After six miscarriages, stateless child brings joy to couple

RAWANG: After suffering six miscarriages, a couple decided to adopt a baby girl, saying her race and background never mattered as they only wanted to give her a loving home.

The baby, Nur Ain Nadira, was just two months old when Siti Nor Farhanah A. Rahim and her husband, Muhammad Akmal Abd Kadir, both 38, took her in as their daughter in 2024.

Today, Nur Ain is two years and two months old and has become the centre of joy in the couple's small family.

Siti Nor Farhanah said Nur Ain was placed under their care through OrphanCARE after she was abandoned without a guardian at a private hospital in Ipoh.

"To me, it did not matter what race she was. At that time, all I thought about was that she had done nothing wrong.

"I sincerely wanted to care for her. I did not care what race she was," she told Harian Metro.

She said information left with the baby stated that Nur Ain's biological mother was Indonesian, while her father was Chinese.

Siti Nor Farhanah said she began considering adoption after suffering her sixth miscarriage.

"When I decided to adopt her, I had just suffered my sixth miscarriage.

"I thought, why not adopt a child? There was nothing wrong with it because we really wanted a child," she said.

She said she submitted an application through OrphanCARE in September 2024 before receiving a call from the Social Welfare Department (JKM) the following month.

Before taking Nur Ain into their care, Siti Nor Farhanah said she and her husband discussed the decision with their family after 10 years of marriage.

"I told my family that this was the decision we had made.

"They accepted it well and I was able to breastfeed Nur Ain, making her my foster daughter under Islamic law. Everyone accepted her warmly," she said.

She said she had never treated Nur Ain differently because of her background, instead raising her as she would her own child.

"Throughout the time I have cared for Nur Ain, I have treated her like my own daughter. I never thought about the differences in our backgrounds.

"In fact, I feel that life for my husband and me has become easier since Nur Ain came into our family," she said.

Siti Nor Farhanah said the couple was monitored by JKM during the early stages of the adoption before the process was completed according to the stipulated procedures.

She said Nur Ain currently did not have citizenship and an application concerning her citizenship could only be made after she had been under their care for two years.

The couple's family is also set to grow further, with Siti Nor Farhanah now expecting a baby boy who will make Nur Ain a big sister.

Siti Nor Farhanah also urged couples still waiting for children not to lose hope, while appealing to mothers who felt unable to care for their babies to seek help from the relevant organisations.

"If there are mothers who are pregnant but feel unable to care for their babies, please do not abandon them. There are many NGOs (non-governmental organisations) that can help.

"For those still waiting for children, I know it is not easy because every married couple wants a child of their own.

"But if you are given the opportunity to care for a child, love that child as your own. The child can become a source of blessings and sustenance," she said.