Abstract
Nigeria is a huge African country, home to 20% of Africans, with a population of about 140 million people (National Population Commission 2006). It also has a high fertility rate, although the 2003 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2001) shows a slight decline in the total fertility rate. Fertility also varies by region. In the South women have 4.1 children on average, compared to 7.0 children in the Northeast and 6.7 in the Northwest (NDHS 2003). In spite of this high premium given to childbirth in Nigeria, it is still a challenge for the majority of our women, with an unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality rate. The maternal mortality rate is estimated to be 800/100,000 live births (NDHS 2001). While this is lower than the sub-Saharan Africa average of 910/100,000, wide variation exists across the geopolitical zones.
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Galadanci, H.S., Sani, S.I. (2009). Childbirth in Nigeria. In: Selin, H. (eds) Childbirth Across Cultures. Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2599-9_19
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2599-9_19
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