OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1675, 15 February 1913, Page 11

OUR BABIES.

[B* Hyqeu.]

Published under tho auspices of tho Society for the Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than 'to maintain an ambulance at tho bottom." A MOTHER'S LETTER. . (Continued.) . Last week I had to deal with the Thermos linsk, interrupting the further consmorauon of a inotners letter, wliictt I had been dealing with in tho previous week's column. I now return to the letter:— In connection with regular feeding, using dummies, etc., I think it is tho maternity nurses, and not the mothers, wno require most teaching. Eor the first fortnight in all cases (in some evenlongor) the maternity nurse is "boss," and lays the foundations of the baby's habits, and the mother has to follow on, very often whether sho wants to or not.' If not wearying and worrying you, I will explain what 1 mean. 1 live in the back-biocks, and had to drive 25 miles to my nurse—the only one to be had. When 1 left her tho river was in flood and the roads impassable, and for a mouth I stayed at a boarding-house partly, and partly with friends. Baby had been trained to night-feeding by the nurse, and, for the peace of others, I had to continue.

My first boy was born in a nursing home in a city. 1 lived 96 miles out. At the nursing homo the nurse would use a "dummy whenever the baby cried. I was at this homo three weeks, and then was stranded in tho city tor another month, owing to heavy rains Hooding the river. Eor the sake of others at tho boarding-house, 1 had to continue the "dummy," and after I got baby home it was a most difficult thing to do without, and meant endless crying.

My second boy was also born in the city, and that nurso also would use' a "dummy." The 6ame thing happened, for, owing to heavv rain, I was again stuck, and hnd to s*iy at a hotelfor over a fortnight, where I hid intended to be only one night. Here also, for the sako of other boarders, I had to continue using the "dummy." ■ However, I did not take it homo with me, and the' baby started sucking his thumb, and now, though two tind a halt years old, I can't break him of the bad habit. I have put on gloves for weeks at 'a time; used mustard, peppermint, oil, etc.; pinned his sleeves to his side, etc.; but the first night I leave off the preventive there he is with., thumb in mouth at once. ■

When the maternity nurses are properly trained regarding such matters it will be easier for the mothers, for, as I have shown, some of these nurses not only train the babies wrongly, but teach young mothers, who do not know very much, everything wrong to start with. The last nurse I went to was & firm believer in using castor oil 'frequently for mother . and baby. There\ was a young mother with her first boy" there at the same time as myself, and tho nurse dosed them both every other day with castor oil, and told the mother it was the right thing to (16. I saw her a week or so ago. The baby was always constipated, and so she always had to bo.giving him oil, or he would not havo a motion for threo days. I -made her a soap-pencil, and showed her how to use it, and begged her to stop tho oil and diet herself, for tho baby's sake, with fruit, etc., and she is now doing so, and'baby is improving. She was' nearly crying about it. She was a shop assistant before her marriage—knows hardly anything about babies, and had asked our nubse to tell 'her all she could, and the use of castor'' oil; 'night-feeding,- and "dummy"'had all been well taught her. Many another young mother will be 6tarted wrong by the same nurse, I suppose. No, I am not a'member of your soeioty, though I havo given subscriptions as a slight thank-offering".for all .that Knritane hospital. doctors-and •'•' Plunket nurses'did for my eldest boy "for,the timo ho was under their care—to say nothing of tho lectures' out at Karitan© which I attended. I havo just given 6inall sums at odd times; but presume becoming a member means an annual' subscription. If that is so, I should like to join in a few months' time. I have had so many expenses lately that I cannot do so just now.

Apologising for this long letter, though I TV-anted to try and convey to you my. idea where tho teaching is required, and thanking the society for all it _ is 'now doing and has done for our babies.

COMMENT BY ; "HYGEIA." Tho words printed in small capitals above wore emphasised by underlining in tho mother's letter. '

I regret to say that I have other recent letters making similar complaints as to tho misleading advice given to mothers by maternjty-nurses, and I havo heard many adverse comments in my travels. No doubt we women—ill of us—tend to be very conservative, and we find it vory difficult to get out of ruts which have been well worn for us in the past. So long as tho sticking to old ways which havo been proved 'to be wrong affects only ourselves, the matter may not bo very serious; but when women who'are trusted and licensed to guido and direct mothers and to mould tho rising generation stubbornly refuse to learn what is best and won't mond tho error of- their ways, the matter is ono of very grave pubhc concern. 'Further, it is not fair to those maternity nurses who keep up with the. trend of advancing knowledge and carry enlightenment into tho home, instead of plunging it into greater darkness. All right-thinking.people must heartily sympathiso with the mother whose letter I have quoted, and I feel sure that most of our readers will agree that something, ought to bo done in tho direction of safeguarding women—especially young mothers—from- the misleading domination of such maternity' nurses'as obstinately refuse to. conform to those principles and conditions which are known to be in the highest interests of mother and child. Further comment on tho damage don* by the "dummy" need not be made at the present moment; but-it is only fair to the class of nurso of whom I havo been speak-' ing to say that there are hospitals in tho Dominion where tho use of tho "dummy" is still allowed, merely to eave the nurso or the'institution tho trouble, at the moment, of giving the baby proper attention or treatment in other directions. As long aa 6uch vicious habits are countenanced in publio institutions the struggle for reform must continue, to be a very difficult ono, and wrongdoers will excuso and shelter themselves behind the wrongdoing of thoso who certainly ought to set tho highest example to the community. I shall specially deal next week with tho harm done to mother and'ohild by tho abne* of castor oil as described by our correspondent. '■