Baby Sousse: a mother’s hope
This baby is well today, thanks to the kangaroo method. He was born premature and was the source of his parents' biggest fears.
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Despite the late hour, 27-year-old Marie is not ready to leave her work shift at the district hospital. The origin of this energy is the joy she has after being relieved of her worries. The little Sousse who is 9 months old and refuses to separate from his mother, seems bright. His face is cheerful, and he seems sparkling once the fear of tearing him off his mother's back has passed. Very proud of the image her son conveys, Marie says she owes his good health to her colleagues in the kangaroo unit. This is in Garoua Boulai, a locality located in the department of Lom and Djerem, East region, nearly 250 kilometers from Bertoua.
Sousse is healthy and alive because I accepted to practice the kangaroo method thanks to the advice of my colleagues.
A midwife by training, everything almost changed for Marie when in March 2020 Sousse was born earlier than expected. “When he was born and I looked at him, it was hard to hold back my tears,” she said. When Sousse was born, his weight was 2 kilograms and 3 days later his weight dropped to 1800g, which further caused Marie's sadness and despair. 3 years before she had had the joy of being a mother just for a few hours because the child did not survive. "The idea of losing my child again was unbearable for me because I didn't think Sousse will survive, I thought it was a spell cast so that I couldn't be a mom and satisfy my husband who has been waiting impatiently for this child, ”she continues.
The reassurance she was able to find thanks to the advice of her colleagues in this case the head of the maternity and the Hospital Director who were trained on KMC by the Kangaroo Foundation Cameroon. "They have been very supportive of me and gradually brought me to take this very small baby on my chest." The kangaroo method, she had heard about during sensitization sessions from her colleagues but was not convinced. Besides the advice she received, she still remembered the babies she saw who lost their lives even though they were in the roofers. With the support of her husband, she was able to accept Sousse and after 2 weeks of skin to skin contact, she saw her baby grow “He didn't accept breastfeeding at birth, but the following night while he was on my chest, he purposely sought the breast and I saw it as a first victory. Later I saw him evolve at an impressive speed,” she said with a big smile.
Today, thanks to this method, Sousse is doing well and his appearance leaves no one indifferent. During his last vaccination appointment, he weighed /’11 kilograms. He became the subject for many of those who saw him when he was born. For his mother Marie, he is her protector and represents hope. Her wish is for her son to become an army officer.
This Kangaroo Method is made possible by UNICEF alongside the government, supported by Korean funds. The goal is to continue to increase access to quality newborn care from the 5 health districts supported by the Koreans to all the health districts to improve child survival and development the Eastern region.
