New Baby!!!!

Within a few months of arriving in The Gambia it became apparent that my lovely neighbour and friend Isatou was pregnant. Women in the Gambia don't talk about pregnancy, I am told that discussing it is a bit of a taboo (this was unfortunately something that I neglected to mention to my dad when he came out here to visit me and I remember cringing with anxiety as my father innocently asked a nervous and reluctant Isatou questions about her pregnancy in what to her must have felt like an inappropriate interrogation!! Bless them both!)

Anyway Isatou has looked like she has been 'ready' to give birth for about three months now, she was huge (and she has such a little frame). These last few months she's been really tired, hot and bothered and unfortunately despite her 'condition' there is little to no reprieve for women here, she was still getting on with her daily chores of collecting water, sweeping, cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing and looking after her other children, albeit at a much slower pace.

Well in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 3:26am to be precise (18th May 2011), Isatou gave birth to a beautiful little girl at Kerewan Health Centre. (Isatou is 27, this is her fourth child; she has a boy called Ebrima (9) who stays with relatives in Bakau (Kombo) and then two girls Basi (7) and Kaddy (3) who live with Isatou at Ceesay Kunda).

The adorable little baby (which I keep calling 'my baby' to everybody's amusement) has no name yet however the Muslim religion here dictates that 7 days after birth there will be a 'naming ceremony' during which the baby is given a name. (Isatou tells me that the father chooses the name of the children).

Baby is gorgeous and as far as I’m aware mother and baby are fine (from what I can see antenatal and postnatal care here in the Gambia is quite different to that in the UK).

So I’ve put some pictures of my lovely baby below! Next Wednesday is the 'naming ceremony' In shalla (that's Arabic for 'If God wills it') during which I will take more photographs and then put them on my blog!