Child Care And Sensitivity
Babies are very delicate creatures, and they should be treated as such. Caring for a baby
means that you have to take a lot of time and pain to understand what the baby wants and
needs before you embark on any activity. Since the baby cannot speak to you in the
language you immediately understand, what you need to do is pay attention and be
sensitive.
I know of a mother who had a child with a serious intestinal condition. Now this is not a
common occurrence in babies; it is a condition that most medical professionals will call
rare. The mother knew her child, that he would eat anything at anytime unless he had to
go to the toilet. But after several attempts to feed the baby without success, and checking
the diapers without end, she realized there had to be something else… something wrong.
So what did the woman do?
She upped and got herself and her little son to the house of the next door neighbor. Dr.
Harris had lived next door for more than five years, but the two families had hardly ever
spoken a word to each other save for the early morning greetings, and the evening
welcomes. They knew what each other did, and had a good idea of how either party was
faring, but Dr. Harris was that kind of person; she just didn’t mix.
But not tonight.
The knock on the door got the angry surgeon to the door, but after seeing that it was
Nancy from next door with her baby in her arms, her mood changed quickly from
indignation to sincere concern.
‘I’m no pediatrician,’ she confessed quietly as she bent over the child, touching, prodding,
and peering. ‘But anyone can tell that this child is in pain. We need to get him to a
hospital.’
Barney – that’s the baby – was saved that night because Nancy was able to get him to the
hospital fast enough. She was sensitive to her baby’s feelings. You need to be that way
too.