By Becky John
Prof. Innocent Ujah, the Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Yaba, Lagos on Monday warned expectant mothers against drinking alcoholic spirit after childbirth. Ujah, a gynaecologist, told the News men attributed the high rate of alcoholic spirit consumption, especially among expectant mothers, to ignorance and misconceptions.
“We have so many problems in the health sector, particularly in the South-East. The culture is that if you take alcohol the blood flow will not be too much.
“If you go to Delta State, Rivers, Bayelsa, in fact Bayelsa is worst because it is “Ogogoro` they take there. Then Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, it is like that.
“They take gin so that the blood will stop flowing after child delivery; that is even very bad.
“Now what happens is that alcohol is a relaxant; it relaxes the uterus and if you take so much of alcohol, you might bleed and bleed to death.
“And it is difficult for us to convince our women that they don’t need to take alcohol, gin after child birth. “
Ujah urged health care providers and media professionals to educate women on the consequences of drinking alcoholic spirit during and after pregnancy According to him, it is unwise to believe that alcoholic spirit consumption can reduce maternal mortality.
