Nutrition Class update

Just wanted to give an update on the mother/infant nutrition class. So I've been winging it and teaching about topics I thought needed taught and then the mothers had some ideas for classes too. So we do talk a lot about nutrition and breastfeeding, but have done classes on personal hygiene, baby hygiene, and how we are examples to our children. I have been really impressed with these women. They are always on time (after the first week of me leaving them!) and they really participate in the class. They are starting to ask more questions and let their guard down more. But I have been really happy with their response to the material. We have 2 more weeks of class and then this session is over and other mothers are already asking to be in the next class. I am going to take some time to revamp it a little and hopefully take more mothers in this next class.

This week they all got a month's supply of vitamins and handmade baby blankets sent from churches in the states and I forgot my camera! So sorry no pics. The class was about choosing foods in the market that had the same vitamins in them that the vitamin pills have in them. So I had them take their bottle of vitamins out of the bag and we read what was inside them. Then we talked about foods they could buy in the market with these vitamins in them already. I know they will not be able to afford to buy more vitamins for themselves in the future but I wanted them to know what food choices would give them the same nutrients. For example, they saw there is Vitamin C in the pills. I explained why we need Vit C and then told them they could find it in oranges and mangoes. We talked about Iron and how it gives energy. They learned they could find Iron in red meat and dried beans. We talked about 7 vitamins total.

I thought it was a ton of information and didn't know how well they would remember. That complicated for me to keep straight and these are women who didn't go to school! I quizzed them at the end and they did awesome! Now the real test will be to check their shopping bags in the market!