EXPLORING THE CHALLENGES EXPERIENCED BY FIRST TIME MUMS IN ILESA, OSUN STATE
Keywords:
first-time mothers, child care, antenatal clinic, post-natal careAbstract
Taking care of babies for first-time mothers has always been a herculean task everywhere but most especially in Nigeria where infant mortality is said to be one of the highest in the world. This paper explores the challenges of first-time mothers after they put to bed. The study is a qualitative research with a focus on first-time mothers with babies between the ages of 1 month to 15 months at Wesley Guild Hospital in Ilesa. Data were collected using in-depth interview of forty-one respondents and analysed using NVivo. The results show that the challenges of first-time mothers can be broadly categorized into three; taking care of the baby, taking care oneself and information conflict between what is learnt from the medical practitioners and the first-time mother’s environment. Result also shows that social care helps in solving some of these challenges. The study concludes that the challenges faced by first-time mothers are numerous and sometimes overwhelming. The study recommends that antenatal care should be more of practical than theory and that community health workers should schedule visits with first-time mothers to assist them with the challenges that they may have.
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