Importance Of Implementing Effective Family Planning Programme After Childbirth

The importance of implementing an effective family planning programme after childbirth cannot be overstated. It is crucial to ensure the well-being of both the mother and the child.

By providing access to comprehensive family planning services, individuals can make informed decisions about their reproductive health and plan for the future.

This not only promotes the physical and emotional health of the family but also contributes to the overall development and stability of society.

The International Conference for Family Planning (ICFP2022) urged countries to adopt an effective family planning programmes after childbirth that is postpartum family planning.

The interval between pregnancies can be extended by providing family planning services for women after childbirth, and this can help protect women’s health and that of their babies, experts at ICFP2022 stressed.

‘Postpartum’ or ‘postnatal’ means the time after childbirth.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), defines postpartum family planning (PPFP) as the prevention of unintended pregnancy and closely spaced pregnancies through the first 12 months following childbirth.

Indeed, studies have shown that increased uptake of family planning reduces unplanned pregnancies and ultimately lowers high maternal mortality rates.

POLL

The ICFP2022, therefore, further urged every country to endorse access to safe, voluntary family planning as a human right.

Sadly, many African countries, like Nigeria, still have low use and availability of contraceptives. According to the 2018 Global Family Planning Report, Nigeria had nearly 1.3 million unintended pregnancies in 2018, yet only 13.8 percent of Nigerian women utilised contraception at the same time.

Unplanned pregnancies are either unplanned, which occurred when no children or more children were desired, or a pregnancy that was mistimed and occurred sooner than desired. Unplanned pregnancies increase stress in women, which decreases their quality of life and jeopardises the financial stability of their families.

Unfortunately, too, unplanned births increase a woman’s risk of developing a variety of illnesses, including unsafe abortion, undernutrition, and mental illnesses which lead to maternal mortality.

Indeed, family planning is a win-win strategy that has far-reaching benefits for national growth and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,(SDGs).

These include addressing poverty, hunger, and food insecurity, enhancing gender inequality, improving education outcomes (especially among girls), and improving child survival, among others.

Consequently, experts at ICFP 2022, called for sustained political will from all levels of government to lower the high number of unplanned pregnancies as this would help to reduce the rising maternal mortality which is reported annually in Nigeria.

Nigeria is where nearly 20 percent of all global maternal deaths happen. Between 2005 and 2015, it is estimated that over 600,000 maternal deaths and no less than 900,000 maternal near-miss cases occurred in the country.

In 2015, Nigeria’s estimated maternal mortality ratio was over 800 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, with approximately 58,000 maternal deaths during that year. By comparison, the total number of maternal deaths in 2015 in the 46 most developed countries was 1700, resulting in a maternal mortality ratio of 12 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

Ironically, a Nigerian woman has a one in 22 lifetime risk of dying during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum/post-abortion; whereas in the most developed countries, the lifetime risk is one in 4900.

Statistics from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) confirmed that no fewer than 50,000 women die annually in Nigeria due to maternal causes.

In addition, the 2018 NDHS reports that seven women die every hour from maternal health causes.

Thanks to the use of modern contraception which has been confirmed to result in accelerated economic growth by helping women prevent unplanned pregnancies, leading to rapid fertility decline in countries with high fertility rates.

By stopping unplanned pregnancies, family planning also helps to reduce the broader costs of healthcare since fewer mothers will seek care for pregnancy complications, unsafe abortion, and delivery.

By this, it enables women to lengthen intervals between successive pregnancies resulting in improvement in child health and survival. The risk of prematurity and low birth weight doubles when conception occurs within six months of the previous birth.

Furthermore, a rapid fall in birth rates results in a reduction in the child dependency ratio and an increase in the labour surplus. The emergent labour surplus can propel national economic growth and development of the working-age population who are skilled, healthy, and gainfully employed through demographic dividends.

However, these effects work well, when accompanied by good economic policies and governance which are critical for attracting savings and direct foreign investments into the country.

Truly, Nigeria must begin to focus on appropriate education, awareness, and regulation with regard to adequate family planning to have good human capital and national development.

The 2018 Global Family Planning Report should act as a wake-up call for Nigerian governments, who should give family planning top priority and develop measures to reduce the rising prevalence of unplanned pregnancies in Africa’s most populous nation.

Nigeria would save 600 million US$ (N253.8 billion) if there is expanded access to family planning and contraception and maternal healthcare needs are met, according to the General Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON).

By offering family planning services after child birth that is during postpartum period, the interval between pregnancies can be prolonged. This strategy allows mothers time to recover physically, emotionally, and financially before embarking on another pregnancy. The benefits to the health and well-being of the mother as well as the family’s overall health and outcomes for subsequent pregnancies are unarguably limitless.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).