Today I came face to face with life fighting to be. This woman came to find help for her baby. She knew her child was in bad condition. She knew she needed to get help. She knew help could be found at the hospital. I have seen some small babies but none that small. She was bundled up in a green cloth that was used as her protection and clothes. She did not smile, but held on for her life. She is only a month old, but her future doesn't look bright.
I have seen Tammy work with people aid their malnourished kids back to life, but never had I done it myself. But today was my day to do it. I was going with Naomi, our translater, to talk to the lady because I was curious. Soon I was giving advice and figuring out what to do. I only know part of her story, so when I find out the rest I will inform you all. She is from outside of a nearby town called Cacadé. She came alone, because she has no one else. Her father used to be the guard at the hospital. Her parents have died, she has a brother but he is probably of no help. She has another child, which she left alone because has no one to watch them. Her husband left her to aid for her self when she was two months pregnant. She has no one, but her self and her kids.
What do you say to a mother who has a severely malnourished baby "bad mother?" This wouldn't solve anything or help the child.I did only what I knew to do, I prayed for God to give us the words, because this is a precious life on our hands. The mother probably did what she knew not knowing that it wasn't aiding the baby. I decided to take a approach of not making her feel bad, but helping her see things in a different way. I explained the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, which means no water. I illustrated the benefits of colostrum and despite it looking bad it's the best thing for her child. I gave examples in nature to back up what I was saying, because she may have understood it better that way. I made sure to feed the mother since she herself was not healthy. She only ate mangoes the day before and today. How can a mother produce milk when they are undernourished their selves?
I sent her to the hospital to have the baby checked for sickness. The baby only weighs 1.5 kg. Her arms and legs are the size of my finger. Her head is smaller than the palm of my hand. She has no muscles or fat on her body. Before she left I held her small frame in my arms. She was so small I was afraid I would break or hurt her. When you look into the eyes of a baby that small you wonder if the baby will live. You look at them while having a prayer on your heart for God to work a miracle. The lady went home so she could look after her other child. She said she will be back tomorrow for treatment of her baby. My prayer is that God makes my words bring life back to this baby, because the baby is barely hanging on. This was my first time counseling on this subject, but I felt like I was made to do this. Maybe this is going to be another one of my callings...
If you have any advice you would like to pass along to me I would love to hear it. I also need advice on how to help this lady, since she has nothing. I don't want to just give her a fish for today, but teach her how to fish for herself.
- Help those in need, because you may be all that a person has to make it -
