduct her activities.
When our correspondent visited the couple in their Malam Inna residence behind Gombe State University, Babawuro, continued that he doesn’t have any regret allowing his wife become client in one of the facilities.
He said, “I decided to support my wife to try the child Spacing option; due to the various awarenesses conducted by health care workers on the some of the methods.
“They stressed it importance to both mother and the family. This is because the children will be healthy. Immediately she opted, we noticed so many changes; alot of development in our social life.
“As a man, you realise that once a woman is pregnant, she can not do alot of things but with child spacing options, she can have time to do things.”
According to Nigeria Health Management Information System, version 2013: Gombe State facility deliveries, by facility type, January-December 2018, Gombe State, northeastern Nigeria, has high maternal and newborn mortality at 814 per 100 000 live births and 35 per 1000 live births, respectively; nationally, maternal mortality estimates are also 814 per 100 000 live births and neonatal mortality estimates are 39 per 1000 live births Most women access maternity care through public facilities. Seventy-two percent of women reported at least one antenatal care visit during their last pregnancy and 29% gave birth in a health facility. In 2018, over 70% of facility deliveries took place in rural primary health facilities.
Another father, Shola Shittu, who also resides in Gombe state, said he became aware about the advantages of child spacing early in life, adding that it has influenced the choices he made in his marriage of about 19 years.
53 years old Shittu who doubles as marriage counsellor, stressed that child spacing has notable advantages.
“I have always loved child spacing from childhood; I can recall in the 80’s in my own part of the country. We had jingles, as early as 10 years old. A popular Yoruba musician by name Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, waxed a record called Family Planning. That opened our eyes to the consequences of not spacing your children and since then I made up my mind not to have more than 4 children and when we became ready for marriage we noticed 4 was too much a number.
“So when I got wedded myself and my wife dragged between 2 or 3 children but we effectually settled at 3 children.”
Shittu revealed that gender of children sometimes is the reason why most parents are afraid of child spacing.
” In our first and second children in between we were using condoms as child spacing, but after the second child was delivered, I went with her to the hospital for the implantation, it was in my presence that it was done. Now my third and last child is 14 and we have been using the child spacing method. Just recently, my wife reminded me that the implant has expired and I immediately gave her the money for renewal.
“Large families encourage poverty and one way to reduce poverty is reduce the number of children. The resources that goes to the mouth is huge. Men who want to enjoy good life should plan their family, if you want to eradicate poverty which is a major problem for both men and family. Government should take child spacing seriously, by making and enforcing enabling laws,” Shittu said.
Abdulrasak Auwal Mungadi, father of two, said child spacing gears the family and Nation into prosperity.
“Child Spacing is an issue we (wife) had once discoursed and it is moving fine. We have been supporting each other because I can’t say I support her, in ensuring that we space our children atleast for our own benefit, safety and health of the children.
“There is need for every man to know the importance of child spacing . I wish to call on stakeholders to strengthen the sensitisation. This is because child spacing is not getting enough awareness in the state.
“Spacing your children is like building healthy and prosperous generation; they will be productive and will be cherished. I have two children whom are well spaced. These children are healthy and have turned to reference point in my area, alot of times people say wow! Mungadi your children are so healthy and we as parents would brag and say that is the product of spacing. My first child, I can’t remember taking her to hospital on any case. She never fell ill except while she was growing teeth which is normal.”
Breaking Socio-cultural Nuances
Babawuro added, “As you know, child spacing has alot of controversies accompanying it, varying from religion, culture among our people. That notwithstanding, any time I’m with my friends I usually remind them that religion is not against child spacing; it is not prohibited if you can manage it. You can not say you will limit your child but you can manage it. This will allow you enjoy your life and children.”
Mungadi stated, “I have been writing on paper and social media sensitising people. I have also organised training for my community; just like sensitisation meeting telling them the need to opt for child spacing method.”
