Orphanage Work

Maggie here....

You walk in through the laundry room, washing room, and the place where they isolate sick babies or have preemies, wash your hands and tie a apron around you, then step into the larger room and start the work. The big room has 35 cribs and 35 fussing babies, either on a mat, set on the ground, in walkers or in cribs. Their ages range from newborn to 1 year, the younger ones on one side, the older ones in larger cribs on the otherside of room reeking slightly of disinfectant and baby. Above each crib is a name tag with the babies name and birthday tied to the crib with a ribbon, or taped above it. You walk in and either just start propping bottles up with blankets and calming fussy babies, or you ask one of the two ladies, that work there full time, "como puedo ayudar?" how can I help. We come at 8 in the morning every Sunday and leave around 11 or 12. When we first get there, the babies are finishing bottles propped up on blankets and you just walk around readjusting them and waking up the sleeping ones. Then the older babies get fed with spoons and then every baby gets a bath. This is done with an assembly line and alot of happy wiggly naked babies, then everyone goes outside and sits on the patio in either walkers, playpen or car seats lined up in the shade. After the floors are washed everyone goes back inside and its bottles again and spoon feeding. The time each child gets with another human to just cuddle or be held is patheticaly small, with 35 babies and 2 care takers it is unrealistic, so the babies will cry, but the moment you pick them up they are happy... they could have a dirty diaper, be hungry or needing to be burped, but as long as your holding them, they are the happiest thing in the world... its too bad I don't have 35 hands, but the last time we did bring snugglies, and that way you can be hanging up wet bibs and diapers to dry and still be able to keep one baby happy and just let them feel your heart beat for a few minutes. (Note: it is against policy at the orphanage to take photos, so this little girl in the photo is not from the orphanage)