Sunday afternoon we got news that one of our house workers had had her baby.
It was a little girl that she named Almetom. We were all very excited for her and made plans to go visit momma and baby the next day.
Monday came and I was excited for a day of firsts.
*First time here to visit a new mom and her baby…
She was SO sweet!
She didn’t go to a hospital, wasn’t hooked up to any fancy machines, or have any meds. Just delivered in her house, in her bed! We praise God for a healthy baby girl and no complications for the mom! The moms here have to stay in bed for up to three months in a dark room. I’m not sure of all the reasons why, but the major one is to give the mom time to rest, recoup and bond with her new baby. Wouldn’t that be nice ladies!? 🙂
*First time to hold a newborn here…
Starting to get a major case of babyitis!!
shhh, don’t tell Marshal!
🙂
*First time eating Genfo…
Genfo (we called it the volcano) is a wheat/barley paste they mix up for new moms. It is a daily vital for the first few months, and believed to help the mom regain her strength and provide milk for the baby. In the center they melt butter and sprinkle in berebere (an ethiopian spice).
*Luckily* visitors get to eat it too! Our hosts demonstrated how to eat it, by taking a spoonful then dipping it into the melted spiced butter. But I guess I didn’t take a big enough bite the first time, cause the lady came over shaking her head, took my spoon and then proceeded to get a HUGE spoonful, SOAKED it in the butter, then gestured for me to eat it! I need to pause here and say a big Thank you to my parents for all the dinners being forced to eat things I didn’t want without complaining, and “chew with your mouth closed!” I think all that drilling was leading to a day like this! 🙂 I smiled, ate the bite, and she was none the wiser that my stomach was rolling and my mind was screaming at me to… “swallow, swallow!!”
No really, I LOVED this experience! These ladies (the two on the far left of the picture) were SO gracious in serving us and making us feel so welcome in their home! It was humbling to witness them sharing everything they owned with us. To laugh and enjoy time with ladies. I would gladly eat another volcano to have a *second* of this experience!