In September…
- 9 babies were enrolled. 6 orphans (including a set of triplets), and 3 whose mothers were not producing any breast milk.
- Nurses visited 139 babies in their homes.
- Joyful Motherhood is currently following 249 babies
- 4 women were enrolled, 2 with severe infections, and 2 whose uteruses ruptured and required hysterectomies
- Nurses visited 25 women and are following 30 women.
Mother Care Admission Story
26-year-old Nazilinga went into labor on September 14th, she had had two previous c-sections, but this time she had a normal delivery. Her daughter weighed just under 4lbs and so Nazilinga and her baby were admitted to the kangaroo ward. Kangaroo care is a low cost alternative to conventional intensive neonatal care. Mothers are taught to keep baby wrapped skin-to-skin between their breasts for as many hours of the day as possible and to exclusively breastfeed. Kangaroo care has been show to improve temperature control, decrease rates of infections and generally improve survival of low birth weight babies. Ten days after her delivery Nazilinga started to have trouble breathing and complained of chest pain. She was admitted to the critical care unit, there she was told that she had fluid in her lungs and around her heart. She was diagnosed with a severe infection in her blood. Finally on October 6th she was discharged and able to return to be with her baby. Our nurses will continue to follow mother and baby at home.
Baby Care Admission Story
24-year-old M. Develias was pregnant with her second baby. She received regular prenatal care and believed that she knew what awaited her, having experienced a normal pregnancy and delivery two years previously. In late June she felt that her water was leaking and she went to the clinic. There she was told by the midwives that all was well, but they admitted her to await her delivery in the health center. One week later she started bleeding, initially she was just spotting but the volume increased over the following three days. Finally the midwives decided to transfer her from the health center (there are no operating rooms in health centers) to the district hospital. Unfortunately she delivered on the way to the hospital and bled to death before arriving. This story illustrates the tragic fact that even when a woman seeks care in time, she is not guaranteed to receive the care she needs. Her family was sent home with her body and her newborn. They managed to provide for baby Chimwemwe until the end of September when they ran out of money for formula. They sought help at a rural hospital and were eventually referred to Joyful Motherhood.
