I wrote this blog for Hope Village while Tracy was on holiday. This provides an update on baby Mada from the time we brought him to live in our home.
--Leanne
Baby Madalitso Update: So much to share
Now that Tracy has been back to Hope Village for a week, I suppose it’s time I turned her blog back over to her! However, as a final entry, she asked me to write an update on Baby Madalitso. Forgive me if this is a long blog entry, but I know there are many of you intimately involved in this baby’s well-being…
Two weeks ago (August 20), 17-month old Madalitso came in for his mandatory weekly weigh-in. (All of our babies come in to be weighed once a month, but we asked the guardians of Madalitso to come in once a week due to his severe malnutrition.)
Pictured here is Madalitso’s aunt and uncle with Madalitso on her back. They ride in to Hope Village on their bicycle, a 3-hour one-way trip, the husband riding the bike, and the wife sitting on the rack over the back tire holding the baby. The journey is all over bumpy, hot and dusty dirt roads. They agreed to take in Madalitso’s twin a year ago, and have now agreed to take in Madalitso and his 3 other siblings as well. They went from a two-child family to a six-child family over night.
We were excited to place Madalitso’s fragile frame on the scale after the good news from the week before when he gained ½ pound. But alas, that celebration was short-lived. The scale on this Monday showed no weight gain. So, at 1-1/2 years old, his weight was still under 10 pounds.
Don holding Madalitso on August 20: No weight gain and a fever to boot!
This siutation wasn’t adding up, since his aunt told us he was eating everything on the nutrition plan we organized for him each day. If he was eating all that she said he was, he would be gaining steadily each week. To complicate matters more, his aunt said he’d had a fever for a few days. This too was baffling, as he should have been on antibiotics for an ear infection and fever we found 2 weeks prior.
A temporary solution - Madalitso in our home
So, with approval from the aunt and uncle, Madalitso came to stay with us in our home on August 20 so we could monitor his health and his food intake closely. To help us in this endeavor and to bring the baby comfort, his 10-year old sister Matale agreed to come stay with us as well. But in a domino effect, her 11-year old cousin Gracie (the aunt and uncle's only child) came along too … to bring Matale comfort! We were happy and thankful for the opportunity to enjoy time with the three of them in our home.
Gracie (l) and Matale (r) were shy in the beginning of the week, but by the end of their stay, they were chatty and giggling, playing games, doing the dishes, tending to Madalitso’s many food feedings and diaper changes, and enjoying a little spoiling when we took them shopping for new clothes and shoes.
Within 2 days his fever mystery was solved ... or so we thought. Madalitso and Matale both tested positive for malaria the 2nd day here. We nipped that in the bud with malaria treatments, but Madalitso continued to have a daily fever. This, we determined, came from a combination chest infection and double-ear infection. We started him on amoxicillin his 3rd day with us.
Finally, a weight gain!
After a week in our home, Madalitso had gained 1 pound on August 27! A tiny amount for some, but a 10% gain for this miracle child. We celebrated. By now, Madalitso has become quite comfortable in our home, and we've learned to call him “Mada” as his sister does. He is very cuddly with all of us, quick to smile, learning to “high five”, and able express his own mind when he wants a drink, some food, or some sleep.
After 1 week, Madalitso showed us a new face ... fuller, brighter, happier.
Although he seemed to be on the right track, his constant fever and infections still concerned us. We took the girls home after a week, and with the aunt’s permission, brought Madalitso back to our home for continued caretaking, antibiotics, food scheduling, etc.
Madalitso loves his peanut butter! In addition to eating standard Malawian meals, his main daily staple is one or two 500-calorie packets of nutrionally enhanced peanut butter for children with severe accute malnutrion. You can read about Project Peanut Butter here: www.projectpeanutbutter.org
Fast-forward to today, September 3
Good news to share: Mada gained again. Not as much as the last week, but another 200 grams is perfect for his small frame. We praise God for this plump gift! Unfortunately, his daily fever has continued. On Saturday we tested him for malaria…positive again! And we are still treating a pesky ear infection as well.
As it stands, Mada remains with us until "further notice". Is malnourished body is open to constant infections. We cannot take him back to village life until we know he is a strong little guy, able to weather the challenges of village life. His aunt has 5 other children to care for (Mada’s twin and another 4 year old sibling require a lot of her attention). Plus, the aunt and uncle are serious farmers, working in their fields from dawn until dusk. Madalitso’s healing would be compromised only because of a lack of time and resources to nurture him in a focused, deliberate manner.
We took the girls back home a week ago. The aunt is pictured here standing behind her growing family, from left to right: Gracie (holding Joseph, Madalitso's twin); Thomas, 4 years old, Matale holding Madalitso, and Chamanza, 8 years old. Gracie is the aunt's only child. The other 4 children are siblings to Madalitso, all orphaned a year ago by the aunt's sister.
For now, please pray for a complete healing for Madalitso. On our wish list –
- Total elimination of all infections, fever, malaria
- Consistent weight gain
- Stronger arms and legs for crawling and walking
- Increased body strength, control, manipulation
A small photo journal of our time with Madalitso, Matale and Gracie:
Matale and Gracie enjoyed some play time now that they had us to share in Mada's caretaking.
Madalitso made good use of the borrowed toys from Hope Village preschool.
His tiny legs at 17 months, devoid of any muscle or fat, still amaze me. We're working on them, however.
Annie teaches the girls a game on her itouch.
The girls had never seen a computer. Here, Annie skypes her friend Ally in California. They waved to Ally on the screen and squeeled when she waved back.
10-year old Matale has been Madalitso's main caretaker since their mother died when he was one month old. Her nurturing, loving and playful relationship with him is a sweet substitute for their mama.
This happy picture of brother and sister show a much healthier and happier Madalitso than we saw in Tracy's first blog photo on July 23.
Believe it or not: Matalitso (right) is sitting next to his twin Joseph. It appears the growth genes were not distributed evenly in the womb.
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