To enhance pregnancy outcomes in Lagos State, the non-governmental organization FHI 360 Alive&Thrive has educated the state’s nutrition stakeholders on the significance of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation for expectant mothers.
The initiative, managed by FHI 360 and backed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Government of Ireland, and other contributors, aims to ensure that nutrition officers and healthcare providers offer MMS to pregnant women for improved nutrition.
During a recent orientation event in Ikeja, the NGO emphasized the importance of making MMS readily available to both pregnant and soon-to-be pregnant women, urging stakeholders to educate women, particularly those of childbearing age, on its effectiveness.
MMS is a daily pill containing essential micronutrients, including 13 to 15 vitamins and minerals, that pregnant women are advised to take once a day throughout their 180-day pregnancy term.
The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has embraced the use of MMS based on the 2020 World Health Organization recommendation for antenatal care to enhance the pregnancy journey.
This decision prompted the Federal Government to incorporate MMS for pregnant women in the “National Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Micronutrient Deficiencies Control in Nigeria,” aiming for better pregnancy outcomes compared to traditional Iron Folic Acid supplementation.
The recommendation aligns with the United Nations International Multiple Micronutrient Antenatal Preparation formula, a necessary component during pregnancy.
Dr. Adekitan Adetoke, a Nutrition Programme Officer at the Lagos State Primary Care Board, highlighted the critical role of maternal nutrition in achieving positive pregnancy outcomes during the orientation program conducted by Alive & Thrive.
Adetoke, explained, “Maternal nutrition is of great importance to the world and not just the state or the country. Maternal mortality is being checked by everybody. “This programme is an intervention on MMS that focuses on maternal nutrition.
“It helps mothers to achieve better pregnancy outcomes. Every effort is being made in the state to ensure that maternal mortality is reduced which is part of a universal health and health for all in the Sustainable Development Goals. ”
She highlighted that if the maternal interventions were intact and there were good pregnancy outcomes, the maternal mortality rate would be reduced.
“MMS has more micronutrients and more minerals and vitamins. It has about 15 of them which folic acid and ferrous are part of.
“Taking folic acid and ferrous alone, means you are short-changing yourself of the other proteins. We found that other vitamins are needed both prenatally and during pregnancy and postnatal. MMS is recommended for every woman of childbearing g age.
” When you prepare to be pregnant, you should be able to prepare your body to ensure that you have enough nutrients during pregnancy and then after. MMS is an enhanced vitamin and has more value than what folic acid and ferrous will give”, she stated.
The United Nations Children’s Fund emphasizes that women have unique nutritional needs throughout their lives, particularly during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the period leading up to conception, when they are most nutritionally vulnerable.
A woman’s nutritional status before pregnancy significantly impacts the early stages of fetal development, making it crucial for those planning to conceive to take Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS).
According to Adetoke, MMS is essential to prevent preterm births and congenital defects, providing sufficient micronutrients and vitamins, and should not be taken in conjunction with other prenatal supplements.
She highlights the numerous benefits of MMS, underscoring its importance for women’s health.
“Right now we are pushing this intervention because it is an intervention that is being pushed everywhere in the world so that it can be available.
“ Before now, if you need to go buy pregnant care it is expensive and that is why everybody is using ferrous- folic acid.
“This intervention is being brought into the government system so that it can be available for all and it’s free in our primary healthcare centres. It is available in Lagos State health facilities and it is also on prescription.”
Olawumi Ajayi, State Coordinator for FHI 360 Alive & Thrive Lagos, emphasized that pregnant women should take one MMS tablet daily throughout their pregnancy, from the moment they discover they are pregnant until delivery.
To ensure consistency, Ajayi recommended setting reminders or alarms to take the daily tablet and storing the container in a visible yet inaccessible location, such as out of reach of children and away from direct sunlight.
“Taking MMS at the same time each day is a good strategy. The pregnant woman can seek the help of her husband or another family member to remind her daily about her dose of MMS and to obtain adequate supplies by contacting health workers and attending ANC.
‘Taking MMS as prescribed will help the pregnant woman
to feel less tired and more energetic, and support a healthy pregnancy and optimal growth of the foetus”, she said.
Ajayi further emphasized the need for medical storekeepers and pharmacists responsible for managing supplies to be trained on the supplementation protocols, the procedures outlined, and the significance of micronutrient supplements for maternal nutrition, ensuring they are equipped to effectively monitor, requisition, and maintain adequate supplies.
“MMS is a once-a-day pill of critical micronutrients needed during pregnancy It contains between 15 essential vitamins and minerals for pregnant and nursing women and meets micronutrient requirements that poor diets cannot meet.
“It is a preventive intervention that should be provided to pregnant women. MMS is safe, efficacious, affordable, and cost-effective as one of the interventions to improve maternal nutrition”, she highlighted.
According to Ajayi, taking Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) during pregnancy not only enhances maternal nutrition but also significantly lowers the risk of unfavorable birth outcomes, including preterm birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and small-for-gestational-age birth, ultimately leading to healthier newborns.
