In June nurses admitted 11 babies (4 orphans, 1 set of triplets, 3 babies whose mothers did not produce breast milk, and 1 baby whose mother developed postpartum psychosis). The mother suffering from postpartum psychosis was also admitted into our program. Our team visited 227 babies and critically ill postpartum women. Nurses distributed 635 tins of formula to babies without access to breast milk.
Baby Admission Story. Emma had three children. Life had been challenging, but her children were healthy and her youngest was ten when she learned of her new pregnancy. At 37 she was considered unusually old for a baby. Thankfully, the pregnancy was uneventful and according to hospital notes, the delivery was also. Emma delivered a healthy six pound baby girl on June 7th. Emma named her Happiness; life was complete. Three days after the birth, mom and baby returned home. Before the hospital bag was even unpacked, Emma started complaining of headaches, chest pain, and dizziness. Family convinced her to turn around and return to the hospital. At the District Hospital, they checked her blood type and her blood pressure, which was very low. No one bothered to check to see if she was anemic or to evaluate for an infection. She was referred to the Regional Hospital and admitted to a high acuity ward. It seems there was no additional treatment and she died there on June 14th. Her family was referred to Joyful Motherhood for the support of her surviving infant. This is the tragic story of another preventable death that produced four more orphans
Mother Admission Story. At 20 Betty was bright and dynamic. She became pregnant unexpectedly and as her belly grew, a mix of curiosity, excitement, and anxiety grew with it. On June 19th she began to feel pain in her belly and went to the labor ward at the district hospital. Midwives there determined that she was not yet in labor and sent her home to continuing waiting. The following day she began hallucinating and was taken to a mission hospital where her baby boy was delivered by c-section. The hallucinations deepened and darkened; she seemed lost to her family and had no capacity to connect or care for the fragile being she had just brought into the world. Betty was hospitalized briefly and nurses referred her family to Joyful Motherhood for additional support for the entire family.
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