Empowered Delivery: How MMS Transforms the Birthing Journey

There is a weight that comes with a child born too small. For Annet Phiri, that weight was 2.1 kilograms, the birth weight of her firstborn, Steward. It is a number she has carried with her ever since. He arrived fragile, and for months during her pregnancy, she had struggled. Her appetite never came, and nausea followed her throughout.

Three years later, pregnant again, Annet was determined to do things differently.

It was a community-based volunteer who introduced her to the Zambia Multiple Micronutrients Supplementation (ZMMS) Project. Unlike the supplements she had taken before, these tablets contained fifteen essential vitamins. The volunteer walked with her throughout her journey, explaining why adherence was key for a healthy child, why starting early mattered, and how this change could shape the life of the child she was carrying. Annet listened, and she began taking MMS.

The difference, she says, was visible before her second child even arrived. 

"I stopped vomiting, I had appetite and I was strong," Annet says.

For the first time, pregnancy did not feel like a battle against her own body. She ate well. She rested when she needed to. And her husband stood beside her, attentive in ways he had not been the first time, learning alongside her what it meant to support a healthy pregnancy. When their daughter, Sympathy, was born weighing 3.2 kilograms, the relief and joy were shared.

The contrast between her two experiences has stayed with Annet. She often thinks of Steward, how small he was, how children born below 2.5 kilograms often face developmental struggles as they grow. And she thinks of Sympathy, whose health and vitality have become her daily encouragement.

"This healthy child encourages me to continue taking MMS," Annet says. She is also encouraging others to do the same.

What made the difference, Annet believes, was not the supplement alone but the support that came with it. The community-based volunteer visited her regularly, checking in, reminding her to stay consistent, and advising her to continue taking the tablets until the bottle ran out. That presence helped her understand that this supplement was different, and that she could give her child a stronger start.

Today, Annet looks at her two children and sees two very different stories. One began with struggle and worry. The other began with appetite, strength, and a husband's support. Both are hers. But only one came with the chance to rewrite what was possible.

For Annet, MMS was the difference between a pregnancy endured and a pregnancy carried with confidence. Her desire is to see every mother in her community have the chance to experience a safe delivery and a healthy baby.