OUR BABIES.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2884, 23 September 1916, Page 5

OUR BABIES.

\B? HYOBU.I

Published under the- auspices ot the Royal New Zealand Society for tho Health of Women end Children. "It is wiser to put-'a fence at the top of a- precipice than to maintain an ambulanco at the bottom." • OVERFEEDING' BABIES. Last week X dealt with tho case of an artificially-fed baby who had failed to gain in weight satisfactorily in spito of taking and apparently digesting what the nurse regarded as moro than the normal allowance of food. To-day I purpose describing a case which came under my own personal observation in the Old Country, becanso tho overfeeding of babies is a common and gTave mistake, whether in the case of sucklings or bottle-feds. I am satisfied that a largo number of mothers, who would bo perfectly capable of completely nursing their babies if properly guided, fail to do sa owing to supplying tho baby, not with, too little, but with too much milk in tho first month. , Apart from the human mother, there is no instanco where the offspring is tempted) and urged to suckle beyond its requirements. The most casual observation of what goes on in the fields among onr domestic animals shows on all hands the. tendency of the mother to prevent too frequent or prolonged suckling. • With ourselves, on the contrary, it has been the almost invariable custom to try to induce the baby to nurse nearly twice as often as he should, and to fill himself to repletion. In this connection I have some Tery naive and interesting, notes, made by a professional nurse, showing perfectly olearly that the baby was suffering from overloading and indgestion at the very time when the nurse was jotting dowu in her daily record such remarks as: "Baby restless and peevish to-day; seems to be going off his food; very sleepy towards the end of each nursing; could not get him to take auy more." Thoso notes were made in a case where, unficr instruction, tho baby was being weighed before and after each nursing, in order to. ascertain how much was being drawn from the.breast in the 24 hours. The nurse' had not taken the trouble to add up the figures, which would haTO proved to her that the baby's trouble was duo to over-feeding—not, as she supposed, to under-feeding—that ho was actually getting sometimes as much as eight ounces beyond his proper allowance, as given ,'on page 31 of tho society's book. "Feeding and Care of Baby." ILLUSTRATIVE CASE. . A mother, who had given birtb ■ nearly six weeks previously to a strong healthy baby, wrote in great distress to say that tho infant' had been doing very badly been steadily losing weight, and now weighed rather less than at birth. ' The mother.had just been ordered to abandon breast-feeding entirely on ■ tho ground that hor milk was at fault, and oven poisonous. The family wore in, comfortable circumstances, with overy advantage as regards the home and.assistance in the way of • servants and nurses. The mother, herself was a wellmade woman, well developed, and the typo of- normal motherhood, not only physically, but by temperament and inclination. She was domestic, devoted to her children, and, of all things, anxious (xvdo everything sho could for them. r She had failed to nu'rso her first two children, but felt that this ought not to havo been tho case if. matters had beon iranaged properly. She had had the society's books long before the last baby was born, and' fejt sure'that all would bo well if sho could only got the doctor and nurse to allow hor to follow .the courso adocated. However, when the time came siic found that they wore tied up to the usages of the Victorian' Era, and woiild not hoar of feeding only overy three hours, "no night-feeding, etc." The baby was born plump and healthy,' .and weighed Bjlb. - At a fortnight sho ■weighed 01b.,' and, as the mother said, "was doing splendidly." Tho milk supply was amplo, and tho baby was suckled with altomato breasts every two hours, thoro being 10 feedings in all, including the night-feeding. ' For tho next week things wero not so satisfactory. Baby was fretful and irritable, and suffered from flatulence. She gained only a quarter of a pound in tho week, and the mother becamo worried and slopt indifferently. The next week thoro was a loss of a quarter of ,a pound, and marked constipation set "in, .which .the nurso treated with a daily doso of castor oil, without consulting the doctor, who highly disapproved when "somo seeks later ho discovered what had'beon dono. In tho fourth week a bottle-feeding was given in place''of one of tho breastfeedings, and by the end of tho fifth wook baby was getting four bottle-feed-ings. Towards the close of tho sixth week tho weight had gone down to Sib. 10oz., there was extreme , constipation, baby was flabby, dull, listless, dissatisfied, and irritable, and always cried after being suckled. Complete stoppago of breast-feeding had been-urged earlier, but was now insisted on, tho parents being told that the violent crying of tho child after the breast-feedings and not after the bottle-feedings showed that the mother's milk was poisonous. However, the mother held out, and got a weighing machine, which showed that at this stage the baby 'was getting from tho breast under lOoz. in the 24 hours, being rather leas than two-fifths of its normal requirements, while the highly-diluted artificial feedings, did not supply more than another fifth. Tho explanation of the satisfaction after tho bottle-feedings and the yelling after sucklings was very obvious, tho 4oz. or moro por feeding given by the. bottle filling tho stomach and relieving thirst, which tho 2oz. breast-feedings failed to do.. ' THE NEW REGIMEN. The cause of failure being.now quite clear,' the mother was given the following instructions:-(l) Feed, only six times in the 24-hours, and givo.no night-feed-ings. (2) Suckle tho baby at;each feeding, time. (3); Immediately beforo suckling balanco the baby, clothes and all, and at the end of suckling find out and noto what weight has to be added to balanco again. ' This shows how,much milk has been drawn off from' the- breasts. (For' details as to weighing beforo and after, suckling seo pages 57-59,. "Feeding and Care of Baby.") (4) Supplement with the necessary quantity of Hnmani«ed Milk, beginning diluted,, and working up to full strength in the courso of a week. " " ■ ' The mother had been using only one breast at each feeding, but as tho supply was short she was told she must give both breasts each time, as explained on pages 6 and 7 of the society s book, "Feeding and Care of Baby." Tho result of this regimen wa» that the baby started straight away to, gain normally, and in the courso of tho next month the mother's supply,, in stea °, ot continuing to dwindle rose to about 17oz. a day-or nearly two-thirds of what was needed for complete breastfeeding When baby was nearly 11 weeks old tho mother wrote, saying :> "I encloso tho weighings, nnd will send the ones for this week later on. Baby is doing splendidly. She is getting fat, and her cheeks are quite a nice colour she is looking very bomuo now and I am sure-you would be pleased with her. The 'doctor is delighted. . ;> . I tell him we are going by tho book.' ....... | Tho following are three of tho typical day's weighings in tho tenth week:— ,

