Prenatal Clinic

Several times a month, FYH team members led by Dr. Junior travel to one of the 11 sections (villages) on La Gonâve. These clinics provide regular exams, ultrasounds, lab tests, and family planning education for both men and women. The FYH team is very proud of the growing numbers of women at each clinic and the partnership being forged with local leaders and healthcare professionals. Building trust between medical professionals and women is crucial.  Dr. Junior’s goal is to deliver healthcare to the communities, which are places where the women feel most comfortable. The participants are growing in understanding of the importance of prenatal care, vitamins containing folic acid, safe delivery practices, and family planning. We have distributed delivery kits and headlamps (for night deliveries) to local leaders and created a healthcare database that allows access to accurate health information and emergency care for all sections on the island. 

One of our patients, Juene, came to the mobile clinic with her first pregnancy and discovered early on that she was pregnant with twins. Twin births can present large health concerns for both mothers and babies, especially without any prenatal care.  Many mothers are not even aware that they are having twins because the babies can be so severely underweight. Regular ultrasounds are extremely important for monitoring multiple births and are a part of the regular care that FYH provides through our mobile clinic. Dr Junior was able to monitor her pregnancy, performing routine ultrasounds (via a mobile device) and various other tests. When Jeune’s due date was approaching, she became severely anemic and the babies were presenting in a breech and a transverse position making a safe home birth impossible.  FYH arranged transportation and covered the costs for Jeune to have a C-Section at the Weslyan Hospital in town and she now has two healthy babies! FYH continues to monitor Jeune and her children throughout their infant stage, providing milk and supplements when needed.  

FYH’s mission is to prevent birth defects and other treatable prenatal conditions through proper care and information for mothers and babies!  We started the prenatal program in January and it has been an overwhelming success and continues to grow with each clinic.  Your contribution to The Seed gives FYH the funds needed to continue this growing and successful program!