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IT was mixed blessings for Ifeanyi
Amadi and his wife, Precious, when she put to bed on 27th of December, 2017.
On one hand, the Amadis were relieved that even though the delivery was
through Caesarean Section, there were no unexpected complications; on the
other hand, they were worried because Precious was delivered of a set of
triplets – two boys and a girl. *Precious Amadi with her triplets In an
encounter with PHILGLOBALLINK.BLOG, 38-year-old Precious who hails from
Ananbra State, said she and her husband had reason to be concerned and not be
too joyful because they already had three children – aged between nine and
13. The triplets brought their children to six. “I was not planning to have any
more children due to the situation in Nigeria. My first daughter is 13, the
next, a boy, 11, and the other boy is nine. I was utilising the rhythm method
of family planning at that time. Before that time, I had been using the
contraceptive ring, but it caused me to bleed too much. At a point, when I
almost bled to death, I was compelled to have it removed.” Precious recalled
that when she was initially introduced to the ring, she was instructed to
renew it every three months, but it didn’t suit her. During her menstrual
cycle, it caused her to bleed heavily so she returned to the private hospital
where she obtained the device, “At the hospital, they advised me to change to
an injection contraceptive but I was afraid of injections. Later, I opted for
the rhythm method because it had always worked for me. The family planning
providers even showed me how I would be counting the days and I did as I was
told. It worked well for two years, but eventually failed.” Precious is among
millions of married Nigerian women with generally high and increasing unmet
need for contraceptives. According to the 2016/2017 Multiple Indicator
Cluster Survey, MICS, the unmet need for this category of women in the
South-West zone of Nigeria is 26.4 per cent, compared to 12.4 per cent in
2007 and 21.1 per cent in 2011. Not surprisingly, the Contraceptive
Prevalence Rate, CPR, or use of contraceptives among Nigerian women of
reproductive age (15-49 years) that are currently married or in a sexually
active union and using a contraceptive method, is generally low and reducing.
From the MICS data, the CPR for the South- West zone shows gradual decrease
from 35.2 per cent in 2007 to 28.6 per cent (2011) and 25.8 per cent in
2016/2017. Precious continued: “When I realised I was pregnant, I was not
happy at all because I was not planning to get pregnant. It was the family
planning method I was using that failed and I had an unintended pregnancy.
But when scans later confirmed that I was carrying triplets, I nearly
collapsed from the news. It is hard enough catering for three children not to
talk of six. I knew immediately that we were in trouble.” Precious, who was
then a teacher in a private primary school, said soon after she gave birth,
her appointment was terminated. “Ï am a trained teacher. I have my National
Certificate of Education, NCE, qualification. I have been teaching for over
13 years and I was a teacher in that school for almost eight years. “After I
gave birth at the General Hospital at Ajeromi Local Government, Lagos, I was
given only four weeks maternity leave by my employer. But it was not enough.
I couldn’t resume work after four weeks because it was not an easy period for
me at all, particularly because I gave birth through Caesarean Section.”
After the four weeks elapsed, Precious who said she was earning N18, 000 per
month, decided to go back to her employer to seek permission for more time
with her babies. “I didn’t expect to get the normal three months, but I
needed more time at home until my babies were stronger. To my surprise, when
I went back to the school, I was told my services were no longer needed. It
was then I discovered I had already been replaced and my salary stopped.”
Shortly before the babies were born, Precious had become the bread winner
because Ifeanyi, her husband, a jewel merchant, had lost his shop in Idumota,
Lagos, to developers. The couple is currently jobless and going through
harrowing times with their six children. Asked if she is now on any family
planning method, Precious said: “When I was about to be wheeled into the
theatre for the operation to deliver the triplets, I spoke with the doctor,
who also had a word with my husband and it was agreed that my tubes should be
tied. So my tubes are tied. It is now permanent family planning. “Even to
feed is a great challenge most times. We owe so much debt and our rent is
more than one year overdue,” Precious said regretfully. Noting with a smile
that the triplets are a blessing, she, however, admits that caring for them
is a huge burden. “They are now about five months old. Even breastfeeding
them is a tough task because they are always hungry. Doing exclusive
breastfeeding is out of it, so I have started them on infant formula when we
see it. We cannot afford to buy formula, people often donate it or give us
money to buy the formula. “We want to raise them ourselves but circumstances
are beyond our control. Their need is too great for my husband and I to
handle alone because we are jobless. Although the grown children are going to
school, we cannot really do much for them at the moment because we are
financially constrained. “My husband’s business has been stalled because the
shop where he was trading was taken over by developers. He lost his goods in
the process and is only still hoping for a miracle. We have spent all we have
in taking care of the children. Right now, we don’t know what to do. We
intend to take care of them as parents but seeing what is around us makes it
very difficult. “I’m at home all the time now and my husband isn’t doing
anything tangible either. People have been helping us with donations but it
has not been easy. We are helpless and want to work in order to care for our
children. We are concerned about their future. “I’m ready to work if
employed. The triplets are bigger now and I can cope. My husband is also
seeking employment. We are appealing to Nigerians to please assist us for the
sake of our children.”
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