So a trip to the clinic was planned with Joel's little Swedish friend David (born just 2 days before Joel). We went to a nice Mother and Baby clinic run 4 days a week at an orphanage near Dodoma called "Village of Hope".
First, the babies are weighed. No lie-down scales for Joel and David though. In Tanzania, babies are weighed by hanging from the scale, while sitting in a little cloth "bag" purpose-made, with leg holes. I found it all quite tricky to organise at first, but eventually Joel was hanging suitably, while the helpful nurse recorded the weight on Joel's chart.
Afterwards came the injections for the boys. I was a little confused about the Tanzanian vaccine, as it had an extra ingredient to the English one, adding in Hepatitis B. Since Joel has already had that vaccine (carried back by us in a flask from the UK), I wasn't sure it he should have it again as part of a combination vaccine and the nurses were also unsure. Yet help was at hand, as my friend Mirjam (David's mum) had the phone number of an American doctor who happened to be staying on the MAF compound this week. We called him and he advised us to go ahead.
Joel and David screamed their protests as they had their combined innoculations against Diptheria, Tetanus, whooping cough, influenza (Hib), Hepatitis B and also received their polio drops! Poor little things. It was just all too much...the only relief for some was a good sleep on the way home!
Joel and David in their car seats returning from a Village of Hope visit:
Not surprised Joel wasn't impressed with his clinic visit.Although he looks comfortable enough in the second shot of the sling,in the first one it looks like his head is ready to fall off! He seems to be bemused by the whole experience as he sits in his pram on the way home.
ReplyDeleteBut good to know he is being well protected and the orphanage looks so bright and cheerful and welcoming.