A couple from Nau-Aib location in Okahandja is seeking financial assistance for their 10-month-old baby born without a leg and genital abnormalities to undergo a proper medical examination.

Born normally, baby Nicoline Nareses is a bouncing baby with no other complications, except those neonatal health issues.

The baby’s unemployed mother, who ended her education in grade 10, is Shamaritha Nareses (29), and said the family is struggling to raise funds for proper tests and X-rays to determine her baby’s future. 

“I gave birth to a baby girl at the Okahandja district hospital. She was born with one leg. She came out of my tummy with half a leg. There was no problem during my pregnancy. But when I gave birth, she came out like that. I was later referred to the Windhoek Central Hospital. It was then that the doctors told me they were supposed to be twins. She was supposed to be a twin, and the part that is half is where the brother was supposed to be, but didn’t grow well. She is normal. She eats well, and crawls on her own,” narrated the distressed mother.

She said the doctors in Windhoek took X-rays, and told her that they have to operate on the baby to examine what is inside her tummy. 

“I suspect she has two umbilical cords because when she is crying, the other small one is moving.  They said I have to wait until the baby is one year old so that she can go for an operation to determine what is really going on,” Nareses said.

The 10-month-old baby was born on 2 April 2021.

Nareses, in the presence of her mother and family members, consented and granted this reporter permission to peruse the baby’s medical or health passport to determine doctors’ findings. 

The health passport shows Baby Nicoline was delivered normally, weighing 2.12kg and measuring 45cm in length.

The baby’s passport indicates that she was diagnosed with neonatal health issues at birth.

“Left limb is underdeveloped without a foot and toes. Abnormality between the left limb and genitals,” reads the card as part of the neonatal problems detected.

The baby was booked in for an X-ray at a state hospital in Windhoek on 6 May 2021 for a pelvic and abdominal sonar. 

The medical history further indicates that the baby was born with “ambiguous genitalia”.

On 6 May 2021, the Windhoek central hospital’s ultrasound department released baby Nicoline’s sonar results.

The ultrasound found that a 3mm sliver of fluid is seen around the heart. It also shows a slightly coarse liver texture, and the size is focally increased 5.6 cm. No lesions were detected. The gall bladder is normal as well as the common bile duct. The report shows no ischemic heart disease (IHD) dilatations. The baby’s pancreas, spleens and kidneys show normally on the sonar. The urinary bladder location is normal in the mid-lower pelvis. The ultrasound report found no lesions or wall thickening and at the time of scanning, the bladder was distended 2.9ml.

Furthermore, the report shows that a uterus is seen that has deviated to the right of the midline, the impression of minimal fluid within the endometrial cavity, uterus approximately size 2.2x0.9 cm. The report shows it appeared bulky with no lesions.

The baby’s ovaries could not be seen, likely because it was small at the time of the scan. There were also no adnexal masses detected. Equally, no evident testes were identified, and no abnormal fluid or ascites was detected. 

The young mother expressed that she is at times shy to move around with her baby due to her condition as she faces stigma in the community.

“Sometimes, I am shy to move around with her because people are talking bad about my baby. I really need help because I’m unemployed. The father is also unemployed, so we can’t afford private doctors for a proper examination. We really need our baby examined so that we prepare for her future needs,” she pleaded.

Nareses shared excitement about the father of her baby, saying he loves his daughter very much and never shies away from her.

The couple has four children together.  Nareses is thus calling on good Samaritans to come to her aid so that her baby can get a proper medical examination. 

She is also pleading with good-hearted Namibians to come to her rescue so that her baby girl can get an artificial leg.

Any good Samaritan can contact Nareses on 0813655637.

Meanwhile, Okahandja home-based caregiver Catherine Uri-Khos came across Nareses’ dire situation, and decided to help where she can. 

“I became aware of her plight two weeks ago. My niece brought her to my house. I saw the baby myself, and I must say she really needs help. I started assisting her. I gave her my grandchildren’s baby clothes so that she can go dress her baby. She also started to help with house chores such as washing and ironing clothes, and I give her the little I have to sustain her baby.” 

–anakale@nepc.com.na