New home for Baby R

Karyn Maughan
September 29 2008 at 11:08AM

Baby R has a new home - but not with the family who fought for two years to adopt her.

The child is being adopted by another US family, after her new mother suffered an undisclosed health crisis about six months after she and her husband adopted the three-year-old and took her home to the US.

Attorney Debbie Wybrow, who represented Baby R's would-be adoptive parents during their massive court battle with the state, declined to reveal the nature of the adoptive mother's "unforeseen and serious health complications".

She said the adoptive mother's difficulties had come "after years of struggling to have Baby R placed with (her and her husband)".

Baby R, found abandoned head-first in a bucket when she was a few days old, was adopted in October after an expensive and prolonged inter-country legal wrangle, which was finally resolved by the Constitutional Court.

Before that, Baby R was living at the Baby Haven in Northcliff, Joburg - where her latest parents first met her as a baby.

Speaking to The Star from her home in Virginia, US, Baby R's new mother described her initial interaction with the little girl.

"I was in South Africa doing missionary work and I was staying at the Baby Haven. I got up in the middle of the night and I heard (R) crying.

"I was up and I wanted to let the minder have some time to sleep, so I picked her up and held her and fed her … and I felt a real connection.

"I was actually very excited when I heard she was being adopted (by her adoptive parents).

"Difficult things have happened … but I feel very blessed that she's here with us now."

She was acutely conscious that the girl - like any adopted child - "has been through a lot".

"Her adjustment has been pretty good. She has been with us since May and she has started calling us 'mom' and 'dad'.

"When we first took custody of her, we decided to wait before we told her that we were going to adopt her.

"We initially told her she was coming to us for a visit. Then we told her we wanted to adopt her before the court process started."

Baby R was "a very strong little girl".

"But I know there must be a lot going on inside her and I believe it's important for her to see an adoption therapist.

"We have also decided to hold off from putting her into playschool because I want her here with me for a while."

Baby R's new parents have previously adopted two girls from SA, one of whom lived with Baby R at Baby Haven.

The Star has established that the Constitutional Court was informed that custody had been changed two weeks ago. The court's 11 justices responded with a letter saying that they had been assured - based on the information they had received - that she was in excellent care.

Source: www.iol.co.za

Publication date: 2008 Sep 29

Organizations: Department of Social Development, South Africa, Baby Haven

Persons: Debbie Wybrow