Activity Updates

This month 11 babies were admitted to our program (4 orphans (including the above set of twins), 2 babies of mothers with no breast milk, 4 babies of critically ill mothers, 1 baby of mother with postpartum psychosis). Three women were enrolled (1 with severe anemia, 1 with severe abdominal infection, and the mother with postpartum psychosis).

Baby Admission Story. Grace was living abroad in South Africa when she found out she was pregnant for the second time. She attended prenatal care there and delivered first her boy and then her little girl moments later at a hospital in South Africa on the 9th of October. Her family says that at home on the 10th she complained of abdominal pain and chest pain, she went outside to get some fresh air and after 30minutes her husband went to look for her. He found her collapsed on the ground, already deceased. On the 8th of November her body and babies were sent to Malawi. A former client of Joyful Motherhood instructed them to go to our office for support.

Mother Admission Story. At 16 years old Feliya delivered her healthy but small baby boy. The delivery was uncomplicated and the young mom and baby were discharged home soon after delivery. Initially everything seemed to be going well. Feliya was adjusting to motherhood and her baby was breastfeeding well. But then something changed Feliya was frequently agitated, she refused to feed her baby, and family realized that she was experiencing both auditory and visual hallucinations. She was taken back to the hospital Feliya, diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and started on Haldol. The clinicians referred the family to Joyful Motherhood.

This month nurses enrolled 9 babies (7 orphans (including 2 sets of twins) and 2 babies of critically ill mothers). Several new mothers were identified for the mother care program but are still in hospital. 126 visits were conducted.

Baby Admission Story. 20-year-old Catherine starting contracting on the 1st of September and presented to the nearest health center. On the 5th her water broke, on the 8th she was referred to the District Hospital where her baby girl was finally delivered by c-section. Two days later she returned home with her daughter in her arms. On the 19th she returned to the health center with a swollen abdomen, again she was referred, this time to the regional hospital. She underwent surgery but her condition deteriorated and she died 9 days later. Nurses at the hospital referred her family and baby to Chimwemwe mu’bereki.

Other Developments. This month we said goodbye to Beatrice Namaleu, who was the program manager since the inception of Chimwemwe mu’bereki and welcomed Annette Namangale to our team.

In the month of September 8 babies were admitted into our program (5 orphans, 2 babies of critically ill mothers, and 1 baby whose mother was not producing breast milk). One woman was added this month to our mother care program. 148 visits were made to see sick moms and vulnerable babies in their homes.

Baby Admission Story

Baby Doreen pictured above with her grandmother was six pounds at birth. Her 17-year-old mother took home a healthy baby girl after just one day in hospital. Doreen’s mother’s nipples are flat and Doreen struggled to latch and nurse, which is not uncommon. With the support of her grandmother and her mother’s perseverance, Doreen was able to get enough milk to support her growth. However, her mother was unable to empty her breasts completely and after a couple weeks, she developed mastitis in both breasts. The mastitis progressed to abscesses and then eventually the abscesses ruptured. At that point Doreen’s mother had to be hospitalized to treat the severe infection and she had to stop nursing. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive postpartum support for women in Malawi and there is no lactation support apart from that offered by family and community members. Once Joyful Motherhood nurses learned of the struggles experience by Doreen and her young mother, both were admitted into our programs.

Mother Admission Story

Tiyamike was pregnant with her second baby. All went well in her pregnancy, she was healthy and looking forward to holding her baby. Her labor was difficult, a clinician attempted to assist her delivery by vacuum extraction but when this failed she was delivered by c-section. Her baby boy cried loudly as he was lifted from her womb. Two days later she started to show signs of a severe infection eventually she was transferred to the referral hospital and her wound was reopened. When surgeons peered into her open abdomen, they saw a necrotic uterus and immediately initiated a total hysterectomy – uterus and ovaries gone. Tiyamike was discharged home to her village, still in weak condition. Joyful Motherhood nurses enrolled her and will continue to follow her throughout her convalescence.

In the month of August 9 babies were enrolled, including (3 orphans, 1 set of triplets, 2 infants with mothers in critical conditions, and 1 abandoned baby). Two postpartum women were enrolled (1 with a ruptured uterus, and one with eclampsia). Nurses made a total of 136 visits.

Baby Admission Story

Ellen’s pregnancy was going well. At 22, this would be her second baby and her prenatal visits were uneventful. Then in the last month of her pregnancy, her right eye became very painful and started to swell. The swelling became so severe that her eye ruptured and she was admitted. Ellen struggled with pain and her overall health deteriorated. Ellen was diagnosed with cancer. As her family struggled to accept her diagnosis, she gave birth to Miracle, a healthy baby girl. Due to her poor health, Ellen was unable to breastfeed and nurses referred the family to Joyful Motherhood for ongoing support.

