The faces of pediatric and maternal malnutrition in Guatemala

Two week old infant admitted for malnutrition. His mother has no breast milk

For the past few years, international news headlines have talked about the growing issue of pediatric malnutrition and growth stunting. It is not a new concern for COTA team members, but this particular year, it felt more personal. We held the babies admitted for critical malnutrition, but harder still was holding the mothers, and knowing we had little to offer them.
The mother in this photo is only 23 years old. This is her 7th baby. He cried most of the time he was on the pediatric ward while we were working there. Bonding with a baby you can't feed, and who won't stop crying, must be very difficult, and we saw his mother struggle with this.
We gave his mother our hand-made infant quilts, some baby clothes, and some maternal vitamins donated by our pharmacists. We fed her from our backpacks, and gave her Gatorade from our supplies. We taught her how she needed to nourish herself in order to make breast milk for her baby. Our nurses slipped her some money for food while she was there. She refused to use it for herself, and told us she would save it for her children.
But we couldn't give her what she needs most--an economically viable way to support her children. A job for her husband. Food for her table. Education for her children, which means purchasing school supplies she can't afford.
This family was discharged from the Guatemalan hospital last Wednesday. The hospital had no infant formula to give the mother. As you can see in the photo, the mother had no breast milk to feed her baby. He was vomiting when he left. All we can offer is our prayers, and our continued determination to travel to Guatemala annually to do what we can for those who need it the most.

Formula donations (powdered, with an expiration date beyond January of 2013) gratefully accepted.