We said goodbye to 4 children, all those 4 children lost their mother after birth. The families had heard about Amecet and asked us to help them. When someone dies, there is so much going on. The burial is often the next day, sometimes after 2 days. Many people come to join the burial, there is a meal for everybody and family travels to be part of this. Also the neighbours, people from he church are attending the burial. It is not a good place for a new born baby to be there, even during the week after the burial, many people come to visit and they sit around to talk. Sometimes they forget the baby.....
When someone calls us to ask if we can help in such a situation, we say ves and if possible, bring the baby directly. They get the papers, sometimes from the hospital where the mother gave birth and died, they get the referral letter form the Local leader of their area and they bring the baby to Amecet.
Angella was 2 months in Amecet. The Mother of Angella died some weeks after the Cesarean operation. Angella was 5 weeks old when she came to Amecet. There were not many problems with her, she was used to breastfeeding and that was in the beginning a bit difficult for her. It was a joy to give her to her grandmother, who will look after her. Our work is done with Angella, for the family it starts now...
Abigail was also only 2 months in Amecet. She came in Amecet only a half day after her birth. The mother died directly after the delivery. She was a real newborn baby, but she drank very well and started to gain very fast.
Her family came to pick her. She is healthy and strong, she will survive in the village!!
Jessica's mother died 10 days after the delivery. She had been sick, so Jessica didn't get much feeding. When she came to Amecet, she was 11 days old and her weight was still under her birth weight, she weighed 1.9 kg. She was weak and didn't want to drink. I was a bit worried about her. But when you see the picture now, she is a beautiful healthy baby. And that is just in 2 months time! The first picture on the blog is of her grandmother, who came to pick her. She was so happy when she saw Jessica. She will be the one to care for her in the village.
We feel it is important to let the babies go back to the relatives in around 2 or 3 months. By that time, the baby starts to recognize voices and faces and we work was a team and in shifts, many time another person feeds the next feeding. We feel the family misses already so much of the development of the baby, the first smile, the cute baby talk etc. When the baby is steady, we like the baby to go back to the family in 2 months. By that time we started the baby on cows milk, because nobody in the village can afford the formula milk. Only when the baby is not drinking good or is not gaining weight or there is another problem, we agree, together with the family, to keep the baby a bit longer in Amecet.
One of those babies is Edidard. He was brought to Amecet in December, he was already one month old. His mother had died after the delivery, but Edidard had problems with his intestines and needed an operation, the doctors gave him an outlet on his belly. Edidard was weighing less than 2 kg. (5 weeks old). It was a battle in the beginning, we had him laying in the special care room and we have been several times to the doctor and having a scan and X-rays made. But.........he picked up and started to be like a normal baby. The stool came not anymore out of the outlet, but via the normal way. Everybody loved Edidard, who now gained (now almost 5 kg.!), smiled and baby talks like any other baby, it just took some more time.... This week his father came to pick him . Edidard was almost 5 months with us, we will miss him!!
We are really happy to give the babies back to their families. We feel blessed to be able to help them during those very critical first 2 months. We will miss those 4 precious children, but we know new children will come and we will help them with the help of God and with a heart of love.....
And I have so much respect for the grandmothers!!!! I thank God for the grandmothers!!!
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What a beautyful babies, may God bless them and their families.