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  • Title: [Birth spacing: a simple practice with a definite advantage].
    Author: Damessi YM.
    Journal: Fam Dev; 1992 Dec; (63):10-4. PubMed ID: 12290177.
    Abstract:
    Birth spacing is an ancient and very widespread tradition among various African populations. In traditional societies, the average birth interval is less than three years. Birth spacing is valued and non-observation of birth spacing is frowned upon. In Togo, women who have another infant within two years of the last delivery is referred to in a derogatory term, Kpedevinon. In the past, polygamy and breast feeding sustained birth spacing. Traditional societies believe that a lactating mother who engages in sexual intercourse spoils her milk and makes the infant sick. They recommend that women breast feed for at least 20 months. Polygamy allows a man to not forego sexual intercourse while a wife is observing postpartum abstinence. In fact, pregnant wives return to their family for childbirth and do not return until several months after childbirth. Exposure to the outside and urbanization threaten this autoregulation system through reduction of polygamy, promiscuity, and disorganization of traditional family linkages. Birth intervals are becoming shorter. Birth spacing reduces the mortality rate of infants and mothers. For example, in Mali, a child born less than 2 years after his sibling is 2.5 times more likely to die before age 1 than a child born 2-3 years after his sibling. The mortality risk increases to 4 times when compared to a four-year birth interval. A birth interval of at least 2 years allows the mother to completely recover before delivering again. Only modern contraception can restore longer birth intervals in changing African societies. Contraceptive use is rare in Africa, however. A broad education campaign on the advantages of birth spacing in terms of maternal and child survival would be able to mobilize public opinion to expand family planning programs.
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