Cherie and Fey

These patients deserve a post of their own. They are 2 little girls who were born in the last few days... and who also died in the last few days.

Cherie died October 5. She was one of triplets. I don't think she ever knew her name - so i gave her one. Cherie means "dear" in french and she was the 3rd of the triplets. She had hydrocephalus, or so we thought - her head was large, and she was quite small. She was doing ok, though they were all small and early - neither of which carries a good prognosis here especially. She tried eating, but soon we realized that the grandmother was pushing Cherie away when she tried to nurse, telling the mother that she should feed the other 2. the staff tried (though not consistently, because there are SO many mothers and babies every day... and not nearly enough staff) to keep feeding her. without success. Sunday morning we went to check on the babies in the 'nursery' and they handed me Cherie. Dead. so many emotions went through my mind and heart. the women sitting there seemed to be without any. they have grown accustomed to death, it seems.

Fey was born and died on October 6. she was delivered by c-section, then left alone as the mother recovered. on a 'warmer' which doesn't warm up at all and is of no use except to be a cold place to put a baby in the open air. and discovered by Dr. Lydia (OB from the US who has been her 4 times before) who walked by and saw here struggling for air and looking blueish. she came and got me and Dr. J (the FP) and we went to try to recussitate this baby. i found her cold. heartrate barely acceptable, with an oxygen mask on her face NOT CONNECTED TO OXYGEN, struggling to breathe. J and i tried to get her to warm up, pink up, cry... anything... she was early, could have been sick with some infection mom gave her, and probably didn't have adequate development of her lungs either. We did all we could. i don't think her mother ever held her. and she was never named either. so i named her Fey - similar to the word for Faith in French (i think).
These are the first dead babies i have ever held. And that was on days 1 and 2 of my work here at Galmi. Please pray for us as we fight against this culture of death and dying, of despair and of hopelessness in the name of Jesus - who is Life and Hope and Victory.