Postpartum sexual abstinence and breastfeeding pattern in Sagamu, Nigeria

This was a prospective study involving 371 mothers. The mean age of the mothers was 27.5 (.3.6) years with a mean years at school (Educational years) of 11.3 (2.9) years. All the mothers had previously breastfed at one of their infants for at least 6 months, while the mothers also breastfed their last child for an average (mean) of 10.3 (4.0) months. The overall mean of previous live births was 1.9 (0.8). In the first month postpartum, 84.6% of the mothers abstained from sexual intercourse, but by the 4th-5th month the proportion had dropped to 18.1%, with just 2.1% of the study population abstaining from sexual intercourse at 11-15 months post-partum. Forty seven (13.5%), 30 (8.6% ) and 3 (0.9 % ) mothers in social classes 2,3 and 1 respectively have resumed sexual intercourse at 4-5 months, while only 12(3.4%) and 4(1.1%) in social classes 2 and 3 respectively continued with sexual intercourse at 11-15 months. More mothers resumed sexual intercourse from 1 to 15 months post-partum when they breast fed for 6-10 minutes and 11-15 minutes than those who breast fed for 1-5 minutes, 16-20 minutes and 21-25 minutes. Also more mothers within the 25-29 years age group resumed sexual intercourse from the first month to the fifteenth month post-partum than mothers in the other age groups. (Afr Reprod Health 2008; 12[1]:96-100)

Studies on heart failure in Sagamu

A prospective study of 137 children with heart failure; has revealed a prevalence of 80.3 percent among infants and children three years old and below; the condition was rather uncommon in the neonatal period; occurring in only 3.6 percent of children in the series. The major manifestations of the disease included refusal of feeds or poor appetite in 74.5 percent; cough in 59.8 percent; difficulty in breathing in 49.6 percent and vomiting in 30.7 percent of the patients; significant tachycardia and tachypnoea and tender hepatomegaly were present in all the patients; while elevated jugular venous pressure (JVP) occurred in 10.9 percent and pitting oedema in 7.3 percent of the patients

Pneumonia in Sagamu

A study of 154 cases of pneumonia in infancy and childhood at the Ogun State University Teaching Hospital is presented. The condition accounted for 3.9 percent of all paediatric admissions. A majority (81.2 percent) of the patients were aged three years and under; while the male to female ratio was 1.1:1. A seasonal variation in the prevalence of pneumonia was found with two peaks in February and November. Brochopneumonia was the commoner type of pneumonia; occurring in 83.1 percent of the cases. Patients with lobar pneumonia were significantly older and had a higher mean temperature on admission and a longer period of hospitalization than patients with bronchopneumonia. The commonest associated conditions that were identified included upper respiratory tract infection in 39 percent; measles in 24.7 percent and protein-energy malnutrition in 7.1 percent of the cases

Handfeeding practice among mothers in a semi-urban community

A survey of hand/force-feeding practice among mothers attending the Sagamu Local Government Health Centre was carried out between May and August 1991. 820 mothers of children aged less than 3 years were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. 516 mothers (62.9 per cent) practised both hand and force-feeding. Majority (63.9) of those who hand/force-fed were mothers of infants aged between 1 and 6 months. Males were force-fed as frequently as females. Cereals preparations with or without cow's milk were force-fed most frequently. Persistent refusal of oral feeds was the most reason for force-feeding in 77.1 per cent cases. The implications of the findings are discussed and further steps to establish the safety or otherwise of this practice are suggested