Disability Rights Haiti Project #24517

Help Premature Babies survive in Haitian NICU

by God's Littlest Angels Inc

Help Premature Babies survive in Haitian NICU

Project Report | Jul 28, 2020
Always prepared, always ready

By Ann- Myriam Douyon | Sponsorship coordinator

machines in our NICU

The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is an important part of our organization. We are well known for having around the clock care for all the babies and mothers that need help. During this period of isolation things in Haiti have changed. The first two of cases of Codvid-19 in Haiti were detected on March 19, 2020. Since then the Haitian government has declared a State of Emergency. The government published a decree that mandated the following rules and safety precautions to everyone in the territory. The rules are:

Curfew from 5 am to 8 pm
Wear a mask in public places
No gatherings of more then 10 people
Closing of schools, universities, factories and places of worship
It is mandatory to stay 6 feet apart from one another
Airports and ports are to be closed except for the transport of goods
Suspension on all of the commercial passenger flights

Up to this date the Ministry of Health in Haiti (MSPP) has been publishing the numbers of confirmed cases of Covid-19. We have a total of 4,309 confirmed cases.

We are working together to keep each other safe. We at GLA have been in isolation for three months. Our executive director made sure that all of the employees attended an informative seminar about Codvid-19. It was a success. All of the employees got the chance to participate and learn about the new lifestyle habits while living during a pandemic. They even learn how to make mask out of 2 sheets of paper towels.

During this time we also made sure to do some repairs in our NICU. We want it to exceed national standards and to ensure all of the advanced technology is working well. Some of our NICU equipment includes:

Heart monitor: to display the baby’s heart and breathing rates and patterns
Blood Pressure Monitor: to periodically monitor the blood pressure of the baby
Pulse Oximeter: to measure the amount of oxygen in the baby’s blood
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP): to push a continuous flow of air to the airways to help keep tiny air passages in the lungs open
Respirator: to help babies who can't breathe on their own or who need help taking bigger breath

We had a technician come and do maintenance on all of the machines. The incubators and oxygen concentrators needed a few repairs. Apart from having a professional staff working at the NICU and having important guidelines and protocols, preventative maintenance is also a key to running a great NICU.

Websites used: www.loophaiti.com, www.information.tv5monde.com, www.reliefweb.int, www.htambafrance.org, www.positivis.org, www.who.int https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=90&contentid=P02358#:~:text=Continuous%20positive%20airway%20pressure%20(CPAP,given%20through%20an%20ET%20tube.

Links:

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May 22, 2020
Helping Baby Chrismie

By Ann- Myriam Douyon | Sponsorship & Social Media Coordinator

Baby Chrismie

Our NICU is an essential part of God’s Littlest Angels. Apart from an overcrowded hospital in Port-au-Prince, we are the second place that has a standardized NICU in Haiti’s western province. Our facility gives many parents hope that their babies will have a higher chance of survival even if they are born premature.

Baby Chrismie* is one of those cases where we are hoping for the best, where we have to put faith in God because we know that her road to recovery will be hard. Our around the clock nurses are fighting for her well-being.

Baby Chrismie’s mother did what was in her power to make sure that her baby was delivered safely. She knew that she would have a difficult delivery due to the baby’s condition. Her only option for delivering baby Chrismie was through a C-section.

Chrismie was born on February 6^th, 2020 in a province in Haiti that is called Mirebalais. One month later, with no local options for Chrismie’s care, her mother left her hometown Mirebalais to travel to Port-au-Prince on public transportation to seek help for Chrismie’s condition. Unfortunately, she could not bring Chrismie to GLA herself but GLA’s team picked Chrismie up and brought her safely up to GLA while her mother needed inpatient medical care at a Port Au Prince hospital, due to an infection from the C-section (postpartum sepsis).

Baby Chrismie has difficulty sucking. She also has trouble regulating her body temperature. Since day one we had to keep her constantly monitored. Our goal is to help her to gain weight so she will be able to have the surgery her life depends on. In the meantime, we are loving her, holding her, talking to her and fighting alongside her in this difficult world.

With your help we are able to remain open for mothers to bring their babies that need specialized care and need our help. With your donations we are able to buy supplies and maintain equipment to help babies like Chrismie who are fighting for their lives. Thank you for standing on the front lines with us.

*Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.

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Feb 9, 2020
Your support is everything to us!

By Ann- Myriam Douyon | Sponsorship & Social Media Coordinator

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