Kekeli Nuledo

A safe journey is always a reason to celebrate. We celebrate Kekeli Nuledo born at 6:00am Saturday March 31 to John & Cynthia Nuledo. His name is of Fanti origin, meaning light of the world. She gave birth at Nsawam Government hospital & was discharged 4 hours later. Jon was happy to give them a ride home. Later we found out just how thankful John & Cynthia were for that ride. They have insurance that covered all expenses of delivery. Saturday morning before her paperwork was finished , GHc 25 was required from them before they were allowed to go. No explanation was given & all patients were required to pay it before discharge. Upset but helpless, they paid the fee. Leaving them with no money for a taxi ride home. Jon was happy to help & get a first look at the sweet little guy.
And yes, he is pale brown. A little research online shows it will take about 3 months for the melanin in his skin to be activated. Some even give the higher levels of melanin found in Africans credit for greater athletic & rhythmic abilities. Someone once asked my coworker Audrey if white babies are born dark & get lighter since brown babies are born light & get darker!
As I look at this picture, I'm not impressed with myself. It's true baby gifts here look a little different. Instead of cute clothes, we gave money toward the supplies Cynthia was required to bring to the hospital for delivery & care of the newborn. Things like soap & antibiotic cream. But a baby meal in a torn cardboard box?! I am happy to say that the staples of rice, egg, plantain, groundnut paste, mango & tomato will go a long way to give extra protein & nutrients to both Mom & baby. The tighter the household budget around here the more starch they eat, leaving out the meat, fruit & veggies. We all know that a newborn brings changes to the way we spend our money.
We are also happy to say the family is taking turns helping them out with cooking & taking care of Kekeli so they can rest.