Naomi Goes Home

Naomi is now 15 months old. She eats by herself. She walks, and is the ringleader in baby led charges from the dining room to the toy chest. Her mother says she wants her back. Naomi is ready for discharge.

We tried to discharge Naomi a few months ago but it was a disaster. Her mother was sick, had no job, and no way to buy food. She also had 3 other children who didn’t have enough to eat. There was no food in the house and no way to procure any that we could see. After reviewing the situation we brought Naomi back to the nursery.

Now Naomi’s mom is feeling better and has a small job selling vegetables at the market. The oldest child is in school, and the other 2 are looking better cared for. Naomi’s mother is ready to take her back.

We left Naomi with clothes, blankets, a mat to sleep on, canned formula, and a mosquito net. Naomi’s mom can’t read so we showed her how to make formula and left a sippy cup for her to mix it in. Then we said good bye.

This is the part of the job that I find the most difficult. This is where I lose my objectivity. How can this woman living with 3 other children in a cement hut with no windows, no running water and no electricity possibly care for this baby? But she will probably do fine. We will visit her every 2 weeks just to check and make sure there are no problems. At that time we can leave more formula with her. She lives just 20 minutes from the nursery so it will be easy.

Malawian ways are not American ways. This is a different land where things are done differently. Mom was wearing a big smile when we pulled away, and Naomi, who is very shy, was not upset at all. I think she knew that she was home.