Dr Gregory Ohihoin, a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, has launched Nigeria’s first free online maternity to prepare women for pregnancy, assist those with high risk pregnancy and reduce infant and maternal mortality.
The online maternity – www.pregnancynigeria.com, was launched in Lagos.
Ohihoin told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos that the online maternity would also complement hospital antenatal care.
Ohihoin, also a Chief Research Fellow at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, said that the website offered useful information about pregnancy, labour, birth and newborn care.
”The concept of antenatal care in Nigeria has now shifted from providing medical management of pregnant women to a combination of information sharing, medical care and helping the pregnant woman to make informed decisions about life in general and the pregnancy in particular.
”Online antenatal care or class, as obtained in developed countries, has helped to improve pregnancy outcomes.
”This is why we need to have the same here, in Nigeria, so that women will learn how to prepare for pregnancy and labour, when and why this may occur, labour signs, the stages and process of labour, birth and delivery,’’ he said.
The medical expert added that pregnant women should know when to call on a hospital and what to expect on arrival, positions to try during labour, breathing techniques to use during labour, labour pains and pain relief options.
He said that expectant mothers should also know potential complications in labour, early days with baby and other information.
”The pregnant woman in Nigeria should no longer be a passive receiver of medical care, rather she should participate actively in the care of herself and the baby in the womb.
”She can do this by visiting the website to find useful information about pregnancy issues, list of antenatal clinics manned by obstetricians and gynaecologists in the country, especially for high risk pregnancies, ” he told NAN.
Ohihoin said that the website also had calendars for calculating ovulation and pregnancy due date.
He said that the online maternity would help to reduce infant and maternal deaths if well utilised.
Also in an interview with NAN, Dr Esther Ohihoin, a Consultant Physician and Cardiologist with Healthcare Specialist Clinic, Lagos, said that the online maternity used along with increased antenatal attendance would save lives of babies and mothers.
”Pregnancy is not a disease. It is a normal physiological process that creates effective changes in the mother’s body – hormonal, cardiovascular, renal, among others – in order to ensure that the baby is adequately catered for while in the womb.
”If women take it serious by registering for antenatal care early, take their doctor’s advice and utilise the online maternity, nearly 95 per cent of pregnancies will be successful without complications.
”With antenatal attendance, doctors will identify problems early and prevent them – prevent infant and maternal deaths,” she said.(NAN)