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African Mothers Health Initiative

Providing care for critically ill mothers and vulnerable infants in Malawi.

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orphan

August 2022

September 14, 2022

In August Joyful Motherhood nurses enrolled 20 babies (including 9 orphans, 7 babies whose mothers are critically ill and hospitalized, 1 baby with spinal bifida, and 3 babies whose mothers are not producing milk) into our programs. Two women were enrolled, both with severe postpartum anemia. Nurses conducted 190 visits to women and babies this month.

Baby Admission Story. Edina was 21 when she delivered Moses on June 16th. He was born on a grass mat laid over the packed dirt floor in her village home. Rather than slide out after him with one final push, the placenta clung to her uterus and she started to bleed. The blood flowed over and between the weave of the matt and into the floor. Edina died beside her newborn.

Edina’s family pooled their resources and bought a tin of formula; they stretched it as far as possible. Moses ate the white then grayish water. When it finished, they bought another and another. Each time worrying about his thinning cheeks and about how they would afford one more tin. In desperation they brought Moses to a health center and he was referred to our program. Moses is emaciated, still hovering around his birth weight but now he will receive the support he needs from our nurses while living with his grandmother.

Filed Under: Activity Updates Tagged With: malawi, maternal death, orphan

Shalom

June 27, 2019

Shalom (Peace) was born on February 2 this year at home in Mozambique (just across the border from Malawi). She was her mother’s fifth child. Her mother had had four normal births without complication but after Shalom was born the placenta, which usually follows within minutes was retained. (The longer the placenta stays inside after delivery, the higher the risk of hemorrhage. A woman can lose up to 500ml of blood per minute after delivery when the uterus is unable to contact as it should.) Shalom’s mother started bleeding profusely. Shalom’s father quickly started mobilizing everyone to get mother and baby to the hospital but within minutes, Shalom’s mother died. Shalom’s father initially tried to manage with the baby and children in Mozambique but, devastated by the loss of his wife and overwhelmed by the responsibility of caring for four children and a newborn, he soon brought all five children to Malawi to live with their maternal grandmother. She opened her home with sorrow and joy and is doing her best to care for them all. Through word of mouth they found Joyful Motherhood. They are a family living on the edge but taking some small steps forward with the help our. Our nurses have visited Shalom three times. She is four months old and now weighs just over 10lbs.

Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: maternal death, orphan

Memory

March 2, 2019

Memory was born by c-section, she was small but healthy. After the surgery, her mother had severe anemia, she receive a single unit of blood but her body struggled to recover from the stress of the delivery. Her condition deteriorated and within a few weeks she died. Memory is now being raised by her grandmother in the village. She is pictured here in the arms of her older brother.

Filed Under: Stories Tagged With: child health, malawi, maternal death, orphan

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African Mothers Health Initiative

7304 Carroll Ave. #173
Takoma Park, MD 20912
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