Mothers and Babies

Well, we have been here about 3 weeks. I took a big step this week. I left Liam alone with our househelper, Nancy. She is Kenyan, about 25, and comes to help me around the house everyday. After spending time with her, I am now comfortable with her watching him. I'm sure the Moms can understand why it was a big step to leave my baby with someone new in a new place!

While Nancy watched Liam the past couple days I have been helping clean out a storage room that holds donated clothes for the orphans. It is not far from things I have done at my house, garage sales, church, etc. Just here in Africa there are different kinds of bugs hiding in corners than I get to see at home! :)

This morning was pretty special. I again ventured out of the house without Liam. But this time I went to the nursery at the hospital. You see, they need help caring for the babies and feeding them every three hours. I started by putting a smock on in the hallway outside the nursery. When I walked in, I was greeted by the sound of tiny little cries and a warmth in the air for their little bodies to stay cozy.

I walked around the room looking at all the little ones. I couldn't help but think about what their bed would look like in the States. They would likely have around the clock care, maybe one nurse for every 2 or 3 babies. The newborns would have practically everything that has been invented to help them make it. Many of you have seen the NICU at an American hospital. Here at Tenwek, each baby lay in a wooden bed, reminiscent of a trough really, on a little pad and a blanket. (I couldn't help but think of the "trough" our Savior laid in when he was an infant.) There are no diapers, they just change the bedding underneath them when they go to the bathroom.

I held and fed a tiny little girl. She and her twin brother made it through birth, but their mother unfortunately did not survive. The fathers do not normally come into the nursery, so these two needed some extra love.

The process of feeding the babies goes something like this: Take a little plastic medicine cup (like what would come with a bottle of Nyquil), dip it in a cleaning solution, and do the same with a baby bottle that does not have a top. Mix hot water with formula in the bottle, just like you would in the States, and pour a small amount into the medicine cup. After it cools a little, scoop up a sweet little Kenyan baby.

I took my precious little twin in my arms and she actually drank out of this little cup! The nurses said it does not take as much energy to drink from the cup than it does sucking from a bottle. Some of the babies are very weak. My little girl would not stay awake! It reminded me of Liam when he was a newborn and would not stay awake for his feedings! I fed her for about an hour while the moms came in and out doing the same procedure with their little one, or nursing them.

All the moms come to the nursery to feed the babies instead of the babies going to the moms' rooms. Feedings occur at 9, 12, 3, 6, 9, etc. around the clock. Looking around at the mothers, I just felt for them. I know how overwhelmed I was when I had just had Liam! And I was in the lap of luxury surrounded by wonderful nurses, doctors, and family to help me every step of the way. I fought back tears the whole time, and the moment I left the room I could not help but burst into tears. Wow. So powerful.

One mom who also had twins, was having trouble nursing. Her supply was not coming enough to feed both babies. This would be not ideal for a woman in the States, but formula is always an option. Here in Kenya there is so much pressure, no it is vital, that they are able to nurse because formula would be way too expensive for them. But, many of the moms are malnourished themselves. Hopefully I can go back and encourage her as she nurses her babies. It is a tough thing to get used to! Much less while sitting on a short wooden stool crowded in a room with 15 other women feeding their babies and nurses and a couple white girls bustling around the room.

It doesn't matter where you are in the world. I think there is just this bond and understanding that mothers have. It is a beautiful thing that the Lord has gifted to women. Perhaps sometime I will take some pictures so you can see these precious little faces. Today, it just didn't seem right. The moment was so much powerful than a camera could capture. I pray I can do more to help these babies and moms, while continuing to give my baby the best care I can give to him.