Happy International Women’s Day: Lets Make It Easier For All Working Class Nursing Mothers -By Ibrahim Obel Yaji

Yesterday I came across one thread shared by a working nursing mother on Twitter who lost her 3 months baby at a creche. She narrated how she dropped the baby before going to work just for her to return to find the dead baby, no one could explain to her what happened. Another nursing mother shared a similar experience with her 10months old baby, others shared how they lost their job because they chose to stay back to nurse their babies. I sat down quietly to reflect on how anyone could possibly comfort such a woman, her pains are better imagined than experienced.

There are alot of
questions about what could have possibly happened to her child, medically there is a syndrome known as Sudden Infant Death Sundrome (SIDS) which I think anyone who cares to know can quickly Google to check.The syndrom could possibly explain what happened to the child but again, I think working class nursing mothers are going through so much.

I was shocked at the kind of comments made by many people on the thread. Many people most especially men felt the woman deserved what she got, they all felt she could have quit her job, to look after the baby as if jobs are easy to come by these days. I kept thinking, so what happens to her bills if she quits the job? The baby would grow to pay them? The insensitive of many people out there is outrageous but let’s leave that aside, let’s look at how we can make life for all working class nursing mother’s.

I understand some men have always shared the opinion women should sit at home and look after children without working but I must still applaud those men who have stood by their wives to see they succeed both at home and at their working places.

The story of these women raises a fundamental discussion about how these group of mothers can be helped, especially those who work in private corporate entities who seem to show zero tolerance for pregnant or nursing mothers. The truth is, an average nursing mother goes through so much anxiety about her baby, this becomes worst when her maternity leave is over and she has to resume work which entails her dropping her baby in day care or creche before work and pick them up after work. She struggles to concentrate on her work while thinking of her baby, some of them have to sneak out to breast feed and come back. Many of them are disturbed about the tales of how babies have died or were maltreated in those Day-Care centers. It is really an emotional torment for many of these women.

The 3 months maternity leave women have after child delivery seem not to be enough but then any attempt to extend it would be at the employers detriment.

The big question we all need to ask ourselves as we mark this year’s women international Day is, Is it possible to make life bearable for all our Nursing sisters, wives and mothers who are workers ?

Is it possible to push for new legislatures to ensure we make those transient moments of their lives bearable?

For me the answer is Yes.

Personally, I think there should be a new legislatures that would enforce a Day-care section in every working place both Public and Private (i.e if they are not existing on paper already) where a nursing mother can walk in every 30 mins or 1 hour to see her baby and maybe breastfeed. The organization can make arrangements to deduct stipends from the mothers salary or all staff be it male or female to cater for these expenses. In addition, a Nurse or maybe a doctor should be attached to that day care ( it can be NYSC doctors or nurses so as to save cost). This might look too big or unnecessary until you have your sister or wife is on the line.
I am not an employer of labour but I doubt this arrangement can reduce productivity.

I know most of these corporate Giants might start victimizing women of child bearing age if such legislatures come to be but we must all stand up to them. We can’t lose our humanity because we are pursuing money, moreover most of these working mother’s don’t mind monies being deducted from their salaries to make these work.
Infact bringing this day care closer would improve her productivity because her anxiety would reduce and she would concentrate better to do her work.

I remembered during my one year mandatory internship program, when I started pediatric posting, I remember how some of my residents who were nursing mothers turned their call room to a mini creche, they came to work with their nannies who stayed back in the call room to look after their babies and intermittently they step out to breast feed their babies and come back. It takes them barely 20 mins to do that and come back to work. It was a very good arrangement and I didn’t see it affect the work in anyway. Having their babies staying close to their working environment reduced so much anxieties for them and it made them work without divided attention.

For those who have always held the opinion that a nursing mother should quit her job for the baby, as good as that might sound, you must remember that nursing a baby is not a deformity and it’s only transient, asking a mother to quit her job is discriminatory.

Imagine if the world had made people like Ngozi Okonjo or Amina to quit their jobs when they became nursing mothers. These would havd caused a set back in their careers or worst still denied the world of their inputs.

It is possible to be a successful career woman and good mother. Too many of my female senior colleagues in the medical profession are a testimony, they didn’t find it easy but they have been resilient.

Lets give our mothers, sisters and wives a chance to be successful career women and mothers. I must commend many organizations who have made small arrangements for daycares within their organizations to help these nursing mothers, and we must encourage many other others to do so especially private firms.

A child raised by two educated and working parents is likely to have the best care in terms of education and other privileges.
Unless a woman decides by her self not to work, so as to take care of her kids, its good to give them a chance to succed at both.

If you are a CEO or an aspiring CEO or the head of any government agency, ensure you give our working nursing women due consideration, it could just be a small room within your organization. Have a round table discussion with them and see how you can solve this see problem together.

Let’s give them a chance to succeed in the “Oza room” and in the Board room.

Happy international Women’s Day to all working Sisters, Wives and Mothers.

If you believe we can make it easier for our working class nursing mother’s, you can please share this message.