Update #2 on the Swazi baby we found

I wrote a blog about a baby who was found on his AIDS-infected mom as she was near death. Here’s what our team is doing to care for the baby. From Megan Dunegan:

The baby – “Moses” we are calling him now – is doing better every day! We have had him for about 2 weeks now, and he has gained about one pound since he’s been with us.

His mother has signed over indefinite custody of him to us. We took him from Nsoko to Manzini yesterday so he could go to a nutritionist.

The mother has been diagnosed with TB. Moses is too small to be checked, but the doctors said he’s more likely to have pneumonia. He has been admitted into the hospital for observation. We are taking shift staying with him there. Both his blood counts are a little off, but they have him on medication and IV’s. We believe he will be ok. As far as the mother, we are not sure. My team and I are trying to line up a place for Moses if her condition doesn’t change before we have to leave Africa.

This update is from Krystle Esch:

There’s been a recent addition to our family. His name is Mcolisi (pronounced with a click), which means “peacemaker” in Siswati, and he’s a beautiful, 5 ½ week-old baby. His four older siblings attend one of the care points that our team works at. His father abandoned the family, and his mother, Pelile, is sick with AIDS, unable to care for him. His 7 year-old sister was in the process of learning to be a mother when we learned of their situation.

Pelile agreed to let us care for him, so long as we bring him to the care point each time we go so that she can see him. When Traci took him from his home last week he was severely dehydrated and malnourished, weighing less than 5 pounds. Since then his health has been improving, and it’s been a relief to hear him crying more these last few days as he gains strength.

We’ve been giving him antibiotics for a respiratory infection, and some special nutrients and electrolytes in addition to his regular formula. His “crib” is a wash basin that is the perfect size for his tiny body. A few of us have been taking turns with him sleeping in our tents, since his coughing and crying keeps at least one of us up most of the night.

Having him has been a huge joy to our team. In less than a week I’ve grown to love him so much. It’s never tiring to watch his tiny face with its growing variety of expressions. He’s passed from one set of arms to the next throughout the day, and he’s a constant source of attention for the staff and tourists at the safari.

We’re not sure yet what’s going to happen to him when we leave. Pelile was admitted to the hospital the day before yesterday. There are several excellent homes for abandoned and orphaned babies that we know of, but it’s a difficult and serious thing to ask a mother to sign over adoption papers, even when she could be dying.

So for now he’s ours. We pray, prophesy, and speak life over him every day, dreaming about the possibilities that his life holds and the peacemaker that he’s going to be.

For more stories and pictures of Mcolisi, check out:

• Don’t Forget Me
• how can I love one boy so much?