This afternoon I had the honor of meeting Murphy and Madison McCune, aka "The McTwinkies". These dear twin sisters are three weeks old today and are two of the most darling little babies you will ever see. After "baking as long as possible", they were delivered at just a bit over 32 weeks, weighing 3 lbs and 15 oz and 1 lb and 13 oz. Don't be alarmed by their low birth weight - they are growing and doing great, with both girls breathing on their own and wiggling their perfect fingers and perfect toes. Mom and Dad are doing great as well and they sure have a handful with these two beauties! I have stolen a picture from their blog to show you! Are they not adorable?
As you have noticed, I have a lot of friends' babies on this blog. (This is Amanda's Maternal and Child Health blog so that is expected). Given that I study global public health, it is not lost on me how fortunate we are to have fabulous healthcare and the necessary resources available to ensure that my friends, and their babies, have the opportunities to lead healthy lives.
Do you know what the top three causes of death are for children under the age of five? If you are a public health nerd like me, then you can rattle of statistics like it is no one's business. "2 million children die each year from pneumonia; 1.5 million die each year from diarrhea; and 1 million children under five die each year from malaria. Other leading causes include measles, HIV/AIDS and malnutrition."
Pneumonia, diarrhea and malaria. All preventable.
Though we have made excellent progress in reducing under-five and infant mortality in the last 30 years, we have to keep on fighting so that every child is afforded the same opportunity for a healthy life as our children in the West are so preciously given. Despite any stress I have in my life right now (work, Masters Paper, work, other school activities, work....), I am so privileged to be doing my part for global maternal and child health. I genuinely love my field.
Now scroll back up and see those adorable girls again! Are they not so inspiring?
I couldn't agree with you more, Amanda! After visiting just a few of the places you've been I feel so very fortunate to live where I can have a daughter who is less than 2 lbs and know she's going to be ok. Thank you so much for visiting today! I could tell from their gummy smiles the girls enjoyed your company and their mommy did, too. :-)
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