Mother Admission Story

At 28-years-old, nurses in Malawi considered Stella “old” for a first time mother. On 25^th July, 2019 she complained of a severe headache then suddenly began convulsing and vomiting blood.  Then she was taken to Bwaila Hospital where she was immediately delivered by caesarian section.  A vigorous term baby boy was born. The cure for eclampsia is delivery and after several days Stella’s condition seemed to improve. She was discharged after 4 days but then two days later she again complained of headache and started convulsing.  Her convalescence has been slow but on 8th the clinician determined she was well enough to return home. Nurses from Joyful Motherhood will continue to follow Stella and her baby to ensure she receives continued and necessary support.

In the month of July Joyful Motherhood enrolled 8 babies (5 orphans and one set of triplets) and 3 women (1 severe anemia, 2 peritonitis). Nurses made 167 visits to women and babies total. There were two deaths this month, Jonathan died at 4days of age due to a respiratory illness and Loveness died at 11months. Loveness experienced severe oxygen deprivation during delivery and throughout her short life she struggled to feed orally, her growth was poor, and she did not meet developmental milestones. Loveness was tenderly cared for by her family at home with the support of JM though she had multiple hospital stays during her life. She died during a hospital readmission from a respiratory illness. Fourteen healthy babies and 5 women were discharged from the program.

Baby Admission Story

When 25-year-old Dalitso realized that she was pregnant for the second time she allowed hope to replace all lingering grief and fear. Dalitso’s mother, however, watched her daughter’s belly grow with increasing anxiety. Dalitso had extremely high blood pressure during her first pregnancy and had delivered by c-section. For reasons that remain unclear, her firstborn died within hours. As the months progress in her second pregnancy, Dalitso’s blood pressure again began to climb and eventually she was referred for an urgent c-section several weeks prior to her due date. On June 4th she had a c-section at a private hospital, where her family believed she would receive the best care. On the 6th she returned home with a healthy baby. At her postpartum visit on the 13th, nurses noted that her blood pressure remained high. She was given medications, instructions on how to take them, and went home to convalesce. Dalisto returned for a second postpartum visit to the clinic on the 6th of July. By then she was in critical condition and was promptly referred to the reginal hospital where she was admitted to the ICU. Dalitso died on the 19th of July. Hospital staff referred her family to Joyful Motherhood to receive support for her baby, Divine.   

Mother Admission Story

At 18, Mitiuzanji was newly married and felt ready to start her family. She attended prenatal visits at a rural hospital several kilometers from her home and knew she would be safer laboring in the hospital rather than at home. When her contractions started she went to the hospital, but her labor progressed slowly. After more then 24hrs with strong contractions she received a c-section. At some point during her labor and her perfect baby died and so instead of hearing cries of a vigorous newborn, the theater was silent as clinicians lifted a beautiful stillborn from her body. Mitiuzanji returned home after three days with nothing but grief to hold and nurse. At home, instead of improving her pain worsened and within a week her belly swelled again as though carrying another baby. She returned to the hospital was sent to the regional referral hospital in critical condition. During an exploratory laparotomy there, the attending clinician noted that her uterus so was severely infected that it needed to be removed in order to save her life. Eighteen-year-old Mitiuzanji underwent a total hysterectomy. Joyful Motherhood nurses met her in the hospital and offered their services. Her health was stable when enrolled, but she is acutely aware that life is forever changed. Her husband left her and her depression is deep. There are wounds that will never heal, but the nurses will follow her, monitor her health, and help her, her family, and community find another way forward over time.

In the month of June 7 babies were admitted (including 4 orphans, 2 babies with critically sick mothers and 1 baby whose mother was not producing breast milk). Nurses made 154 visits to babies and women. Three women were enrolled in the Mother Care program (1 with severe anemia and 2 with peritonitis).

Our board member Dehlia Ramos Gonzalez MSN RN traveled to Malawi this June. This was Dehlia’s 5th trip to Malawi. During her two week visit, Dehlia traveled with the nurses to home visits, witnessing their work, learning about their challenges and assisting them to improve their skills, their data collection, and patient plans. Dehlia was also present for a reunion of Joyful Motherhood graduates. It was an emotional day for everyone present and a strong affirmation of both the necessity of the work and the quality of the services provided by JM.

Program Graduates in their words….

(1) I am Eness.  I am here because I was sick in October 2018  after giving birth through Caesarian section. I was seriously ill and stayed  for a month without eating. The doctors referred the baby to  Joyful Motherhood. I was really stressed because I was so sick that I couldn’t breastfeed. Health workers gave up on my life and my baby’s life until the JM staff came and advocated for my care. Through them the health workers continued to care for me and saved my life and my kid’s life. [JM staff] have positively impacted me, my life and my child’s life. They have also strengthen the family relationships. They encouraged me during the visits; they take part in our life.  They mostly visit me and assess my child and they are continuing  to support him.

