Therese Keza has been a midwife at Kalonda General Reference Hospital for 18 years. She gave birth to her own children in the very same rooms, although much has changed.
"When I gave birth here, I wasn't yet a nurse or a midwife,” she says. “I had just graduated from high school and was married. I gave birth to my first daughter here.”
Therese had postpartum complications and began hemorrhaging extensively. The doctors tried stitching her up without anesthesia before she had even stopped bleeding. It’s a painful and dark memory for Theresa to look back on.
These days, Therese knows better, largely because of the training your generosity has provided. Generations of mothers and babies in the Democratic Republic Congo are healthy and thriving because of her knowledge. Including a baby boy born at just 28 weeks named Celestin.
Survival seemed slim but your love intervened
Born at only 4.4 pounds in a place with no electricity or NICU care, his chances of survival seemed slim. But his mother, Felly, never lost hope. She followed the instructions given to her by Therese, who used the Safe Delivery App (SDA) to guide her. She instructed Felly to hold her baby close to her skin. Felly learned how to practice Kangaroo Care with her small newborn son, supplying him with her own heat. And as his mother held onto him, in her warmth, Celestin held on to his own life.
Felly and her son, born at 28 weeks, are thriving thanks to their knowledgeable midwife Therese, who benefitted from training and a safe delivery app provided by your generosity.
Felly was alone when her water broke at only seven months. Thankfully, she didn’t live far from the hospital and was able to go quickly to seek care. She was overcome with emotion when Terese told her the baby was coming.
Celestin was delivered without any complications, but Therese knew it was too soon to let her guard down.
Therese turned to the Safe Delivery App to guide her. The app provided valuable medical information about low birth weight deliveries.
During his two-week stay at the hospital after his delivery, Celestin benefited several times from medical insight the Safe Delivery App provided to his midwife.
Safe Delivery App equips health care workers with lifesaving knowledge
“The app has really helped us so much with difficulties we had,” Therese said. “We had seen babies with low birth weights before, and we heated water bottles to set beside the babies, so that they could stay warm. But we didn't really have very good results. When we apply the information from the app, there's really no problem. We have succeeded almost at 99% with it.”
During Celestin and Felly’s stay at the hospital, there were several complications. The baby developed a high fever, and his weight gain was slow. But Celeste again turned to the app, and Celestin’s health improved.
Six weeks later, Celestin and Felly are both thriving.
Because of you, mothers and children in the DRC are healthier, and dedicated health workers like Therese are better equipped to care for them. Thank you!