To help reduce the high number of women dying during childbirth in Nigeria, a well-known doctor, Prof. Oladapo Ladipo, who has worked in healthcare for over 40 years, has advised women to have only three or four children. He warned that having a fifth or sixth child can lead to serious health problems or even death.
Prof. Ladipo is the Co-founder of the Association for Reproductive and Family Health, a group that helps people with sexual and reproductive health. He said that 25% of pregnant women in Nigeria are at high risk of complications because they have too many children.
Prof. Ladipo explained that having more than four children increases the chances of dying during pregnancy or childbirth.
He also said that having babies too close together is not healthy. It’s better to wait about two and a half to three years between pregnancies. Getting pregnant before age 18 or after age 35 can cause serious problems, such as high blood pressure.
According to Mayo Clinic, sometimes a pregnancy becomes risky because of health problems the mother already had. Other times, problems start during pregnancy. If a pregnancy is high-risk, the mother or baby may face serious health issues before, during, or after birth. Special care is often needed throughout the pregnancy.
In 2022, the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria warned that the number of women dying during childbirth in Nigeria is very high. The country is far from reaching its goal to reduce maternal deaths to fewer than 70 out of every 100,000 births. Right now, about 512 women die per 100,000 live births, based on a 2018 survey.
Prof. Ladipo also said child marriage should be stopped, and girls should stay in school so they don’t start having children before the age of 18.He encouraged both men and women to be happy with having only three or four children, no matter if they are boys or girls.
He spoke against the idea that one gender is better than the other. He said every child is important and can help the country grow if they are given the chance.
He asked why some women keep trying for a boy or girl just because they already have four children of the same sex.
He warned that trying for a fifth or sixth child could be very dangerous, and the mother could die.
