Good medical care in Haiti is so hard to find. And the problem is compounded by the inability to pay (there are so many factors that go into that). So, with the inability to pay, quality advanced medical care is almost non-existent for most of my patients.
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Miriole came to the maternity clinic on February 19th for the first time. She did not have any children yet.
During the course of her care the numbers were just not adding up. It was a shock to her to find out that she was having twins (although she herself was a twin)! She continued to receive prenatal vitamins and Iron supplements during Covid while I was gone.
A few weeks ago, she started to have some mild health issues. They continued until it was obvious that she was developing pre-eclampsia, and would most likely not be able to carry the babies to term.
She located a doctor so that she could be prepared in the event she needed a C-section — for her own safety, as well as that of her babies.
After visiting the OB/GYN surgeon who would do the C-section, she said he never said a word about her pre-eclampsia. It was obvious with her headaches, high blood pressure, and severe swelling that she had a serious problem.
We decided that the OBGYN may not be the best choice to allow to do surgery on her—especially since it was probably time for her to have her babies, and he was planning to wait until closer to her due date.
We made arrangements for her at a different hospital, and she had her C-section that same day. She and the babies did very well!
The babies remained in the hospital for 10 days because of some issues as they were about 3 weeks early and twins.
Double the blessing!
Shnailens (boy) and Shnailie (girl) were both 1.9 kg (4.18 lbs) at birth. She has gained a little weight while he is just a little below his birth wait. We are working with mom on breast feeding for preemies in the hope that the twins will both do well now that they are out of the hospital.
(Sadly hospitals do not allow breast feeding most of the time.) Please be praying for Miriole, Shnailens, and Shnailie as they still have a lot of obstacles in front of them while trying to do life in Haiti.
The education time at Maternity clinic always seems to run long and I know the moms get tired of listening to me… but, there is still so much work to be done.
The #1 causes of death in Haiti for a woman of child bearing age is pregnancy and delivery complications. A long time ago the death rate for children was 1 in 5 before the age of 5 (20%). That number has not improved much over the years.
We always encourage moms to come back after delivery so we can assist them with any problems and to gauge the success of the program by the outcome of the pregnancy and delivery. One mom came back the other day for her follow up. And, many of the things we worked on were still not being done.
This is baby “John Doe.” Mom said that Dad had named the child but she does not remember what it was. Sadly, there often seems to be a detachment between mom and baby. I think this is a defense mechanism for mom given the chance her baby may not survive. She was doing a very poor job of breast feeding him.
The baby was also 11 days old and he had yet to have a bath. Mom said that she was told that if you bathe a baby before their soft spot closes, and they’ll get water in their brain.
Thinking I could prove her theory wrong in her own mind I asked her if she had ever witnessed this actually happen before? She said she’d seen it — with. friend’s baby. I realized that bathing a baby was associated with babies with Hydrocephalus (a slowly enlarging head due to the inability for spinal fluid to drain). So, we worked on several things with mom to help her understand and care for her baby better.
When I snapped a picture of him my first thought was “I see that hand!” Like a preacher responding to someone in church who acknowledged what the message was about. I felt like he was saying “with your help and hard work, I believe I will survive!!”
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I got to clinic early the other day, and there was some work going on in the back. I was amazed to watch them cut a 2x4 board down he middle. Normally, it would be a 30-second job to rip a 2x4. But in Haiti, things are often a lot of work. He was cutting a 20-foot board in half with a hand saw.
Defiantly hard work
I don’t know how long he had been working before I got there but he worked a long time on this project. Sometime things in life aren’t easy. But we have to do our best with what we have at the time.
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Work in Haiti continues, despite all the problems! Covid is still lurking around. There have been fuel shortages again. Protests continue (which is becoming a normal thing in America too). In Haiti, the last three weeks, the value of the U.S. dollar has dropped by half! This means that my cost on everything has doubled. It is unknown how long this could last. Long term, this will be a big budget issue.
I thank you for your support of Kelby’s Kids. You are bringing hope to so many, and saving the lives of some of the most vulnerable! If you have been on the fence about supporting Kelby’s Kids, now would be a great time for a one-time gift or a monthly partnership.
This world is a broken place. But if you look closely there is still a lot of hope as well, and some of it goes on in a little clinic in Port-au-Prince Haiti — and you are a part of it!
Until No Child Dies
Kelby