In the month of February 7 babies were enrolled, 3 of whom were orphans, 2 critically ill babies with cerebral palsy, 1 baby whose mother suffers from psychosis, and 1 baby whose mother was critically ill and unable to breastfeed. This month nurses visited 140 babies and distributed 369 tins of formula.
Baby Story. Efrida and baby Hekima. 23-year-old Efrida is a diabetic, there is minimal medical support for diabetics in Malawi and her hospitalizations throughout her life have been frequent. Still she was happy about her pregnancy and attended a clinic for prenatal care. Then on November 9th she became unconscious and her family took her to the nearest health center. From there she was referred to the district hospital. Once her blood sugar was stabilized, she regained consciousness and her baby was delivered by C-section. Efrida and her new baby Hekima were discharged within a few days. After days of trying to breastfeed, days and nights of hearing Hekima cry and watching her baby lose weight, the family realized Erida’s milk was not coming. Efrida’s husband, though poor, started buying formula for his baby and they were managing. However on January 18th Hekima’s father was tragically killed in a car accident. No one else in the family had the financial capability to purchase formula. Hekima’s paternal aunt heard about Joyful Motherhood and brought mom and baby to Lilongwe to be enrolled in our program.
