How Ignorance, Poverty Lead Women To Traditional Birth Homes.
Fortune smiled on 19 year-old Iyabo Abayomi immediately after her traditional wedding. She became pregnant, and her husband, Bamidele, handed her over to his eldest sister, whom he believed would properly guide her through the peril of pregnancy. The Lagos-based Bamideles hail from Yoruba land in Nigeria, where pregnancy is viewed as a time of great peril for a woman. Many sayings and actions attest to this, but the most widespread is the greeting after child birth: e ku ewu omo (congratulations on delivery from the peril of childbirth). It is therefore common practice for young pregnant women to be under the tutelage of older ones believed to be experienced in pregnancy matters for guidance during this period of peril. Iyabo’s non-literate sister-in-law immediately enrolled her in a near by traditional maternity home, admonishing her to abide by all the instructions that would be given there. “My sister in-law told me she had had all her children at the maternity home, ru