By Ankita Bhattacherjee | Asst. Manager - Communications & Partnership
When little Tanzilur was born his parents were very ecstatic. His father came running into the delivery room to hold his first born; but he stopped in his tracks the moment he laid eyes upon his baby. His little darling, for whom the whole family had been waiting eagerly, did not look like a regular baby. His lips were split into two! The baby also looked very small and fragile. The nurse informed him that the doctor had requested to speak with him in private. Tanzilur’s father immediately knew something was wrong.
During his meeting with the doctor Tanzilur’s father found out that along with a cleft lip Tanzilur also had a cleft palate and a cardiac issue. His happiness soon turned into worry and depression for his little one. He didn’t think his child would survive. The doctor advised Tanzilur’s father to take him to Guwahati Medical College for a thorough diagnosis. While there, Tanzilur’s father met with the paediatrician who advised him to bring Tanzilur to our Comprehensive Cleft Care Centre in Guwahati.
When our medical team screened little Tanzilur, he was found underweight; at 3-months he weighted only 3kgs. They also discovered that Tanzilur has breathing and feeding problems due to his cleft palate. Further conversation with his parents revealed that food is difficult to come by for Tanzilur’s family as his father is a carpenter in a remote village of Assam; he does not make a lot of money and therefore it is not only difficult for him to feed his family but also being illiterate, they were not aware about that the pregnant mother requires a nutrient-rich diet.
Tanzilur was immediately enrolled into our Nutrition programme. The little one can only manage to drink about 30-40 ml milk or formula at a time, which is not enough for a baby of 3 months. His mother was given practical demonstrations on how to hold and feed her baby. Our nutrition team had also provided the mother with dietary supplements and taught the mother how to mix the formula. Since his mother is lactating, they also designed a diet chart for the mother. The baby was then referred to Guwahati Medical College once again for further treatment. He is due in two months for a follow-up on his nutrition schedule and weight before he can be recommended for surgery.
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