Activity Updates
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6 babies and 2 women were enrolled in March. Many times when a woman dies the cause of her death remains unknown.
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During the month of February we admitted 6 infants (5 orphans, and 1 baby without breast milk). Nurses visited 155 infants and distributed 550 tins of formula. We currently have 237 babies and 22 women in our care. Baby Admission Stories. (1) Twenty-year-old Alice’s first pregnancy ended in a normal delivery on September 25th. Her small healthy girl went home with her two days after the birth. Alice has flat nipples and her 5lb baby could not open her mouth wide enough to latch well. Alice was determined to breastfeed, but the improper latch created pain. Over the first week…
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We enrolled 14 babies in January! 3 sets of triplets, 4 orphans, and 1 baby whose mother had no breast milk. This month nurses visited 160 babies, 580 tins of formula were distributed and 261 women and infants remain in our care. Baby Admission Story. Anna already had four children and she hoped that the fifth would be the last. With five pregnancies she was considered a grand multigravida and all the midwives she saw during her pregnancy reminded her that her delivery might be difficult. She was told again and again that she would need to deliver at a…
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At times the suffering and needs we encounter are deeper and more complex than our capacity to heal and restore. At times promising not to leave is the most powerful support me can offer. The act of standing with women is a central part of what we do.
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In the month of November the nurses enrolled 9 infants (including 8 orphans and 1 whose mother was experiencing postpartum psychosis). They enrolled 2 women after traumatic births, both who had their uteruses and ovaries removed due to severe infections. The team visited 203 infants and women and distributed 662 tins of formula. Baby Admission Story. The year doctors told her that the problem with her leg was cancer, TG was 20. This was the same year she became pregnant. She experienced one body growing inside, gaining substance, gaining movement, gaining strength. While simultaneously experiencing her own slipping strength and…
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In the month of October… Baby Admission Story. Benita had a cough. It wasn’t new. For years she would feel the need to cough to clear her throat. Sometimes it was worse and would wake her in the night or steal her breath when she laughed too hard. Other times it was just an annoyance a small tickle in the mornings that would not resolve. Her mother encouraged her to go to the hospital but Benita insisted, I am not sick, it is just a cough. What would they do at the hospital anyway? Maybe that would give her a…
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This month nurses enrolled 12 babies (5 orphans (including a set of twins), a set of triplets, 1 baby whose mom is in the ICU, and 3 infants whose moms are not producing any breastmilk). One mother was enrolled due to severe infection. Nurses visited 213 women and babies and delivered 589 tins of formula. There was one death this month – Stefano was a 10-month-old triplet, he was hospitalized for a diarrheal illness and died during his hospitalization. Baby Admission Story. At 33 years old, Chamjira, was pregnant for the fifth time, this time with twins. She attended her…
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10 babies were enrolled (5 orphans, 1 set of triplets, and 2 babies of moms with no breast milk) 2 women were enrolled Nurses visited 190 babies and women 1 baby (a triplet) died from malaria Baby Admission Story. Lufeyo was the second child of Mwaiwawo. Mom and baby made it through delivery and returned home just one day later. Initially everything seemed to be going well. Lufeyo was an eager nurser and Mwaiwawo produced plenty of milk. But then, after two weeks, Mwaiwawo began to feel that something was not right. She found it difficult to articulate the exact…
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In July 5 babies were enrolled into our program (3 orphaned infants, 1 baby with a mother in ICU, and 1 baby whose mother was not producing breast milk). One woman with severe anemia was enrolled in our mother care program. Malawian nurses visited 216 woman and infants in their homes. 614 tins of formula were distributed. In partnership with Joyful Motherhood, AMHI is currently supporting the care of 234 women and infants. Baby Admission Story. Lyness and her family did not have much, but they had enough to get through each day. They rented a basic home in a…
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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…
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In May nurses admitted 8 infants (3 orphans (includes a set of twins), 3 babies whose mothers were not producing breast milk, and 2 babies of critically ill mothers). One postpartum woman with a severe infection was admitted. Nurses visited a total of 221 mothers and infants over the course of the month and 558 tins of formula were distributed. Baby Admission Story. Twin boys Chimwemwe and Chisomo were admitted this month into our program. Their mother was pregnant for the first time and attended her prenatal care clinic at the recommended intervals. Her rapidly enlarging belly signaled to the…
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In April Joyful Motherhood nurses admitted 5 babies (including, four orphans (two were a set of twins), and one baby whose mother was not producing breast milk). Two women were admitted into the program due to severe postpartum infections. The team visited 215 women and babies in their communities and 558 tins of formula were distributed. Baby Admission Story. Twenty-one year old Farao’s pregnancy was uneventful. The months passed quickly this time, as she now had a toddler to care for. Farao lived close to town in a bustling area which had its own maternity clinic, but her aunt worked…
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In March 11 babies were enrolled for support in our program (including 3 orphans, 3 sets of triplets, 1 baby with hydrocephalus, and 1 baby whose mother was not producing breast milk). Two sick women were enrolled. Nurses visited 194 babies and 23 sick women after delivery. Nurses distributed 595 tins of formula. (Formula is provided to sustain life. It is for babies without access to breast milk and for mothers of triplets, to supplement their milk.) Baby Admission Story. The triplets above are Success, Shepherd, and Stella. Even though Maggie attended her prenatal care clinic as recommended, she was…
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In February, seven babies were enrolled in our program (6 of whom were orphaned as newborns). Nurses are currently following 215 babies. One hundred and eighty five of those babies received home visits during the month of February. Sifra, pictured above with her paternal grandmother, is one of our new babies this month. Sifra’s mother was pregnant for the third time and carefully observed the recommendations made to ensure she and her baby remained healthy. She attended her prenatal visits. And, because her home was far from the hospital, she moved onto the hospital grounds two weeks before her due…
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In the month of January 21 babies were enrolled in our program. Nine mothers died leaving healthy newborns without breast milk (two of these women had had twins). One set of triplets was enrolled, 4 mothers unable to produce breast milk brought their babies for enrollment, one set of twins were abandoned at the hospital and enrolled, and one baby whose mother developed postpartum psychosis and was unable to care for him. A total of 219 babies are currently enrolled. One hundred and twenty of our babies need formula and nurses distributed a total of 676 tins this month. Nurses…