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Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks

What to do before, during and after pregnancy in Nigeria: antenatal care, danger signs, a birth plan with money and transport in it, and the first six weeks with a newborn.

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About this course

Most of what keeps a mother and baby safe is decided long before labour starts: when antenatal care begins, whether the danger signs are known by everyone in the house, whether there is money set aside and a vehicle arranged, and whether someone has already agreed to give blood if it is needed. This course walks a woman, her partner and her family through those decisions in plain language. It follows the World Health Organization's guidance on antenatal and postnatal care and sets it in Nigerian life: choosing between a primary health centre, a general hospital and a private clinic, what the booking visit and the tests are for, malaria prevention and tetanus protection, eating well on a Nigerian budget, what to avoid, genotype and other higher-risk situations, the myths that delay care, labour and caesarean birth, recovery, breastfeeding, newborn danger signs, immunisation and birth registration. It is education, not medical advice. It does not replace a midwife, nurse or doctor, and at every point where a decision is medical it tells you to take it to one. Partners and relatives are part of the intended audience throughout, because in an emergency they are usually the ones who decide how quickly help is reached.

Funmi and Kunle in Abeokuta have been married eight months and both families are asking the question. Funmi's sister says just relax, it will happen. Her colleague at the bank says something different: 'Before I tried, I did my genotype again, started folic acid and treated my blood pressure. The nurse said the first weeks are when the baby's spine forms, and most of us do not even know we are pregnant by then.' Funmi had never heard that. She and Kunle know each other's salaries and favourite football clubs, and neither of them knows the other's genotype for certain. They decide to spend one Saturday morning finding out.

What you'll learn

Course syllabus — 10 lessons

  1. Before you conceive: the months that matter most14 min
  2. The first weeks: confirming, choosing a facility and booking early14 min
  3. Antenatal care: the eight contacts and what each protects15 min
  4. Eating well on a Nigerian budget, and what to avoid14 min
  5. Higher-risk pregnancies, common discomforts and the myths that delay care15 min
  6. Danger signs: when to go, and why minutes matter15 min
  7. The birth preparedness plan: place, transport, money, blood and consent16 min
  8. Labour and birth: what to expect, including a caesarean15 min
  9. After the birth: the mother's first six weeks14 min
  10. Your newborn: feeding, warmth, the cord, immunisation and registration15 min

Your project

Your Birth Preparedness Plan

One document (Google Doc shared with view access, or an uploaded Word or PDF file) with a headed section for each of the six parts. The budget may be a table in the document or a linked spreadsheet. Remove personal details before sharing.

Certificates on Skillnaija are earned, not issued for attendance: you submit this project, it is graded against a rubric, and passing issues a certificate anyone can verify. See the full project brief, rubric and free workbook →

Frequently asked questions

Is Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks free?

Yes. Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks is completely free on Skillnaija. You need a free account to open the lessons, and there is no charge for the course, the project, or the certificate.

How long does Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks take to complete?

5 weeks · ~3 hrs/week. There are 10 lessons, about 2 hours of material in total. You learn at your own pace and your progress is saved.

Do I need any experience to start Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks?

Beginner-friendly. You can start from scratch — no prior experience is assumed.

What will I learn in Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks?

You will build practical skills in Preparing for pregnancy before conception, Choosing a facility and booking antenatal care early, Understanding the eight antenatal contacts and the routine tests, Malaria prevention, tetanus protection and supplements in pregnancy, Eating well on a Nigerian budget and knowing what to avoid, Recognising higher-risk pregnancies and answering harmful myths, Knowing the danger signs for mother and newborn, Building a birth preparedness and emergency plan, Budgeting and saving for pregnancy and birth, Knowing what to expect in labour, including caesarean birth, Postnatal recovery, mental health and family planning, Breastfeeding, newborn care, immunisation and birth registration. Every lesson is written for a Nigerian context, with examples drawn from how the work is actually done and paid for here.

Do I get a certificate for Pregnancy Preparedness: From Planning to the First Six Weeks?

Yes, but it has to be earned. You complete the course project — Your Birth Preparedness Plan and submit it for grading. Passing the project issues a verifiable certificate; finishing the lessons alone does not.

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