# “Ọmụgwọ” As Unpaid Labor? The Perceptions of Postpartum Caregiving Among Older Grandmothers in Southeast Nigeria

## TL;DR

This study explores how older grandmothers in Southeast Nigeria perceive providing traditional postpartum care, known as 'Ọmụgwọ,' and highlights the cultural and social aspects of this unpaid caregiving role.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the perceptions and experiences of older grandmothers involved in traditional postpartum care in Southeast Nigeria.

## Key findings

- Three main themes emerged from the interviews, including the continuity of Ọmụgwọ practice despite challenges.
- Cultural influences were found to significantly shape the practice and acceptance of Ọmụgwọ.
- Participants reported indirect rewards from caregiving, such as emotional fulfillment and social recognition.

## Abstract

In Nigeria and many Sub-Saharan African countries where the majority are poor and cannot afford formal postpartum care, nursing mothers rely primarily on their mothers or older female relatives for postpartum care. Despite their invaluable contributions, such grandmothers often operate in a reality of inadequate social and institutional support. Yet, little is known about how women perceive this form of traditional care in Sub-Saharan Africa. This study explored the views of older grandmothers in Southeast Nigeria about postpartum caregiving, called “Ọmụgwọ.”

Using a qualitative descriptive inquiry, the author employed criterion-purposive sampling and snowballing to recruit 17 older grandmothers who participated in the interviews, and data were analyzed in themes.

Three themes and eight subthemes emerged. The themes cover perceptions supporting the continuity of Ọmụgwọ practice irrespective, the influence of culture on Ọmụgwọ practice, and the indirect rewards of the practice.

The findings of this study could potentially influence postpartum caregiving policies for female older adults in Sub-Saharan Africa and further advance the quality of informal care during postpartum periods in Africa.