Wednesday, I think I experienced one of the toughest things since we moved to Africa. We were getting ready to head out to D-village to get some work done in the field. Yes, I was actually going to help some in the field!! However, as we sat down to eat lunch we got a call from Sonny in S-village. (S-village is where they did the farming project last year.) He informed us that one of the ladies in the village died while giving birth Tuesday but the baby lived. He said they had no money to feed the baby and wanted to know if we could help. Of course, my first reaction, "I'll take the baby and feed it!" Once my emotions calmed down, I realized that was not the best option. So, we called Shirley (our current team leader), got some advice from her, and headed to the village.
When we got there, we were taken to see the baby. It is the tiniest baby I have ever seen in person. It's arms are no bigger around than my thumb. If this baby was in the states it would be at a hospital in the NICU. I held back the tears, it's not appropriate to cry in Bambara culture, especially over an infant. We then went and did the formal greetings of the chief and elders. We then started asking some questions. The baby was born Tuesday morning. The mom started having some problems, so they took her to the hospital, where she later died. We asked why one of the many nursing women in the village hadn't taken the baby and started nursing it? The reply, "That's not our culture. We know it's okay for you Americans to do that but that's not how our fathers or grandfathers did it. It's just not our culture." I wanted to scream! HELLO!!! This child is dying and you have the means to feed it but you don't cause it's not your culture?? I was beyond frustrated!!
We decided to take the baby to the hospital to have it checked out by a doctor. The villagers had appointed one of the older women (I'll call her Grandma)in the village to look after the baby, so she and the baby's uncle went with us. The doctor looked the baby and said it was doing as well as could be. The uncle then spoke up and said, "We can't feed this baby. Is there somewhere it could go and be feed?" The doctor, then realized what the problem was. The villagers had no money and wanted to give the baby to the orphanage to be cared for. The doctor then explained to them that there was a place for babies to go and be cared for BUT if they sent the baby there they would not be able to go get the baby later. The doctor explained to us that a lot of people here think they can take their babies and have them cared for and go get them later. We also told the villagers, that we didn't agree with that decision and we would have no part in helping if that's what they decided to do. The doctor then told them it was perfectly fine for another woman to nurse the baby. He said if they agreed to do that, he would pay for the woman's food, so she could have enough milk to nurse the baby. The uncle, then said he would take the information back to the elders and would call the doctor Thursday morning and let him know what they decided. The doctor sent them home with 2 bags of formula and an antibiotic.
So, we headed back to the village, first stopping to buy the medicine. We were going to buy a bottle but they didn't have one small enough for the baby to eat from. Thankfully, I had one of Zeke's medicine droppers with me. When we got back to the village, I helped Grandma prepare the formula and she fed him with the medicine dropper. The uncle explained everything to the elders. The next morning, the uncle came to tell us that a decision had been made. They had agreed to let a lady nurse the baby. However, the lady they chose was the Grandma. We said, "WHAT?? She has no milk!" We explained to them that we didn't think her milk would come in as it has been years since she had a baby. They called the doctor to tell him their decision. The doctor asked, "Is the lady you chose, the old lady that was with you last night?" They said, "Yes." The doctor then said, "Okay, that's fine. But you have to put the baby on her breast a lot and get him sucking so her milk will come in. But keep giving it the formula. Then, bring the baby and the grandma back to the hospital on Monday." My reaction, "DO WHAT?" However, I am no doctor and I believe that with God all things are possible, so I couldn't argue with them. However, we did tell them that if Grandma's milk doesn't come in they will have to find another lady to nurse the baby. Thankfully, they agreed to do that if the need arose.
So, I made sure Grandma knew how to prepare the formula and helped her feed the baby one more time. I prayed for her and the baby and we left. It was the hardest thing I've had to do. Thankfully, once again, God has given me a great deal of peace about the situation. I don't agree with the decision they've made but they made a decision that does go against their culture. And a decision that doesn't have them dependent on the white people. Please pray for Solomon (our name for the baby) and the Grandma. Pray that God would give strength to this tiny little one. That he would grow big and strong. Pray that milk would come for the grandma and that Solomon would be receptive to drinking it.
Also, Zeke has come down with laryngitis. Please pray that he would feel better soon. Neither one of us got much sleep last night. Thank you so much for your prayers! Until next time...
