Sureka and baby Swayam

When Sureka was pregnant with her first baby, she was severely malnourished. At the 7th month of pregnancy she was weighting only 38kg.

This is when she walked into our Health Clinic and was provided with our Supplementary Nutrition Powder, specifically created by our team of nutritionists and doctors. Of course her baby boy – little Swayam – was very small at birth weighing only 2.4kg, while the average for an indian baby is 3kg.

But Sureka continued to come to our clinic every week, where the doctor gave her counseling on what to eat, on how to breastfeed, on how to keep her baby healthy.

Thanks to this, baby Swayam had a miraculous growth: in only 2 months he grew to 5.7kg, becoming a well nourished child.

Why is this important for Swayam and children like him?

“Many of the children we work with are born small, are affected by chronic malnutrition and are highly anemic. This means that their growth and brain development is strongly limited… even if  one day they will receive the best education, their brain will not have developed enough.

But at the Foundation for Mother and Child Health we believe that the foundation of a child should be strong! A child with good weight gain, with good nutrition and free from diseases is a child that is able to reach full potential, of body and mind.” – Dr Rupal Dalal, Responsible for Preventive Health Programs

Achala and Surya

Achala had been a regular visitor of the FMCH site since her daughter was in the Seedling class. She was also a regular visitor at the health clinics, and the team had been able to monitor her pregnancy closely. Unfortunately, despite the efforts, Achala’s son Surya was born with a low birth weight (only 2.15 kgs). Furthermore, due to complications followed by Surya’s birth, Achala had to be hospitalized, this time at the ICU, where she spent the next two months.

In this situation, Surya’s grandmother became the primary caregiver for him. Worried about the child’s constant crying, she brought him to meet the FMCH pediatrician when he was barely two weeks old. Quick examination revealed that Surya had not gained any weight in the first couple of weeks, and because of his mother’s emergency hospitalization, did not receive breast milk. Surya was only feeding on cow’s milk. Surya’s status required immediate care, and therefore FMCH introduced baby formula for him. Through the almost daily follow-ups, the team was able to monitor Surya’s growth. And soon, he took a positive turn, starting to slowly gain weight.

Surya’s recovery was soon evident through growth monitoring. Today, he weighs 7.41 kgs, at the age of 7 months, and is out of the “malnourishment status.” Once Achala gained complete health, she started breast-feeding, of which Surya responded very well to. Achala continues to bring Surya for regular health check-ups. She is also very thankful to her mother-in-law, who had been an excellent caregiver to Surya in her absence. To the FMCH team, this case is a great example of a perfect partnership with the family, where together they could bring a child away from severe malnutrition and dismiss health threats to a precious life.

Growth in Seedlings, FMCH’s Balwadi

Imran Sheikh, a 2 ½ year old, was introduced to the Seedling class, a pre-primary English medium Balwadi run by FMCH. The teachers of Seedling were usually accustomed to children crying for their mothers for the first one week at the Balwadi, but then watched them settle down shortly thereafter. However, in Imran’s case, things did not turn out the same way.

Imran was not happy about being brought to the Balwadi everyday. And he expressed his discontent and anger by refusing to sit down. For the first three weeks, Imran stood at one corner of the class for three continuous hours, without letting go of his bag and water bottle. He did not move an inch to join the other children during play time, go to the toilet, or even eat the tiffin that the Balwadi offered the children every day. According to his mother, Imran behaves the same way at home as well, when he wants things his own way.

Having realized the behavior pattern, Imran’s teacher took up the challenge of breaking the routine of actions. She observed carefully to find out which activities Imran showed interest in from his corner, and actively engaged him in these activities, separately, away from the group. During feeding time, she would offer to feed Imran herself. After a brief resistance, Imran started eating with the other children. The next step was to help him put his bag down. Every day, as he would enter the class, the teacher would tell the other children to put down their bags at the designated spot. After observing every child completing what was asked of them, and then receiving thanks from the teacher for it, Imran too, began to practice these habits.

It took Imran close to five weeks, as opposed to the usual one or two, to finally settle down in the Balwadi. His teacher had demonstrated tremendous patience and great innovation in order to engage his attention and also bring him close to the group. A shy child at first, Imran graduated the Seedling class a vivacious, happy, and friendly child.

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