Source: Daily Trust
Over $10,000 worth of antenatal products were on Tuesday given to more than 500 expectant mothers at the Nyanya Genaral Hospital by Zumunta Association, Washington DC chapter in conjunction with Milestone Medical Outreach also based in the USA.
The items which include baby wipes, creams, powders, soaps and diapers, according to the president of the association, Mrs Zainab N. Sheni, were meant to encourage the women in their antenatal visits.
Sheni said the facilities they met on ground at the hospital also contributed to the choice of the hospital.
"We are happy with the sanitary condition and other medical facilities at Nyanya General Hospital, which is part of why we came to identify with you people through the hospital," she said.
She disclosed that the association, which is non-governmental, was formed by people of northern Nigeria origin resident in United States of America.
According to Sheni, the association apart from humanitarian works also caters for indigent students with the award of scholarship and other kinds of sponsorships.
Earlier, Dr Constance E. Shehu, had lectured the pregnant women on the guidelines on preventing birth defects.
According to her, most of the maternal and infant mortality problems are as a result of lack of managing health condition and adopting healthy behaviors before becoming pregnant.
She argued that because many birth defects happen very early during pregnancy, pregnant women should cultivate the habit of taking some essential nutrients like folic acid to help prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine.
She cautioned the expectant mothers and those planning to get pregnant to avoid intake of alcohol, adding that, "when a woman drinks alcohol, so does her unborn baby."
Alcohol in the woman's blood, she noted, passes through the placenta to her baby through the umbilical cord, adding that "there is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant." She also advised the women not to smoke or source their drugs from the streets as this can lead to premature birth.
Highlight of the occasion was the distribution of the items to the beneficiaries.