Weighing Babies to Screen for Malnutrition

Once every month or two, the Ministry of Health staff come out to our village to vaccinate the children and provide services that ordinarily take place at the health post. It’s my job to notify everyone in the village so they will be ready when the Ministry of Health staff come. I also help with vaccinations and weighing children. And I give advice to the mothers about healthy behaviors. We weigh all the children under a year old to monitor their growth and make sure they are gaining enough weight for their age.

I talked with the mothers about what to do to keep their children from getting sick. Often the first sign is that children lose their appetite and start to lose weight. Mothers need to take good care of their sons and daughters. For example, this time of the year, the weather starts to be cooler and rainy, so mothers should make sure their children are well covered with baby caps, sweaters, socks and shoes. This will prevent children from getting sick with the flu.

In this video, I am congratulating Mrs. Magdalena because her daughter Engracia weighs 15 pounds, 8 ounces. This is a good weight for a 6-month-old. This means Mrs. Magdalena has been taking good care of herself and her baby. She has been eating nutritious food and drinking plenty of water so that she can breastfeed Engracia with good milk. Now that Engracia is 6 months old, she can start adding food. I explain how to prepare a baby’s first meals, like rice and vegetables, in a small quantities every time.