Hello again!
Today, on 11th April, 2013, volunteer Josie Gallop (UK) assisted the community health nurses once again at the monthly mother and baby clinic.
This mother and baby clinic is for all mothers in Teiman community and is free of charge. It is here that mothers can have the health of their baby checked, their baby’s weight measured, where immunizations for their child can be administered and any counselling or advice on issues such as breast feeding. If a child is suffering from diarrhoea, then the clinic is there to provide advice on the best treatments, as well as give the baby a medical examination to ensure there is nothing seriously wrong.
When a baby is born, each mother is given a child health record book, in which dates of immunizations are recorded, along with a bar graph of the child’s weight increase or decrease. In addition to this, there are pictures and descriptions of different home treatments for different illnesses, like diarrhea, along with how to prevent dangerous diseases, such as malaria.
At the clinic, when mothers arrive, details are recorded by the nurses, including attendance. This is noted by the age of the child; 0-11 months, 12-23 months and 24 months plus. A tally is also taken of how many vitamin A tablets are administered and finally, male attendance. The nurses are greatly trying to encourage male involvement in their child’s progress to ensure parenting is a shared experience between mother and father.
Today, 111 babies were weighed and immunized against diseases such as yellow fever. Some new mothers were given advice on breastfeeding, while others talked through other problems, for example, sleep issues. Every month, these days are hugely successful and many lives are saved from events like this.
