PEKAN, Malaysia - The daily task of caring for a 3-year-old child having a condition called "Hydrocephalus" (water on the brain), is getting harder on mother of four, Raziah Shaari.

Her fourth child, Mohamad Ramadan Ramli, was born with an enlarged head and carrying the 15kg boy around is tough.

When met at the distribution of tithes by Prime Minister and Pekan member of parliament Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently, Raziah, who was one of the 4,000 recipients, put her son in a worn-out baby pram.

Since the pram was meant for a smaller child, only his head and body could fit in it while his legs dangled out.

Living on her husband's modest wage as a school caretaker and aided by a monthly RM300 from the Welfare Department, Raziah, from Kampung Sekukoh in Tanjung Agas near here, said they could ill-afford a bigger pram for him.

And with three other older children aged between 5 and 12, money is always tight in the family.

"I take care of him alone and although I can still carry him, he is getting bigger and heavier. People look at me and wonder how I can pick him up to clean and bathe but I do it out of love. He is my child and when he smiles, all my sorrow and aches disappear."

Raziah was devastated when she found out about her child's condition midway through her pregnancy as this was the second occurrence in the family.

"My third child, the first-born son, was also diagnosed with this condition and he was operated on five times to reduce the swelling in his head before his death at 8 months old.

"I went through a phase of emotional hell until I gave birth to my fourth child, also a son, who was born normal.

"When I was pregnant with Ramadan, I was devastated when doctors diagnosed him with the same condition but after a while, I came to accept it as fate."

For the special occasion to meet the prime minister, Raziah dressed Ramadan in a new baju melayu with silver jewellery and red henna on his fingers.

"We named him Ramadan as he was born the day before Hari Raya in 2007, and since I was applying henna on my hands, I decided to put it on him, too, as a festive cheer.

"We will use the RM250 (S$108) contribution for his milk and disposable diapers. He needs a special type of milk which is slightly expensive but for food, he can't take solids so I have to puree everything."

Hydrocephalus, from Greek words Hudro for water and Kephalos for head, is a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain.

This may cause increased intracranial pressure inside the skull and progressive enlargement of the head, leading to convulsions, mental disability and death.