(2) My name is Belita, I am 23 years of age. I joined the program when I just delivered in October 2018. Then I developed sepsis. I had a distended abdomen and doctors helped me, They removed 4 liters of pus from my abdomen. But, I was unable to breastfeed because of my condition until one day the doctors told my mum that she should meet the Joyful Motherhood staff. They enrolled my daughter (Sisilia) in the program. At first I had a lot of concerns due to my condition… how would my child be cared for if I died? Every child needs a mother for care. This encouraged me to continue participating in the program for the support. I expressed my concerns to the JM staff and I was told to be patient. I am grateful because is child is well. There was/is no any other program in our community apart JM. They also gave me some money which I used to start a small business. This has greatly improved our life at home though we still struggle. At least now we are able to support ourselves with soap and some clothing.

In the month of May 17 babies were enrolled in our Baby Care program including (4 orphans, triplets, 7 babies whose mothers were critically ill and unable to breastfeed, and a baby whose mother was not producing sufficient milk). Two postpartum women were admitted (1 with ruptured uterus/hysterectomy, and another with severe infection). Nurses visited 154 babies and 15 women. 642 tins of formula were distributed.

Baby Admission Story

Jean was pregnant for the 4th time. This pregnancy was more difficult than the others. Her belly started swelling quickly and by the fourth month she was already feeling exhausted on a daily basis. The midwives seeing her during her prenatal visits suspected she had more than one baby (ultrasounds are not readily available).

There is no difference in the care offered to a mother carrying multiple babies. Jean received the same screenings, the same basic blood work, the same anti-malarial treatment, and same basic health education as other pregnant women. One, two, or three, she would meet her babies on the day of their birth.

Late in her 7th month of pregnancy, Jean attended her regular prenatal visit and the nurse who saw her was alarmed at her blood pressure. She kept Jean at the health center for observation for two days. As her blood pressure continued to climb she sent Jean to the district hospital for pre-eclampsia, where three small but strong babies were delivered by c-section that day. Jean named them Rahabae, Rebecca and Rachel. Jean was referred to Joyful Motherhood for additional support.

Mother Admission Story

19-year-old Cecelia was happy with her pregnancy and attended prenatal care regularly at her local health center.  On April 17th she started feeling contractions and she was admitted for labor and delivery.  Twenty-four hours later the contractions continued booming one after the other but her baby was not descending and her cervix was not opening. She was transferred to the district hospital.  In the early morning hours of the 20th she had a c-section to deliver her 5lb baby boy. She went home with her healthy baby on the 21st.  Three days later she returned to the health center complaining of abdominal pain and pus coming from the wound.  The following day she had an exploratory surgery at the regional referral hospital; pus was drained, her abdomen was rinsed with saline, and she received 3 pints of blood.  Amazingly, in spite of her traumatic birth experience, she continues to produce ample breast milk. Joyful Motherhood nurses will follow her to monitor her convalescence and offer support.

In the month of April, 10 new babies were enrolled in our program (including 5 orphans, 1 baby whose mother was in the ICU, and 4 infants whose mothers were not producing breast milk). Nurses visited 138 or the 229 currently enrolled. 544 tins of formula were distributed. Tragically, eight month old Memory A. who had been in our program since October died from malaria, on route to the hospital from his village. Twenty-two babies graduated from our program.

Baby Admission Story

Miracle’s mother was pregnant for the fifth time.  At 34 she only had one living child.  She delivered two stillborns and another baby had died within the first week of life.  Every day was filled with a mix of anxiety and hope.  She knew she was HIV positive and received the necessary treatment to reduce the risk of passing the disease to her baby.  She attended her prenatal visits and the midwives assured her that the pregnancy was normal.  As her pregnancy progressed, though, she felt her health deteriorating. There was a horrible persistent pain in her neck that no one could diagnose. Then one day early in her eighth month, she had severe abdominal pain and started bleeding heavily.  She went quickly to the hospital and her baby girl was delivered by c-section.

Due to prematurity and her low birth weight, baby Miracle stayed in the hospital for her first two weeks of life.  Meanwhile, Miracle’s mother continued to complain of severe neck pain and within the first month of her daughter’s life, she passed away at home.  Initially Miracle’s aunt cared for her orphaned niece at home giving her regular reconstituted powdered milk. She soon realized that the baby was not doing well on the milk and went to the local clinic to seek help, nurses there directed her to Joyful Motherhood for assistance.