On Tuesday, June 14…

Bududa has been wonderful, and I have learned a lot and made many great connections with the community members already. In the clinic, I've worked a lot with the midwife. FIMRC asked each of us to come up with a project feasible to accomplish during our time here, so I am working to develop an exit interview specific to the Maternal Child Health (MCH) ward. The clinic has a general exit interview, but MCH could use a specific one so that the midwife can gauge how well mothers are internalizing the information taught to them in the waiting room and during her consultations. So, I have spent some time working with the midwife and asking her about what she teaches the mothers. My project partner and I are now working to compile a list of questions for the exit interview that both tests how productive the education is and informs mothers of important information going forward, such as proper nutrition habits while breastfeeding.

I have been so impressed with the effectiveness of the clinic, especially in such a rural zone. The main challenges I have noted are that MCH doesn't have an ultrasound, so the midwife has taught me how they palpate the abdomen to see if the baby is breach or in proper position. The midwives also use a metal tube to hear the heartbeat. Also, the clinic does not have a refrigerator, which is a challenge for immunizing the newborns. Immunizations can only take place on Tuesdays or Thursdays, so a mom will have to bring her baby back in the first Tuesday or Thursday after birth to get the newborn vaccinations. I'm looking forward to accompanying the staff members on immunization outreach, which I will probably be able to do a week from Friday.