Babies, babies, babies

Tuesday was a busy day for us! We started early by taking Michael to the ABC operating theater to see a C-section. He seemed to enjoy that. While he was there, we went up to check on Taona and Anatasia. Taona looks good, sitting outside in the sun, able to bear weight on her leg but having trouble bending it. We are hoping the CURE (orthopedic guys) come Wed to check her out. Little Anatashia - oh, my, I think she has turned the corner! She is off oxygen, drinking (sucking) on her own, no fever, no retractions when she breaths, and has gained up to 1.9 kg. She even opened one eye and looked at me! After the C-section, a group of us went to the prison in Area 6. We took Charles, an ABC student who not only interprets for us but also has a prison ministry. If you wonder how safe is this?? Charles took Praise, his two year old son, along with us. The group was Charles, Praise, Joseph, Michael, Kristin (a high school student shadowing Carson), Carson (ABC nurse) and myself. The prison is near by and houses about 2000 inmates, including about ~30 women. The women are allowed to keep their children with them if they want (up to the age of 5) and have about 3 kids there, with another lady ready to deliver in ~1 month. The inmates have a variety of crimes that have landed them in prison - from stealing a chicken (got 3 years), to stealing a goat (9 years), to manslaughter (life). Lots of arrests / prison sentences for what we would consider petty crimes, mixed in with more severe infractions. I spoke to one of the female guards - she said there were 28 guards (forgot to ask if that was total or on duty at one time, but I suspect total). Charles says that the inmates really are peaceful. If any of you know the Chewa people, they are a gentle, peaceful people anyway. The security at the prison was barbed wire fencing. Charles said 1 or 2 might try to escape every year, but most of them serve their time so that they can be released as a free man / woman. Kristin and I stayed on the women's side and chatted with them, while the rest of the group went to the men's side. Apparently it was pretty grim. The women's side (I didn't go into the dorms) has been helped out by a Norweigan group - they reportedly have beds, mattresses, flush toilets, etc. The men's side - everything is hanging from the ceiling while they sleep on the floor. Of course, no photos allowed! You are not supposed to bring your phone or your camera onto the grounds. We hope to set up a one-time clinic there in the near future. Later in the afternoon, we re-grouped and went back to Kamuzu Central Hospital (again, no cameras) to meet with Dr. Muyco, the head of surgery and the Casualty department (ER). We were now: Joseph, Michael, Carson, Becky (another ABC nurse) and myself. We have permission to do volunteer work in their Casualty dept! I am excited. We met the head nurse there and one of the surgery residents. I think that will be an interesting experience. Joseph volunteered there in 2007, doing suturing and other procedures. On the way home, we stopped by the Crisis Nursery. For those of you who followed my blog last year, you might remember Matyeo, a tiny little guy from Crisis Nursery. I really thought he was going to die. In ~ Nov of this past year, he was still struggling, not gaining weight, looking malnourished, etc. Carson took him home for a few weeks and got him back on the right track. We saw him at the Crisis Nursery - wow, he looks great, smiling, charming, plump! Carson had identified another baby, whose name is too many letters and a 'new one' for me, who was looking bad. Carson calls him Chickbutt. He is ~4 months old, weighed 1 kg at birth, born at home and his Mom died the next day or two. He is now 2.5 kg (which is the usual birth weight here), coughing, green nasal discharge, with 'vomiting after he eats' (probably severe reflux). We decided to bring him to the Tiyamike ward. He is as tiny as Matyeo was last year, I think, but not quite as sick. Now we have two tiny ones in the ward and only one bottle! Thanks to Katie and Sue Cantrell who will be bringing some bottles and nipples when they come! If the two little ones get hungry at the same time, one will have to wait. He did eat well after we got there. I will keep you posted on him. After a long day, we had a delightful dinner at Gaylord and Fredna Brown's house - they are Assembly of God missionaries from Texas and always fun to hang with. We are hoping to do a village clinic with them on Thursday.

Thanksgiving / Praise report - seeing Matyeo doing so well, Taona's condition, Anatasia's impressive improvements!, our safe venture into the prison, our continued safety on the roads, having the resources to bring Chickbutt back with us.

Prayer requests - more fuel needs to be found! The tiny ones in the ward, our continued safety, prayer for a village clinic on Thursday if all goes well.

Photos: Michael giving Chickbutt a bottle at the ward, my assessment of him at the Crisis Nursery (he was not a happy camper!), Joseph and I with a very happy Matyeo! and lastly, little Anatashia without all her 'gear' (oxygen, feeding tube, etc), She is a little doll, isn't she?