Chronicles from the Fields...: A Momma's Cry

Most days after 4 PM, Kate and I go outside to visit with the neighborhood kids. If we aren't out by 4:30 and the gate is closed, the kids will stand in the street calling Kate's name. If the gate is open, they come to the front door and sit at the window and call her name. Kate's face lights up when she hears her friends calling her name. She runs to the window and will "talk" back to them. I'll grab my shoes, and we head outside to visit.

The girl next door and her brother take off with Kate to play- to help her walk around and the brother always makes her laugh. I stay and chat with the other mommas. Often I'm just there, not really understanding the topic of conversation. Sometimes I join in, and the pace of the conversation slows waaaaaay down to a speed that I can handle. It's not uncommon for strangers to stop and say hi to Kate or ask for a photo- she doesn't seem to mind the extra attention.

One day while out playing with the kids on the cement place where they ride their bikes, I was stopped by a young momma named Agnes. Agnes lives in our neighborhood, but I had never seen her before. She asked about Kate's age. As we began to share briefly about our babies, I could hear her heart's cry. Her baby, who at that time was 3 months old, was not eating or sleeping well. This poor momma wanted sleep and a baby who didn't cry all night long. The "pre-Kate" Amber didn't understand the significance of the term "all night", but "post-Kate" Amber who has travelled internationally with a young baby now resonates and empathizes with that term. Agnes was concerned that her baby wasn't nursing well and wasn't getting enough food to eat. My momma's heart ached for her. So, I contacted my friend, Fiona, who is a midwife here. Fiona was the first person to catch a glimpse of Kate's heartbeat, which eventually capture the rhythm of my own heartbeat. Fiona cares about mommas and babies, so I knew to contact her. We arranged a date with Agnes to come visit her and see how we could help, and by "we" I really mean Fiona.

We were welcomed into their home and visited with a hard working momma who entrusted her baby with a grandma during the day. They were concerned because after the baby would eat, he would still cry. They were unsure if this was due to still being hungry or having an upset tummy. He cries during the night, and they were unsure why. Fiona urged them to hold the baby and feed the baby when he cries. We tried to explain the term "colic" in Indonesian... the dictionary translator app didn't really help in this situation. The baby was actually healthy- he looked quite "healthy" to me, but Fiona encouraged sweet Agnes that her baby was healthy. Fiona calmed that anxious momma's heart with her gently words but firm instructions. She educated Agnes and her momma about signals that babies give when they're tired and the importance of holding a baby to comfort them when they cry. I realized then how fortunate I was to have loads of books to read, websites to visit, or doctors to ask questions about Kate's development when she was inside me or how do I feed her solid foods or WHY does she stick EVERYTHING in her mouth? Women here have very little to no access to common information.

We gave Agnes goat's milk and gas drops for her baby to drink. A few days later, Agnes said her baby was sleeping better and didn't seem to have an upset tummy. That must mean that Agnes is sleeping better too.

Baby Kate has opened up many doors, but so far that has been the most personal one.