Omugwo helpers bring invaluable support during the postpartum period in Nigerian culture. These experienced women, often mothers or mothers-in-law, provide care, cooking, and guidance during recovery. However, some traditional breastfeeding advice passed down through generations conflicts with current medical knowledge. Understanding the difference between helpful cultural practices and outdated beliefs protects your baby’s health while honoring family traditions.
Understanding the Value of Omugwo Support
Omugwo represents one of the most beautiful aspects of Nigerian maternal care. Having an experienced woman care for you during early motherhood provides emotional support, practical help, and cultural continuity. Most omugwo helpers genuinely want the best for mother and baby.
However, breastfeeding science has evolved significantly over the past decades. Some traditional practices that seemed logical to previous generations can actually interfere with successful breastfeeding today.
8 Common Breastfeeding Myths Your Omugwo Helper Might Believe
1. “You Must Give Water to Newborns in Hot Weather”
The Myth: Babies need extra water when it’s hot outside, especially during harmattan season or hot months.
The Reality: Breast milk is 88% water and provides all the hydration newborns need for the first six months. Giving water to babies under six months can cause dangerous electrolyte imbalances and reduce breast milk intake.
What to Do: Keep breastfeeding frequently during hot weather. Your milk production naturally adjusts to provide extra hydration. If you’re concerned about heat, keep baby in cool, shaded areas instead of offering water.
2. “Your Milk is Too Thin and Not Nutritious Enough”
The Myth: Breast milk that appears watery or thin lacks nutrients and won’t satisfy the baby.
The Reality: Breast milk naturally changes consistency throughout each feeding. Foremilk appears thinner but contains important proteins and lactose. Hindmilk comes later and provides essential fats for brain development.
What to Do: Allow your baby to finish one breast completely before switching sides. This ensures they receive both foremilk and hindmilk. Appearance never indicates nutritional quality.
3. “Add Glucose or Sugar to Make Milk Sweeter”
The Myth: Adding glucose powder or sugar to expressed milk makes it more appealing to babies.
The Reality: Breast milk contains the perfect amount of natural sugars for infant development. Adding extra sugar can cause tooth decay, upset stomach, and preference for overly sweet foods later in life.
What to Do: Never add anything to breast milk. If baby refuses milk, check storage methods and feeding techniques instead of adding sweeteners.
4. “Stop Breastfeeding if You Have Fever or Cold”
The Myth: Illness makes breast milk dangerous for babies, so mothers should stop nursing until completely healthy.
The Reality: Breast milk contains antibodies that actually protect babies from the same illnesses affecting mothers. Stopping breastfeeding removes this natural protection and can worsen engorgement.
What to Do: Continue breastfeeding during minor illnesses. Your body produces specific antibodies to protect your baby. Only stop if prescribed medications are incompatible with breastfeeding.
5. “Crying Babies Always Need Formula Supplements”
The Myth: If babies cry after breastfeeding, they must still be hungry and need formula top-ups.
The Reality: Babies cry for many reasons including tiredness, discomfort, overstimulation, or need for comfort. Frequent feeding in the first weeks helps establish milk supply rather than indicating inadequate nutrition.
What to Do: Respond to crying with comfort, burping, diaper changes, or position adjustments before assuming hunger. Trust that frequent breastfeeding is normal and beneficial.
6. “Flat or Inverted Nipples Prevent Successful Breastfeeding”
The Myth: Mothers with flat or inverted nipples cannot breastfeed effectively and should use formula instead.
The Reality: Most babies can learn to breastfeed regardless of nipple shape. Proper latch technique and positioning matter more than nipple appearance.
What to Do: Work with lactation consultants or experienced healthcare providers to learn proper positioning. Special techniques and tools can help babies latch effectively with various nipple shapes.
7. “Breast Milk Expires After Two Hours Outside Refrigeration”
The Myth: Expressed breast milk spoils immediately if not refrigerated and becomes dangerous for babies.
The Reality: Fresh breast milk can stay safe at room temperature for 4-6 hours due to natural antibacterial properties. Refrigerated milk lasts 3-5 days, and frozen milk keeps for months.
What to Do: Learn proper storage guidelines. Fresh breast milk is more resilient than many people believe, making it practical for working mothers and daily use.
8. “Certain Foods Make Breast Milk Harmful”
The Myth: Eating spicy foods, beans, vegetables, or traditional soups makes breast milk unsuitable for babies.
The Reality: Very few foods actually affect breast milk composition negatively. Babies often enjoy varied flavors that reflect their mother’s diet, which may help with food acceptance later.
What to Do: Maintain a normal, healthy diet while breastfeeding. Only eliminate specific foods if your baby shows clear allergic reactions, and consult healthcare providers first.
Bridging Traditional Wisdom and Modern Knowledge
Respecting Cultural Values While Prioritizing Health
Omugwo helpers often feel personally responsible for baby’s wellbeing. When you disagree with their advice, approach conversations respectfully. Acknowledge their experience while explaining current medical recommendations.
Say something like: “I appreciate your concern for the baby. My doctor explained that breast milk alone provides everything needed for the first six months. Can we work together to support breastfeeding success?”
