Project 2 -
Nutrition of Newborn Babies
Project to improve the
nutritional attention given to hostipalised patients under 6 months old.
In 1996, a
vicious civil war that lasted for 36 years, had claimed over a 100,000
lives and created over a million refugees, finally came to an end.
Guatemala today faces serious issues relating to crime, gang membership,
illiteracy and low levels of education and health.
Guatemala has a population of 12.3 million, half of which
are under 18 years of age and approximately 60% of the population
between 6 and 18 live in extreme poverty. According to UNICEF:
'Some 75,000 severely malnourished children have been identified, a
consequence of three simultaneous emergencies: chronic poverty, drought
and the coffee crisis. Some 67 per cent of indigenous children suffer
from chronic malnutrition.'
Given the high level of poverty and the lack of social
support programmes, LA VIDA's project this year will be focused on
improving the health and education of children in Guatemala.
Paediatrics Department, San Juan de Dios General Hospital, Guatemala City
PROJECT FOR IMPROVING NUTRICIONAL ATTENTION TO HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS
YOUNGER THAN SIX MONTHS OLD
INTRODUCTION
Breastfeeding is particularly important in
developing countries. Breast milk provides all the nutrients that a baby
needs for healthy development in the first six months of life. A
breastfed baby will have less risk of early malnutrition and obesity in
later life. Breastfeeding also contributes to the psycho-affective
development of children and is much more economical than baby formula.
Traditionally it is recommended that babies are breastfed exclusively
during the first six months of their lives. Premature weaning is defined
as the interruption of breastfeeding before six months. In Guatemala,
this generally contributes to the child receiving badly diluted baby
formula (as it’s expensive) and early malnutrition.
The causes of weaning can be: low production of breast milk, the
mother’s work commitments outside the home, and very frequently, an
illness that causes the baby to be hospitalised. In the different
paediatric wards, breastfeeding is interrupted due to the illness of the
baby or because the mother can only visit once a day, (especially in the
newborn ward) or because of the baby’s illness.
In the Paediatrics department of the Hospital San Juan de Dios, a study
was conducted that found that 92% of all the children admitted to the
department had premature weaning and this was contributing to the sever
malnutrition of patients.
When a baby has been subject to premature weaning, it is necessary to
apply a technique called RELACTATION, which involves educating and
advising the mother on how to go back to breastfeeding.
On the other hand, when you cannot restore breastfeeding, for example if
the mother works, or if the mother is HIV positive; it is necessary to
supply artificial milk/baby formula which costs $60-$80. This amount is
half of the minimum salary in Guatemala, and that’s why mothers chose to
dilute the formula more which means the baby gets progressively
malnourished.
To help this issue, the Nutritional service organised a baby formula
program which basically supplied baby formula at minimum cost to mothers
of babies younger than 6 months old that were discharged from the
hospital. The program stimulated the mother to continue to come to
further consultations providing her with more education and support. The
program worked successfully for five years and was run by a social
worker but unfortunately funding was cut in 2005 and it was not possible
to continue. This is where LA VIDA funding can help.
As a summary, to tackle the problem of premature weaning there are
various strategies:
1) Education program of permanent promotion of breastfeeding directed to
mothers and nursing staff in the different Paediatric services about the
technique of breastfeeding
2) Baby Formula program: when breastfeeding fails, or for some reason
the baby cannot be breastfed, baby formula is supplied at minimum cost
for the first year of life of the baby that is discharged from the
hospital.
JUSTIFICATION
The paediatrics department currently lacks funding
for this program. There is a need to hire a nurse to monitor
breastfeeding, detect premature weaning and advise mothers on
techniques. Having this extra resource would benefit
2000 children per year that are
admitted to the hospital and 700 newborn babies admitted to the
intensive care unit.
On the other hand, when we cannot restore breastfeeding as in the case
for HIV positive mothers, the Nutrition ward can supply baby formula at
low cost (it is donated by Sejakla foundation) to the mothers during the
first year of their baby’s lives and carry on with educating her about
how to secure the health of her child.
Currently this program is suspended as there are no funds to hire an
administrator, but should it be funded it would help approximately
2000 heavily malnourished nursing
babies.
Objective
Improve nutrition amongst nursing babies
hospitalised in the Paedeatrics department of the Hospital General San
Juan de Dios.
Specifics
1) Promote and restore breastfeeding for
hospitalised patients in the Nutrition, Gastroenterology, and Newborn
wards.
2) Train nurses and personnel about techniques on “how to breastfeed”
3) Administer the baby formula program to provide baby formula at low
cost for babies under six months old who’s mother cannot breastfeed.
4) Promote health education amongst mothers’ who’s babies are discharged
from the hospital.
BUDGET
Nurse (6 hours/day) Annual Salary ($)2,913,
Project expenses ($)437. Total ($)3350.
Social worker (2 hours /day) Annual Salary
($)874, Project expenses ($)131. Total($)1005.
Total for 1 year USD($)
4,355.
Total for 5 years
USD($) 21,775.
Management of the Funds
The Paediatrics Society is a non-governmental
organization that was created to help hospitalised patients. It is
legally constituted to manage the funds that are targeted to paediatrics
department. It charges 15% to administer the account. It has independent
auditors that publish financial results yearly. The donation by LAVIDA
would be done directly to the Paediatrics society, for which a register
will be maintain for payments.
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