It is customary in most Nigerian cultures to have a nursing mum's mother come over when a baby is born. She is to ensure that both Mum and baby are fine. Omuguo is an Igbo word that describes this process. The word has now become a Nigerian word for the process. Omuguo, though practiced across the country, has many variations. For instance, I'm told that among the Yorubas, the mother-in-law is responsible for the job. In my state, the nursing mum goes back to her people and will stay there until she is fully recovered.
Omuguo is a very good tradition as it gives a nursing mum a lot of time to rest and I think the tradition should stay. However, there are some nursing mums who don't have mothers or mothers-in-law and others who have and are not disposed at the time(my case). I think expectant mums should plan ahead and make preparation for rest and support. I wasn't prepared for what I got especially as a first time mum. My mothers had cause to leave before baby was two weeks and it was until they left that I realised how important they were to me. I suddenly didn't have a moment of rest plus my hormones were still everywhere.
As useful as omuguo is, many times our mothers forget that what worked for them must not necessarily work for us, so there are cases of new mums having a running battle with their mums over a lot of issues. From sitting on hot water after an episiotomy to giving your one week old baby water even when you are exclusively breastfeeding.
Dear nursing mum, always remember that your mum means well and is doing a very great job.
