Last Day at CINI

Today is my last day at CINI and I’m so sad to be leaving. I’ve had an amazing experience here and have been so touched at how welcoming the staff and patients and community have been. I’ve learnt so much over the last 5 weeks and it will have a lasting impact on the way I practice medicine. CINI is doing wonderful work all over the West Bengal and I hope this blog has given you an insight into the organisation and that this will encourage you to support CINI in the future.

Hand Painting Fun

This week I had fun with the children in the NRC and Emergency Ward making cards with handprints for CINI UK. The children loved doing this and we all had a lot of fun!

Lactation Managment Unit

Neel was admitted to the Lactation Management Unit (LMU) at CINI with his mother, Maitun, at 2 months of age. His weight was just 3.6kg and had been dropping steadily. Maitun brought Neel to the outpatient clinic, as she was concerned he was not growing properly. Maitun is 20 years old and Neel is her first baby. She began breastfeeding her son from the first day of his life but after 15 days her mother-in-law decided that Maitun had insufficient milk to feed Neel and therefore should start using other milk substitutes in addition to her breast milk. Neel was fed a diet of breast milk and wheat flour mixed with cow’s milk, sugar and water during the first two months of his life.

Following Maitun’s admission to the LMU with her son, she was given advice on how to initiate relactation. CINI health care workers spent time with her, providing explanations of the technique and timings of breastfeeding, as well as physical and emotional support. Maitun told me that her confidence has greatly improved in just one week. She says CINI has helped her greatly, as she now has a lot of milk and her son is feeding well and it clear to all of us that she is far more relaxed and confident.

The World Health Organisation advises that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life in developing countries. Exclusive breastfeeding not only improves maternal and child health, but also reduces the risk of malnutrition, infection and other health problems in children. Children who are fed formula feed are at risk of infection, as the water used to make up the formula is not clean; and of malnutrition, as parents may not be able to afford the formula and often use a packet sufficient for only 1 month over 3 months. Therefore CINI works hard to promote breastfeeding and to provide as much support and advice to mothers on feeding practices as needed.

Danesh

Danesh, a tiny baby aged only 3 months, had a tragic start to his life. His mother died during childbirth and his father was unable to cope with caring for him, so his auntie, Meera, took on the role of primary care giver. During the first few months of his life, Meera tried her best to provide adequate nourishment for her nephew but sadly it was not enough and Danesh’s weight dropped dangerously low. The local village health worker found Meera with the baby and advised her to go to the NRC at CINI so that the baby could have proper nutrition. Danesh was admitted to the NRC with third degree malnourishment, weighing only 2.7kg at 3 months of age. Whilst at CINI, Danesh was given powdered milk so that he is could receive adequate nourishment. Meera was given advice on how to appropriately feed Danesh without breast milk and how to keep him healthy after leaving CINI. After two weeks Danesh’s weight had gone up to 3.2kg and Meera and all the health care staff at CINI were very happy with the progress he was making and hoped he would continue to make progress with love, commitment and care of his auntie.

Over 78,000 women die each year from childbirth in India alone. This shocking figure leaves many children without mothers and often without a family. These children are at risk from all sorts of dangers including malnutrition, psychological scars, sexual exploitation, drug addiction, abuse and child trafficking. CINI’s projects such as ‘Adopt a Mother’ aim to reduce the incidence of maternal death through providing adequate antenatal and postnatal care, as well as other projects which help children at risk of malnutrition, sexual exploitation and child trafficking.