OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2830, 22 July 1916, Page 5

OUR BABIES

TBy Htgeia.i Published under the auspices of the Eoy-al New Zealand Society for tho Health of Women/and Children. "It is -wiser to put a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an fimbulanco a-t the bottom."

A MOTHER'S LETTER. Some time ago a mother wrote to us with reference to the relaxed condition of her baby's bowels. The infant was entirely breast-fed at that time. A fewmonths latei-,. after the baby was weaned, the, following letter was received "About a; fortnight after , weaning .constipation set in.. T gave orango juice, but not. enough. Then I tried the milk weaker, but I'm afraid the. child did not., receive enough nourishment. It was not for,two months that T began to give more orange, juice. ' My child seems to .require even more than is recoriimended for a child a year old. If I neglect to give him his full quantity twice a day the result is noticeablo at once. Nearly always there is blood, too. Of' course, I must he very careful not .to neglect him. I think that if you could see the way I treat him as regards fresh air, etc., von; would I>e satisfied. .He has gained'lollb. in his first nine months,' but does not look fat enough. I am hoping that he will look more robust in- a short time now that I have found the way to'keep his bowels right." • REPLY. I am glad you have succeeded in regulating baby's bowels. You . must, however, bear in mind that the most important point; in the use of fresh, unoooked fruit juice is not its laxative properties, although its daily use is helpful in checking any tendency £o constipation. In all cases of artificial feeding !i little fresh fruit juice should be given daily, - after tho first months, to compensate for tho something that may be wanting 'in any prepared food. (See pauo '(0, "Feeding and Care of Baby.") Where a mother is feeding her baby partly on the breast, and partly on the bottle, the necessary vital clement' is provided in the mother's milk; henco every drop of mother's milk is precious, and oil oris should bo made to continuo even partial breast-feeding until tho baby

is nine months old. In «i«cs of mixed feeding (part breast ami pari, bottle) (lie use ot fresh fruit juice is not Accessary; but, of course, it umy bo given, especially if them i.s » tendency to constipation. Weak J'ood Tends to Cause Constipation.

"ft was a mistake to weaken the food with the idea, of curing the constipation. Tt' you look at thi! society's hook, page 111, you will find the following:— "Annual mother's milk, containing as it docs abundance of fat from the beginning. has 110 constipating tendency; but during the Erst few weeks of life babies cannot digest a full supply of any other form of fat. Kven with humanised inilk we cannot give enough fat at this period to ensure' regularity of the bowels in every case. Artificially-fed babies generally suffer more or less from constipation during the first month, but this tends to disappear .-•$ the food is made stronger." licncp, if you make the food weak, besides depriving the baby of its proper amount of nourishment, you lend to cause constipation, not to cure if. Claveyness of the motions generally an indication that the function of the liver, from some cause or another, is not being satisfactorily carried out The beneficial effect of fresh fruit juice is evidently beyond question in the case of your baby. Sometimes a special form of sugar, (\speeiallr malt sugar (as contained in malt extract) improves matters if it is used as a. partial substitute for' sugar of milk, or as replacing any cane sugar that may have been used. You mention biood in the motion, but give 110 details. The appearance of ■blood should always receivo immediate attention. The common cause of this is a tiny fissure, or what you might call a "chap" or a linear ulcer situated just inside the ring which onona out into the bowel. A fissure is liable to be extremHy painful when any effort is made to pass a motion. The child tends instinctively to shrink from any action of the bowels, and oil this account very obstinate constipation is apt to be set up, which again reacts unfavourably on the sore. A tiny fissure often remains unsuspected for a long time. It is generally situated at the back of the anus. An important measure is the establishment of soft, eas-ily-pasSed regular motions; but 'ii : many cases this cannot be brought about without getting a surgeon to examine and treat.' the fissured and ulcerated' surface. Ton do. not mention nbont pain or anything as to the position or appearance of the Wood; bat fn any case I should adviso you to consult a doctor lrithont delay, ns he would probably be able to get yon on the right track at once. A sore such as I bare described is capable of upsetting the Trtiole of an infant's system, and it is quite possible that all Tour tronbles irill disappear when yon have had this matter attended to.. ' A liiiter. Letter. X.ater the mother wrote again, saying that, on closor examination, she distinctly saw indications, dearly showing that there was a fissnre at the back of the anus. The child had been attended to, and was doing well. The above case shows the value of carefril observation, especially when there seems to be any departure from the normal. _■ As other mothers may be-confronted with similar troubles, we think the publication of tho letter and the reply may be generally interesting and helpful.