malnourished baby

Dear Grandma,
Today has been a quiet day.
When we went to Puerto last week, we took a mother with a sick baby in. It is actually the baby I caught 3 months ago, before we came to the States. They did not ask me to consult for the baby, which is usually ok. I did notice on the trip into town that she as giving the baby water and juice (more like koolaide than fruit juice). I asked her about breastfeeding, she said the baby wouldn't suck. I asked about milk, she said the baby didn't like milk! (ie, she didn't have the money to buy milk) I told her babies need MILK! So we stopped right away and I bought milk for her and had her give the baby the whole 4 oz bottle right then (she tried to save some for later). When we got to town I bought 2 tins of baby formula and gave them to her with strict instructions to only give the baby MILK! I told her when she came back to Tronquera I would give her more.
I asked her sister-in-law about the baby. She said her mother (the baby's grandmother) found out the mother was giving her maizena, which is basically cornstarch thickened sugar water.
The baby died on Sunday. They are burying him today. I went to see the family and take some pictures. These people never get pictures until it is too late. Now the only picture they have of the baby is after he is dead.
As soon as I am able, I will be ordering educational supplies and dvd's to help this problem. Because of lack of funds, babies are often given koolaide in their bottles. I have even seen one with coffee (the mother brought the baby complaining it had anemia, surprise!). Milk is expensive. When you have the choice of buying food for the whole family or milk for one baby, the one suffers so that the others can eat.
This is another reason for the nutrition program combined with health education.
The push to breastfeed is big here in Nicaragua for this reason. And many mother's do breastfeed and their babies do great. But too many of them stop for one reason or another and the baby almost always is sickly and malnourished.
So today is quiet but sad.
Lots of love,
Marilyn