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'AKOM' IN THE MBU - WHEN A MOTHER SUDDENLY BECOMES A PRIESTESS

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  “Boss, you won’t believe what happened today!” Juliet, the indefatigable medical officer for the paediatric unit, exclaimed. I was on leave, but as her senior, she would call me to discuss complex cases. “What happened?” I asked. “One of the mothers at the Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) started dancing around in circles and chanting,” she said. “Really? Why?” I asked. She then narrated what had happened. The son of this woman had been on admission at the MBU for a while due to the nature of his illness. As is usual in our setting, the relatives at home started asking questions. It was revealed to the mother that her sister-in-law was responsible for the baby’s illness and she needed to bring the baby home for rituals. The baby’s maternal grandfather, a fetish priest was the one going to perform the rituals, so they requested that the baby be discharged. Unfortunately for the family, but fortunately for the baby, according to our laws, a child who needs medical care cannot be disc...
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THE WHITE GOLD

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Gold is a mineral of immense value, often leading to environmental destruction in its pursuit. However, there's something even more valuable, and it's readily available to you. Unlike gold, it doesn't require destroying water bodies or land. This 'white gold' is breastmilk, an invaluable resource that you, as a mother, provide for your child. Why is there a need to draw attention to breast milk?   Because it's a treasure that's often overlooked. Breast milk contains the right amounts of nutrients for the growth and development of babies. Its composition changes as the baby grows to meet its changing needs. The initial yellow breast milk(colostrum) that flows in the first 2 to 4 days is rich in minerals, antibodies, and protein. It changes into transitional milk from days 5 to 14, and from day 14 onwards, mature milk starts flowing. This mature milk, rich in carbohydrates and fats, helps the baby to gain weight. Certain substances in breast milk, called...
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WHY DOES MY BABY CRY A LOT, PASS MUCH GAS AND KEEP STRETCHING?

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  Many parents get worried when their babies cry excessively. Excessive crying in babies could be due to several things. For example, wet diapers, pain from an insect bite or injury, unwellness, hunger, thirst, etc. Sometimes, babies cry and pass out a lot of gas while stretching. They may even refuse breast milk. And parents are often left worried, not knowing what to do. These babies most likely have  infantile colic , a disturbance in the gastrointestinal tract or the gut. What causes infantile colic? The exact cause is largely unknown. Colonic fermentation, which is the breakdown of carbohydrates into fatty acids and other metabolites in the large intestine by anaerobic bacteria has been proposed as a cause. During this fermentation process, gases are produced. Excess gas in the infant's immature gut can cause much discomfort. Colic is also thought to be associated with excessive swallowing of air when the baby is feeding. Some studies also suggest that psychoso...
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YELLOW MEANS GET READY

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  I left the hospital with a heavy heart. I wasn’t sure if the baby would make it. The prognosis was poor. The baby’s mother and grandmother had been thoroughly counselled about the baby’s condition. This situation could have been averted with the right knowledge and early intervention. But here we were, wondering if the baby would survive. The baby had been healthy at birth, so he and his mother were discharged. When they got home, the baby’s paternal grandmother who was helping to care for the baby started using palm kernel oil to dress the baby’s cord. The cord got infected, and the baby later became jaundiced. They didn’t notice that the baby’s eyes were turning yellow until he was yellow from head to sole and was very sick. He was not sucking anymore, there was little movement in the limbs. His breathing was very shallow. There were times he would stop breathing for some seconds and then restart. The cord stump was infected. He was in bad shape. Sadly, he didn’t make it. ...
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BE THAT HAND

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  She would come for review with her 4-year-old son firmly strapped to her back. The boy was heavy but how could she allow him to walk beside her? He would be all over the place and they would get stares. She  couldn’t afford a wheelchair that could keep the child strapped and restrained. I wondered what the journey on the commercial vehicle was like. He had been diagnosed with Autism, Epilepsy and had symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder  (ADHD) . He was not speaking yet and had no friends. Not all his medications were covered by the national health insurance scheme, and some were costly. In a country where the few inclusive schools and rehabilitation centres are mostly found in the cities and are not free, the future looked gloomy for him. His mother didn’t have a stable job. She was the one caring for him, so it was not feasible for her to look for a well-paying job that would require her to be away from him. I remember speaking to the father of ...
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PLAYING WITH FIRE

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  “Doctor Gloria, I have bad news for you this morning. I am afraid we lost the child we referred yesterday”. The paediatric nurse said. For a few seconds, I was speechless. When I finally found my voice, I asked, “How is the mother?”. “I am told she is devastated.” She answered. I had to say a silent prayer for the parents. To lose a child who had been so well to a preventable condition is one of the most difficult things to deal with in life. This child was admitted to the hospital I work in with burn wounds. When I saw how extensive the injury was, I asked that we quickly stabilise and refer her to a tertiary centre where she could have access to a specialised unit for burns and health professionals who could properly manage her. The problem with extensive burns is that on a continent that is still battling with lots of infections, the risk of dying is very high even when the best care is given. The skin provides a barrier that prevents harmful organisms from getting int...
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MANAGING CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES

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  Children differ in their personalities. This also means they will behave differently. The previous write-up; " how well do you know your child? " dealt extensively with the different personality types according to the Myers-Briggs criteria. Kindly read it if you have not done so already. This will enable you to appreciate this article better. Let us now consider how to manage children belonging to the various categories.   Feelers versus thinkers Children who are feelers can easily be taken advantage of or abused because of their good-naturedness. They tend to sacrifice themselves often to make others happy. They can also succumb easily to peer pressure.   Be on the lookout for their welfare. You must engage your child to know how his/her day went at school and whether they made new friends. Ask them if they did something nice for someone. Being abreast with what goes on in their life will help you to quickly intervene if something is going wrong. When you want ...
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