Mixing, Measuring and Monitoring Like a Mad Scientist

Between the newborn twins, the baby civet, and Maggie I am busy constantly mixing and monitoring formulas and weights and ounces, grams and millileters. It's a wonder I can keep track of it all.

The twins are easy. Their formula comes in a tin and as long as I make sure their bottles contain enough each day (they're up to drinking over 3 ounces now!) then they are good. They are healthy as can be and are gaining weight and eating and sleeping very well.

Tom's civet* has a fairly straight forward formula that it needs. Some highly pasteurized boxed milk, some added milk powder and a dropper-full of children's multi-vitamin drops.

I mix it all up and store it in the fridge for Tom to pour as needed into a rabbit bottle for the five feedings each day. Every few days we weigh him (the civet--not Tom) on our digital kitchen scale and recalculate the amount he needs. He is eating so well now that we don't have to worry as much any more.

*Unfortunately the smaller of the two civets did not survive.

Maggie is a different story. Her formula is highly complex. I have to carefully weigh and measure the ingredients (milk, sugar and oil) so she gets the exact balance of protein and calories. I was very excited to find, on our last shopping trip, two cans of a special mix of minerals that are supposed to be added to her milk. Children with Kwashiorkors have an imbalance of minerals--their sodium levels are too high and their potassium levels are low. 

 This special mineral mix helps to bring everything back into balance. We have never been able to find this until just now. In the past we had to do without it, but Maggie has been such a desperate case that I really wanted to get the minerals and Thank God we finally found some.

Maggie has now been moved from the F75 milk to the F100 milk. This one has more protein and still high calories. Her edema is completely gone and she is much more active, but her weight is still dangerously low and she still needs everyone's prayers for a full recovery.

Today she sat with us on the porch and her eyes were alert as she watched Tom feed the baby goat and the dogs play nearby. Jasmine took her hands and helped her beat out a rhythm and she imitated it.

I then took her hand in mine and traced a circle on it and walked my fingers up her arm while singing a little Teddy Bear rhyme. When I got to the top of her arm I tickled her gently and she smiled! She actually smiled! I would even venture to say she nearly giggled. It was a wonderful moment!! 

You can't see her smile because she kept pulling her arm up to cover her face, but see how it is shining out of her eyes? Maggie is not out of the woods, but she is showing great progress. Please keep praying!

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