It's Official

Today Bridget Nalisye became Bridget Ruth Langdon!!! The social worker actually showed up even though she brought the home study that Andy had typed for her and had never looked at it until today. We assumed she would review it and make changes but in the end it didn’t really matter.

We had been trying to find a middle name that we liked and we had always joked about it being Ruth as she did so many things that reminded us of Andy’s mom. I know that probably sounds weird and I can’t really explain it she just did. To be honest it wasn’t a name I would have chosen but in the end we knew it had to be Ruth. It was because of her being like Andy’s mom that made us attach to her.

Now begins the process of getting a birth certificate, a Malawian passport and a tourist visa so she can get into the US. Please continue to pray for these to fall into place.

Nursery Needs

Since we are leaving in September and won’t be here to provide some of those “little” things that we use at the nursery I decided to share some specific items that we go through quite frequently at the nursery and can’t find in Malawi.  If anyone is interested in providing some of these items it would be a blessing to my caregivers and the babies.  The kinds of items we need and have a difficult time finding here are:

 

            Diaper rash cream (Desitin)

            Plastic pants or diaper wraps (size 0 to 18 months)

            Hand sanitizer in a pump bottle (we use this because we lose power and water so can’t wash hands)

            Disposable diapers

            Baby Tylenol

            Anything for preemie babies even clothing as newborns are incredibly tiny here

 

We have had great success in getting packages within a month or two but we have also had a few boxes took 9 months but that has been the exception.  I do need to mention that it is very expensive to ship a package here.  We have had things shipped that were valued at $25.00 and yet cost $75.00 to ship. 

 

Lisa

           

 

Hospitals

As I stated in an earlier blog I could write a book about the hospitals and poor medical care that is received in one.  I think I forget that we are living in a third world country and I should appreciate the fact that they have hospitals at all.  What is frustrating is that fact that I could care for the babies in a more sanitary environment at the nursery than what they are exposed to at the hospitals but I really have no choice but to take them.  If they die at the hospital no one questions it and I am realizing that I have to use what is available and not bring questions about the nursery and our care.  It really is more tragic than frustrating.  Every babies life is important to me and it is difficult to just let them die because of poor care. 

I mentioned in my last blog that our other little twin, Dorine wasn’t doing so well and that day she did die.  We continue to see and experience the devastation of AIDS as never before. 

We still have one more baby, Eva, at the hospital.  She is there due to being under weight and continues to have bouts of diarrhea which make it difficult for her to gain weight.  I was told that she is on a program for malnourished infants and not to give her any of our food such as formula or cereal that the hospital would provide this special food that would help her gain weight.  On Friday the hospital called me and asked if I could bring some phala (Malawi’s cereal for children) as they didn’t have any and didn’t expect to have any until Monday.  The lady also mentioned that I needed to cook it as their stove didn’t work.  My first reaction was to say that I could just bring her home and feed her but not wanting to make any more enemies at the hospital I brought the phala and will try and bring her home on Monday.

Today, Saturday, I was told that Eva can’t keep the phala down so I smuggled some cereal made for younger babies into the hospital and am having my caregiver feed her that.  Phala is a mixture of soy flour, ground nut flour and maize (corn) flour.  In Malawi it is THE cereal for babies and especially malnourished babies because of its high protein content.  No one seems to understand that corn is very difficult for babies to digest and shouldn’t be introduced to a baby’s diet until they are over 1 year (according to the American Pediatric Association).  I continue to see the babies in our nursery struggle with digesting it.  I would rather not use it at all but regular cereal for babies is very expensive here so we feed the babies with digestion problems the baby cereal and the others get phala.

Please continue to pray for wisdom and patience for me as I deal with the hospital and their care or lack of care for our babies. Lisa

 

 

AIDS and Babies

The first week in July is beginning the way the month of June ended.  We admitted 3 babies to the hospital—our youngest twins were not gaining weight and were obviously becoming dehydrated and Eva, 8 months, one of the older twins was also vomiting and very weak.  Yesterday, Debora, one of the month old twins went to be with Jesus.  Dorine is likely not to survive as she is on oxygen right now and spitting up blood.  Thank the Lord Eva is doing well and getting stronger each day.

The young twins were brought to us at 6 days old because their mother had died after their birth.  They were fed water for the 6 days before coming to us and very fragile and weak but we had hoped they would survive.  Yesterday a blood test was performed on the surviving twin and they are carrying their mother’s HIV positive immunity.  The odds were against them from the beginning but our responsibility is to love and care for them no matter what and pray that they can survive.

We are realizing that there is a reason that the nursery is called a “crisis” nursery.  In the beginning most of our babies were relatively healthy and didn’t have many health problems.  Now we are receiving babies whose health is truly compromised and their chance of survival is very small.  At first I felt like the deaths were because I hadn’t done something right or was too slow in seeking medical help but I am now realizing that there is little that can be done for some especially in a country whose medical facilities, expertise and even medicine is lacking.  I now look at all the babies whose lives have been saved by the nursery and not at the deaths that have become all too common lately.

Because the death of babies is so common here they don’t seem to value babies and don’t seem very troubled when they do die unlike America where the death of a child is very devastating to the family and friends.  I have also learned more about the culture during the death of Debora.  When a twin dies you are not to cry if the other twin is still alive.  Also, the burial of Debora was done by the women only with no men involved.  They didn’t buy a coffin but instead bought a bamboo mat and wrapped the baby in it.  The women went to a local graveyard, dug the grave and put the baby in it.  When a baby is older they do buy a coffin but there is much less wailing and carrying on compared to the funeral of an adult and it is done very quickly.  The funeral of an adult can go on for a week with no one going to work and the women crying and wailing.  It’s amazing how being here reminds us of biblical times and the culture then.  When I read in the Bible about the people wailing I can understand it because they still do it here.    Lisa

 

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.