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

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.