Such gatherings afford them the opportunity to share experiences as people in the same situation – irrespective of backgrounds.

There is a common denominator amongst them – their protruding stomachs or the babies they carry. They sit in groups listening to lectures by midwives and nurses on how to manage their pregnancies, family life or babies.

From time to time, a woman would turn to her neighbour to inquire if she has been having the same pregnancy challenges like her. These include eating almost anything (including food that was previously detested), vomiting regularly and battling to sleep comfortably with the ever protruding pregnancy.

To other pregnant women, the major worry is how to continue to retain the attention of their spouses in bed, given their state. Still to many nursing mothers, especially those with their first babies, it is about how to properly knot diapers, what to do with babies who do not sleep at night, cry much, do not accept breast milk, etc.

Similarly, antenatal and postnatal care gatherings present the opportunity for women to indulge in gossip and familiarise with each other, in addition to receiving counsel on caring for themselves and their unborn babies. However, the level of useful tips garnered depends on the clinic the woman attends.

While mission maternities, clinics and hospitals tend to offer thorough debriefing sessions on antenatal care, accompanied by nursery school-type songs to enable women to remember the lessons taught, others do not often bother about such details. Likewise, caring for babies and respecting vaccination calendars to ensure that they remain hale and hearty is handled with varying levels of seriousness by different clinics.

In both instances of antenatal and postnatal care, sharing in the experiences of women who have gone through several pregnancies before and had children is usually of great help to younger, aspiring or nursing mothers