April 2022

This month we enrolled 18 babies and one critically ill postpartum mom. The babies included 4 orphaned singletons, 4 orphaned sets of twins, 2 babies of very sick mothers, and 4 babies without access to breast milk. Nurses conducted 210 visits to mothers and babies this month.

Baby Admission Story. Jaqueline delivered her twin boys normally, but she hemorrhaged afterwards and because of that, her return home from the health center was delayed for several days. During that time, she did not receive a transfusion or additional treatment, she was simply kept under observation. Within a week, Jaqueline was discharged and returned home to introduce the babies to their three older siblings. Unfortunately, Just a couple days after arriving home, she began complaining of dizziness, shortness of breath, and chest pain. This time Jaqueline ended up at Kamuzu Central Hospital (the regional referral hospital) where she was diagnosed with severe anemia and a necrotic uterus. They removed her uterus and transfused her with 5 pints of blood, but 25-year-old Jaqueline died. Unfortunately, the nurses at KCH had not realized that Jaqueline was a mother of newborn twins and so the family did not receive a referral to Joyful Motherhood. It was only when the nurses were visiting another orphan enrolled in our program in a rural area that they learned of the nearby hungry twins and enrolled them. Jaqueline’s babies boys are living with her mother now. We will provide monthly home visits from nurses and formula now, then porridge after six months. Our nurses will continue to visit them in their community for up to two years. Without that fortuitous visit, it is likely that Jaqueline’s babies would have quickly followed her in death. The family had the desire to care for the babies, but they are too impoverished to purchase formula and they had no idea where to seek help.

If you would like to support Jaqueline’s twins, please donate HERE.