Success story
A visibly happy Babawuro Aishatu, was willing to share with our correspondent the support she has got from Malam Babawuro, her husband, said she opted for child spacing due to the advantages.
The mother of two narrated how she was first introduced to child spacing by her husband, stressing that her system prefers implant to injectable, having used both.
Aishatu said “Because I want to take care of my health and my baby as well, I breastfed my child peacefully and we were both healthy. It is difficult to care for a child and be pregnant at the same time.
“I will advise my fellow mothers to go for child spacing because its very important, one won’t understand how important it is without going for it. It is very stressful to be breastfeeding and pregnant at the same time, even the baby will be unhealthy.
“My husband has been very supportive, he was even the one that advised me to go for child spacing. I was skeptical about it until he explained everything to me and they also explained it to me in the hospital before I agreed. He gave me his full support and I am very happy for that.
“My call for all the men and women will be that they should opt for child spacing because lack of home training in the society and illness are also the consequences of not opting for family planning. One will be busy all the time.
She revealed that having two children has afforded her the opportunity to take care of both her husband and the entire family.
“I have two children. I observed a lot of changes after opting for child spacing When I had my first child, I didn’t opt for it and I got pregnant as soon as I stopped breastfeeding. Now that I had my second baby, we are both healthy and I’m at peace knowing that I’ve opt for child spacing and I won’t get pregnant.
“There are no negative changes, I don’t experience stomach ache, I don’t experience irregular menstruation, headache or dizziness. At first I went for injection, it’s done after two months. I went back after two months but they said it wasn’t available, they said they only have that of three months but when I opted for it I noticed that I started having irregular menstruation that’s why I stopped and I decided to opt for the implant, that’s for the period of three years.. I really enjoyed it a lot, I doesn’t interrupt my period, I feel absolutely normal,” Aishatu added.
We are Gombe winning men to support child spacing, in the midst of scarce commodities – Health Care providers
At some of the Primary Healthcare Centres visited our correspondent gathered that most women are opting for safe child spacing methods.
Aishatu Usman is the facility manager of Tudun Wada PHC, said the facility has adopted the method of visiting clients and would be clients at home.
The facility manager noted that the method has increased the number of client to over hundred monthly.
Usman said, “After the sensitisation they started coming in a month we get above 100 clients monthly and for the weekly basis we get 20- 30 persons who come for the child spacing.
“Sometimes we run short of commodities most especially implanon and Noristerat (injectable) is available but it is not enough we will still look for where to get it.
“The men that accompany their wives to the facility are not much; some women come without the knowledge of their husbands but with time we usually educate such women. So with time the man will support her and sometimes would come with her to the facility.”
She added, “Child Spacing is important because it will help the woman recover before having another one. Some client have complained of bleeding after opting for a method; it is individual differences, for some their blood will react because it is new to their system. Some will bleed and others may not but after the first month they will be normal.
Halima Sanusi, the facility manager of Malam Inna Primary Health Care Centre who conducted our correspondent round said she was impressed with the gradual acceptance and support given to their wives who have opted child spacing .
Sanusi said, “We sometimes get about 46 to 50 clients in a month. We go for door to door sensitisation on family planning and also sensitize them when they come for immunisation, and antenatal care. Before, we had just about twenty to twenty-five clients but with the sensitization, we have about forty to fifty clients.
“Our challenge is the insufficiency of the commodities for the family planning but at the moment we have adequate commodities. The ones that come not all of them are accompanied by their husbands to the facility.”
As Gombe grapples 18 percent unmet need
Focal person, DevCom/TCI, Alhassan Yahya, in an interview with our correspondent, said there has been an increase in the support accorded Gombe women in accessing child spacing in the state by their spouses.
According to Yahya,”If you look at it critically you will see how men are encouraging their wives to go for child spacing.it is quite commendable but we need to do more; if you look at our data that shows Unmet need as a bit high, for men and religious leaders we need to do more.
“This can be achieved by sensitising more and more people towards reducing the unmet needs from about 18 percent to the nearest minimum number.”
