Baby Paul

I remember the first day I saw him. He was in the arms of another nurse on the ward. He was so small. His small frail body slight protruding from the blanket he was wrapped in. My heart fell. I was instantly frightened for him. He was so tiny. He skin thin and papery looking. His eyes looked larger than they should as they sunk into their socket. I feared the worst for him, instantly crying out to God in my heart for this tiny little boy. How was it possible that he was even alive?
I soon heard his story. Paul came to us when he was 3-months-old and weighed just over 2 kilograms.(a little over 4 1/2 pounds) Born with a cleft lip and palate, he could not eat and grew weaker instead of bigger and stronger. He was unable to latch on to breast feed and had quickly been loosing weight since his birth. The infant feeding program onboard the Africa Mercy changed Paul's life!

Everyone that met him prayed for him to live. He desperately needed surgery to fix his lip and palate but first he had to gain some weight. He would not survive surgery in his current state.
Enter in our amazing dietitian. Paul was soon on formula, being fed through a tube that entered his stomach via his nose. Soon he moved up to a syringe and then to a bottle with  a special nipple to help him nurse better. It was still a struggle, but slowly, every so gradually, he put on weight. Eventually he qualified for his first surgery. His lip was repaired, but not his palate. He needs to be older for that surgery to be successful. However now he can latch. Now he can feed and gain weight.

"Paul wasn’t the only one being transformed. Hope bloomed in his Mother Francoise’s heart as she watched her baby slowly growing stronger. She dared to hope that this baby that people had once called “monster” would survive … this baby that was now adored by crew members and other patients. She said, ‘When I look at my baby, I can only cry – but it is tears of joy. Even I am gaining weight, now that I can eat and sleep!”
When I look at my baby, I can only cry – but it is tears of joy. Even I am gaining weight, now that I can eat and sleep!’"

 This little man has beat the odds. God has answered the prayers of many and Paul does not look like the same child any more. Gone are the sunken eyes, the darkened circles around not only his eyes but those of his mother as well. His tiny arms and spindly legs have been replaced with round fat little legs and arms. His face has filled out and he is on his was to being a healthy baby. He has a few more months to wait for his final surgery to fix his cleft palate, but we fully expect him to arrive back for that surgery hitting new milestones on his growth chart. Praise the Lord for answered prayer and sparing the life of this sweet little boy. He now weighs a whopping 6.4 kilograms.( around 14 lbs)
He will return before our time here in Cameroon is over for his second surgery to repair his palate. Please continue to keep this sweet little boy and his family in your prayers. 

(a portion of this blog written by Rose Talbot)
Photos by Mercy Ship Photographers