Health problems of mother/child in Nigeria

• Mothers and children are vulnerable groups that require support and protection
• A mother in Nigeria may face social, medical, prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal problems
• Social problems faced by mothers in Nigeria include poverty, homelessness, violence, abuse, joblessness, religious bondage, illiteracy, drug abuse/addiction, and issues related to self-esteem
• Medical problems faced by mothers in Nigeria include depression, anxiety, gynaecological issues like secondary infertility, ovarian cysts, cancers, vaginismus, uterine fibroid, cervical incompetence, and challenges related to body weight
• Prenatal problems for mothers in Nigeria may include folate deficiency, iron deficiency, cervical incompetence, and low body weight
• Perinatal problems for mothers in Nigeria may include hypertension in pregnancy, haemorrhage, obstructed labor, sepsis, eclampsia/pre-eclampsia, antepartum haemorrhage, and the importance of birth preparedness to prevent haemorrhage-related deaths
• Postnatal problems for mothers in Nigeria may include postpartum haemorrhage, infection, puerperal psychosis, breast engorgement, delayed uptake of family planning, and short gaps between pregnancies
• Children in Nigeria may face social problems like early death of parents, truancy, juvenile delinquency, homelessness, child trafficking, child prostitution, and various forms of abuse
• Medical problems faced by children in Nigeria include childhood killer diseases like malaria, measles, diarrhea, respiratory tract infections/pneumonia, tuberculosis, malnutrition, and various infections
• Prevention is emphasized as a better approach than cure, and clinicians should be aware of the health problems faced by mothers and children in Nigeria