Male partner support is crucial for a successful pregnancy, says C-Care IHK's Dr. Nsamba

Dr. Umaru Nsamba, an obstetrician and gynecologist at C-Care IHK, said that support from a male partner to his pregnant woman plays a crucial role in ensuring a successful pregnancy and delivery.

According to Dr. Nsamba, women require empathy during this period. "Male partner support is associated with better pregnancy outcomes," he said, adding that it helps prevent issues like depression, postpartum anxiety, and psychosis.

Gordon Mungurick, a father of two, emphasized that men should be intentional about supporting their wives after giving birth because they "need close attention."

"She is going to ask you for things she has never asked you for before," he said.

Actress Eleanor Nabwiso, a mother of four, chimed in, "Cravings are the worst part of pregnancy."

"It's like your body is just unsettled, and you want to eat this thing to feel better," she explained.

Mungurick noted that being close to your wife helps you understand her better and facilitates easier communication. He also observed that being there for your wife strengthens the bond between the two of you and keeps the family together.

Sheilah Aboth, a mother of two, shared that she never planned her pregnancies. "We just enjoyed ourselves, and things happened," Aboth said, recalling how she became pregnant the first time. "One and a half years after the first one, the second one also came."

After the second child, they realised that "parenting is not a joke."

"So, we decided to take a break... it's been six years since I had my second," she added, mentioning that they are planning to have the next two children.

Aboth explained that they couldn't immediately meet the financial obligations of raising the four children they wanted. "We couldn't afford four children all at the same time," she said.

Aboth used exclusive breastfeeding as a method to avoid getting pregnant after her first child. After the second child, they opted for an implant. "I was concerned about the changes," she said, noting that they were informed about the risks of either gaining or losing weight.

Before the implant, she tried injectaplan, but it caused her body to shrink and her skin to pale. After consulting doctors, they switched to using an implant.

According to her, the side effects from the implant have been more manageable compared to when she used injectaplan.

Mungurick mentioned that they planned for both of their kids, also for financial reasons. He said they didn't use clinical birth control due to biases that had been instilled in him, which he later realised had no scientific basis.

Dr. Nsamba pointed out that the most common incompatibility is Rhesus incompatibility, where the mother-to-be and father-to-be do not both test positive or negative for the Rh factor.

According to Dr. Nsamba, this can result in a child being born with low blood levels, and sometimes the baby dies in utero, typically during subsequent pregnancies.

"With technology, it's no longer a significant problem," he said, adding that parents can consult doctors before conception so that treatment can be offered during pregnancy. He explained that mothers undergo anti-D treatment to prevent the baby's red blood cells from being destroyed. This is done when the mother is seven months and again at 34 weeks pregnant. A few hours after birth, the mother is injected again. Dr. Nsamba advised parents to ensure their babies are vaccinated and that mothers attend postnatal care follow-ups as recommended by doctors.

Dr. Nsamba noted that they are becoming more common as some corporate organizations encourage women to freeze their eggs. However, he mentioned that this goes against nature and leads to complications such as fibroids, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer.

He also pointed out that since women are born with a finite number of eggs, they continue to decrease as a woman ages. He said that the rate at which a woman loses eggs increases with age, which reduces the chances of a successful pregnancy.

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