Teena is excited about becoming a mother

Thank you for supporting Teena during her first pregnancy.

Teena is 22 years old, and stays at home while her husband works as a key-maker, whittling keys on the side of the road.  He earns about 3,000 rupees ($60) per month normally, but during the monsoon months, his earnings go down because he conducts his business from a mat out in the open, so is unable to work during the heavy downpour.

Teena and her husband had been living with Teena’s husband’s brother and his family until recently. However, Teena’s brother-in-law suffers from various medical conditions and when Teena and her husband found out about the pregnancy, they felt that it would be better to move into their own small shack to avoid burdening their extended family with another mouth to feed in already crowded conditions.

Although her husband went to school until the 4th grade, Teena never went to school, and while she is excited about having a baby, she is also feeling a bit overwhelmed. She recently signed up for care through the AIC Health Outreach Program and is already feeling less stressed because of the help and support that she is receiving.

Through this program, Teena comes to meet with the doctor at the AIC clinic for regular visits, receives medications, screening and testing and nutritional supplementation.  She also benefits from the supportive presence of an AIC health worker who will assist her in deciding which hospital to register at, accompany her for the registration process, go with her when she needs to be seen by the obstetrician, and also be present to facilitate her medical care at the time of delivery.

For an illiterate, first-time mother like Teena, this supportive care and attention makes a huge difference for her to have a happy, healthy pregnancy, free of undue stress and confusion.

Thank you, Maria (x2), Anja, Aubrey, and Haris (x4),  for helping AIC provide comprehensive antenatal care to Teena to enable her baby to develop and grow. Thanks to your support, she has the best chance of giving birth to a healthy, normal child.