Finally some hope for Jordan

Story background

Jordan showed developmental delays in all four areas throughout monitoring and evaluation exams at 3, 6, 9, 12, and 18 months. At 3 months, Jordan could not elevate his head, follow mom's face midline, startle to sounds, or smile. Jordan could not sit, stretch, lift, or hold big objects at 9 months. At 18 months, Jordan could not walk, pincer, or understand, despite his mother's advice to play developmental activities after each developmental exam. Porridge spoons were awkward. With these facts, newborn Jordan was unusual and needed professional examination and intervention.

And so I was the one to blame - from the perspective of Enid, Jordan’s mother

Jordan was born in Lwanda HC III, very healthy. After one week, I heard a voice calling me outside and I replied - when I got out I found no one. In my culture, when you reply to someone’s voice when there is no one outside, your breasts dry during the breastfeeding process. I could no longer breastfeed Jordan because my breasts could not produce any milk, so we used cow’s milk.

As time went by, Jordan developed skin infections, lost weight, and many other problems and was always crying because he could not get satisfied. Later on, my baby developed diarrhea and vomiting every one to two weeks. This negative turn of events brought conflict in the family as my relationship with my husband and mother-in-law became bitter. The family started throwing insults and at times Jordan’s father would beat me. Everyone was looking for someone to blame for whatever was happening, the blame was put on me. I became angry and irritated with whatever was happening and I stopped to take care of my child. At this time, my husband was in need of another child because he thought Jordan would not recover and forced me to remove family planning and I became pregnant with another child with all the pressure that I had. The pressure was too much for me so I gave in and became pregnant again.

Jordan’s mother fought against depression and anxiety - told by a Clinical Social Worker

Jordan's mother sought treatment for depression and anxiety symptoms including excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, insomnia, and muscle tightness. She felt guilty for not breastfeeding. To confirm sadness and anxiety, I interviewed her about her symptoms, medical history, and family history. During this process, Enid’s primary goal for seeking counseling was to reduce her depression and anxiety symptoms and improve her mental health and well-being by improving her self-esteem, identifying challenging negative thought patterns, and developing coping skills.

I provided psychoeducation on depression and anxiety and covered symptom management tools like relaxation, mindfulness, and behavioral activation in o8ur first session. The intervention provided was Copying Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helped me as a counsellor to recognize negative thought patterns and encourage positive self-talk. Using Support group therapy approach, the project provided a supportive and empathetic setting where she could interact with others who had faced similar issues. I suggested yoga, nature walks, and a balanced diet to modify her lifestyle. I monitored her progress through regular follow-ups and changed treatment as needed. Her mood and despair and anxiety problems have improved. She has become more active and better at identifying and challenging negative thought patterns. Her spouse got engaged and her baby stopped being cranky, improving her sleep and appetite.

Without the husband’s involvement, we wouldn’t go anywhere - SGBV Counsellor narration

With no progress during peer-led sessions, Enid's mental health and baby Jordan's health continued to deteriorate. It is at this point that I with the help of the social worker discovered that Enid's issues stemmed from her husband's physical abuse. Enid experienced psychological violence from her husband and mother-in-law and neglected herself and the child. Being a rural setting, myths, ideas, and cultural traditions by the parents hindered baby Jordan's treatment since they didn't believe he could be cured or get well. I paid a visit to the husband's home while Enid was at the institution since he had repeatedly declined to attend our male engagement meetings.

I found him home and had a long conversation. I tried to convince him that baby Jordan could be helped and improve, and I asked him to join the wife so they could move forward as a family. I also warned him about sexual and gender-based violence and advised him not to physically assault the wife.

We persuaded the husband and wife to take baby Jordan to Katalemwa Cheshire, where BAMA had referred them. The family now works together and attends our programs

I can finally live a normal life - Jordan’s mother

A lot has changed in my life and I feel a lot happier because of the help provided to me by BAMA. I have now changed my view on beliefs as the mentor midwife made me understand why I lost breast milk, and the training on nutrition and breastfeeding opened my eyes to the mistakes I made thus being a better parent to my second child whom I have breastfed for a long period and my husband later allowed us to resume the use of family planning g for better planning of our family. I later realized that the things I am doing to help my child in the healing process as directed by the physiotherapist like the developmentally appropriate plays in all domains are the same things I was taught during the peerled sessions though I never had the will to do them.

With the progress registered so far and the support that my husband gives me, I have confidence that my baby will be fine and I am thankful for the support provided by BAMA and MAP in particular in helping me with physiotherapy session fees, transport to and from Kataremwa Cheshire Home Centre.

Baby Jordan will be fine - from the Midwife

Baby Jordan has shown improvement in all four domains of developmental assessment with continued guidance and support from professionals at Katalemwa Cheshire Home Rehabilitation Centre. Previously during our follow-up, Dr Yasin from Katalemwa had said that Jordan had poor muscle coordination which had caused muscle weakness and unstable joints that contributed to loss of balance.

Now Jordan can sit by himself well, can walk with help or while holding someone’s hand grasp hold of large things, and can transfer objects from one hand to another, can now respond or turn when his name is being called and Jordan’s mother and father give full support to their baby.