New Baby

While we were gone yesterday, another new baby arrived at Lighthouse. Like so many of the others, he was abandoned by his mother and brought to the shelter by the police.

Themba (pronounced "tem-bah") is only 4 days old and such a tiny little guy. I spent over an hour rocking him this morning, and he looked so peaceful sleeping all bundled up in his blankets. But shortly after I would set him down in his crib, he would begin to cry and squirm around.

All of the recently abandoned babies I've interacted with this summer have done this same thing, and I'm not exactly sure why. After a few days, they seem to realize that they are in a safe place and that being set down does not mean that no one is coming back for them.

Please be praying for Themba as he adjusts to his new surroundings at Lighthouse, and please also pray for his health, particularly his HIV status. The most common reason a baby this tiny is abandoned is because the mother is positive and assumes that her child will be also. But with good nutrition and the right medication, a baby born to a positive mother may possibly convert to HIV negative within the first few months of life.