When Linda Depoyou, a 27-year-old mother of three, gave birth to her fourth child in July, he weighed only .6 kilograms, or 1.3 pounds. So, Depoyou and her newborn, Godsent Yeoh, were immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Partners In Health-supported James Jenkins (J.J.) Dossen Memorial Hospital in Maryland County. Depoyou, who lives in neighboring River Gee County, suffered from malnutrition, with very little milk to feed the baby. She was enrolled in PIH’s social support program and fed hot daily meals throughout her nearly three months of stay at J.J. Dossen Hospital.
Alongside other mothers with newborns in the NICU, Depoyou was introduced to the kangaroo mother care (KMC) approach. KMC is a well-known practice that clinicians around the world use to decrease the deaths of premature newborns, especially in countries like Liberia where incubators and reliable electricity are hard to come by. The practice involves the mother holding her baby to her bare chest to ensure direct, skin-to-skin contact. Garmai Forkpah, PIH’s senior clinical mentor, says the NICU received 12 preterm babies from July to August 2023, and they all have been introduced to the KMC approach. PIH began providing community-based KMC at J.J. Dossen Hospital and the communities it serves in Maryland in August 2018, with nurses providing care and follow-up directly in new mothers’ homes. Infants at the hospital are eligible for KMC if they have a birth weight of less than 1.8 kilograms (about 4 pounds). Depoyou says that she “felt very bad” and was worried when her baby was born so small and at such a low weight. The baby ended up spending three months in the NICU, before Depoyou could bring him home to Glaro Freetown, where they live with her fiancé, Romeo Yeoh. “I am very happy that my wife and baby are going home with me today,” said Yeoh, who works as a cocoa farmer, earning the equivalent of about $384 annually. “I want to say thank you to all the hospital people (nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers) for taking care of my family.” Dr. Mulbah G. Smith is an intern pediatrician who has been providing care for Linda and other preterm babies at J.J. Dossen Hospital.
“I feel even more excited that I have helped to save a child’s life. It was not easy but with God and the help of the team (doctors and nurses), we’re happy that Linda will be leaving with her baby today,” Dr. Smith said.