Finding Common Ground
Many traditional practices actually support successful breastfeeding. Emphasize areas where cultural wisdom aligns with current recommendations:
- Rest and recovery support milk production
- Nutritious traditional foods benefit nursing mothers
- Skin-to-skin contact promotes bonding and milk supply
- Family support reduces stress and improves outcomes
Educating With Sensitivity
Share current breastfeeding information without criticizing traditional beliefs. Frame new knowledge as additions to existing wisdom rather than replacements.
Consider saying: “Traditional practices helped previous generations, and now we have additional information to make breastfeeding even more successful.”
Signs Your Omugwo Helper’s Advice Needs Updating
Red Flags That Require Gentle Correction
- Suggesting supplements before six months without medical indication
- Recommending stopping breastfeeding for minor maternal illness
- Insisting on rigid feeding schedules for newborns
- Adding substances to breast milk or formula
- Discouraging night feeding or frequent nursing
When to Seek Professional Support
If your omugwo helper strongly opposes evidence-based breastfeeding practices, consider involving healthcare providers in discussions. Sometimes hearing information from medical professionals carries more weight than new mother’s research.
Request that your doctor or midwife explain current recommendations during postpartum visits. This removes pressure from family dynamics while ensuring accurate information reaches everyone involved in baby care.
Building Your Breastfeeding Knowledge Base
Reliable Information Sources
Learn about breastfeeding from multiple trusted sources before delivery. Knowledge helps you advocate confidently for evidence-based practices while respecting family input.
Consider attending breastfeeding classes, joining new mother support groups, or consulting with lactation specialists. The more you understand normal breastfeeding patterns, the easier it becomes to identify potentially harmful advice.
Preparing Your Support Network
Before your omugwo helper arrives, discuss your breastfeeding goals and current medical recommendations. Share reputable resources and explain your preferences clearly.
Most experienced women genuinely want to help and will adjust their advice when presented with respectful, evidence-based information.
Creating Harmony During Omugwo Period
Setting Expectations Early
Communicate your breastfeeding intentions before your helper arrives. Explain that you plan to follow current medical guidelines while appreciating their support in other areas.
Emphasize that their help with cooking, cleaning, and emotional support allows you to focus energy on establishing successful breastfeeding.
Compromising Where Possible
Choose battles wisely. Accept helpful traditional practices that don’t interfere with breastfeeding while standing firm on medically important issues.
For example, enjoy traditional postpartum foods and recovery practices while maintaining exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.
Involving Extended Family
Sometimes omugwo helpers feel pressure from other family members to follow specific practices. Address concerns at family meetings where everyone can hear evidence-based information together.
This prevents your helper from becoming caught between conflicting expectations and creates unified support for your breastfeeding goals.
Protecting Your Breastfeeding Relationship
Trusting Your Instincts
You know your baby better than anyone else. If traditional advice conflicts with your baby’s needs or current medical recommendations, trust evidence-based information.
Successful breastfeeding requires confidence. Don’t let well meaning but outdated advice undermine your natural feeding relationship with your baby.
Seeking Professional Help When Needed
If breastfeeding problems develop despite following traditional advice, consult healthcare providers promptly. Early intervention prevents minor issues from becoming major obstacles.
Don’t wait for problems to resolve naturally if evidence-based solutions exist. Your baby’s nutrition and your comfort matter more than avoiding family disagreements.
Long Term Benefits of Evidence-Based Breastfeeding
Health Outcomes for Babies
Exclusive breastfeeding for six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods, provides optimal nutrition and immune protection. These benefits last throughout childhood and into adulthood.
Traditional supplements or early solid foods can interfere with these protective effects, even when given with good intentions.
Maternal Health Benefits
Evidence-based breastfeeding practices also protect maternal health by reducing risks of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and postpartum depression. Proper breastfeeding support improves long-term outcomes for entire families.
Moving Forward Together
Appreciating Cultural Support
Omugwo helpers provide irreplaceable emotional and practical support during vulnerable postpartum periods. Their dedication and sacrifice deserve recognition and gratitude.
The goal is not to reject traditional support but to combine cultural wisdom with current medical knowledge for optimal outcomes.
Creating New Traditions
Today’s evidence-based practices may become tomorrow’s traditional wisdom. By thoughtfully integrating old and new knowledge, you help create healthier traditions for future generations.
Your children may someday provide omugwo support using the combined wisdom you help create today.
Navigating different breastfeeding advice can feel overwhelming, especially when recovering from childbirth. Remember that most conflicting advice comes from genuine care and concern for your family’s wellbeing.
Approach disagreements with respect, patience, and evidence-based information. Focus on shared goals of healthy babies and supported mothers rather than who is right or wrong.
Your omugwo helper’s experience and cultural knowledge remain valuable even when specific breastfeeding advice needs updating. Work together to create an environment where traditional support and modern medical knowledge combine for the best possible outcomes.
Trust yourself, seek reliable information, and remember that successful breastfeeding benefits from both cultural support and evidence-based practices.
