Womb Mates

When the first phone request came, the Crisis Nursery was full to capacity. “We have a set of two week old twins whose mother died last week. The family has 7 other children and is having trouble coping. Can you take them?” inquired the social worker from a village some three hours south. “We are full right now but will see what we can do.” was our honest but evasive response. Pushing beyond our limit of 15 babies has several ramifications. It requires hiring more nannies, purchasing more formula, and adapting to more crowded conditions. It also sets a precedent that our limit is not really a limit.

So the first tact was to review the progress of our current babies to see who, if anyone, might be eligible for early discharge. Out of 15 little ones, only one seemed like a possibility—“Albert”.

Albert is 11 months old, plump, healthy, and happy. Although he is not walking he motors around quite well. If the home situation was suitable he could definitely be discharged to help make room for the twins. So the nurse and administrative assistant set off to his village to do a home assessment. What they found was discouraging. Nine other siblings are living at the home, Albert would make 10. The gogo (grandmother) did not feel up to the task of taking him in. The aunt showed little interest in caring for another child. There was inadequate food in the house and Albert’s father was nowhere to be found. We decided that Albert should not be discharged at this time.

The next phone request was more urgent. “The babies are still ok but the family is really struggling. When can you help us?” Three days later the matron, nurse and administrative assistant drove the 200 kilometers (half on dirt roads) to the village. What they found was encouraging. The month old twins—Isabelle and Thandi—were tiny but healthy enough. The family had somehow managed to purchase a tin of Lactogin I formula and was bottle feeding the babies.

The former womb mates are now crib mates in what is usually reserved for the Nursery sick room. They are 3 months old. In a few months we will have a couple of other babies ready for discharge. Then we can return to our comfortable limit of 15. In the meantime, there is no limit to the joy of watching Isabell & Thandi begin to thrive.