A Nigerian mother has ignited a widespread discussion on postpartum support after revealing why she cut short her mother’s traditional Omugwo—the cultural practice where a mother visits to assist her daughter after childbirth—and sent her home after just two weeks.
In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), the woman, who is now a mother of four, described Omugwo as “over-hyped,” explaining that she found herself bearing the burden of major domestic chores despite recovering from childbirth.
“I was still doing the cooking and cleaning”
Recalling the experience following the birth of her second child, the woman noted that while her mother assisted with the newborn, the responsibility of maintaining the household still fell largely on her shoulders.
“You see this thing called Omugwo, it’s over-hyped,” she said. “Somebody like me, I stopped my mom from coming to my house when I gave birth to my second child… You know, there was something she said, and immediately, I change am for am.”
She explained that she expected her mother to handle basic household tasks to allow her time to rest and recover, but was instead left to cook, clean, and bathe herself while recovering from her hospital stay.
The breaking point
The situation reached a climax one morning when there was no prepared food in the house, and she deliberately refrained from cooking to see if her mother would step in.
“I was expecting my mom to be like, ‘Okay, what do you people have, so that I can help you do the breakfast or something?'” she recounted. “You know the next question she asked me? She said, ‘Is she the one that is going to prepare what me and my husband will eat?'”
Emotionally drained by the expectation to cook for her mother and husband while nursing a newborn, she decided to end the visit early, giving her mother transport money to return home after two weeks.
Her story has since sparked debate online regarding expectations around maternal support, traditional roles, and the physical and emotional burdens placed on new mothers during the postpartum period.