Woisht on December 12, 101b. 65oz—gain ol lOJoe in 9 days. Just beforo leaving England wo received a telegram saying that baby was going on splondidly, and that hor weight on Decembor' 17 was 101b. 113oz. This showed that sho had gained exactly a' pound in the fortnight. Tin's child is now thrco years old—a clever, plump, healthy, happy, little girl, who has igiven her parents no further trouble or anxiety. They write that thej* always "go by tho book."

Mrs. Firth, hon. treasurer of , the Women's Committee of tho British Bed Cross and Order of St. John. (Wellington branch), acknowledges tho following contributions: —Rakanui Red Cross, £5; Miss Coates, 10s.; Mrs. Joseph, l'Os.; Marjorio and Florence, 25.; Mrs. Salmond, 10s.; Mrs. J. W. Robinson, 10s.; Mrs. W. Moorhouso, £1; Mrs. Bridgo, 10s.; proceeds of dance, ladies of the Marine Lispection of Machinery, £4 10s.;-Mr. H. Bridge, Opotiki, £1 10s.; collection boxes in Red ■ Cross Rooms, 10s.; Miss Sidoy, 2s. fid.; Mrs. Henry, £5 Is. 2d.; Taihapo, payment for 1 materia], £50; Mr. Guvier (Capetown), 2s. 6d.; Mrs. Holder, sale of flowors, £1 Is.; Anonymous, 45.; Mrs. Judah Myers, 10s.; Mrs.' Hagerty, £1 os. 6(1.; Miss 0. Richardson, £1.

' > « Time Time §■=£ gw _.ri vlion fflicn gja £- «g suckling suokliiiB lime c c £ £j SS began. . finished, taken. H. n ,- r<.a BJ | Friday, December 3. * 4.«<i.m. 5.5a.m. Mmin. 4oz. Jon <Soz 9am 9.20a.m. .. 3Joz loz 4>.oz 12 noon 12.20 p.m. „ 2oz 2ioz 4ioz 3 p.m. 3.20 p.m. „ 1 oz 2ioz 4oz . 6 p.m. 6.20 p.m. .. 21oz 2Joz %z 10 p.m. 10.20 p.m.. ., 3Joz ljoz 4Joz ;. 16iqz lOoz 26£-oz ' Wciglit, 91b. lljoz. .. Saturday, December 6. , 4.45 a.m. 5 a.m. 15min ■ 3ioz Hoy. 4Joz 9am. 9.20 a.m. 20min 3oz ljoz 4Joz 12noon 12.25 p.m. 25iuin 3Joz lioz /ljoz 3 pm. 3.15 p.m. 15min Uoz " 3oz 4ioz 6 p.m. 6.25 p.m. 25mto 2Joz 13oz 4ioz 10.15 p.m. 10.30 p.m. lSiniit 3$oz lfoz 4:?oz 16Joz lOJoz 27}oz Weight,' 91b. lSJoz-gain of 4oz in 3 days. I Thursday, December 11. 4.40 a.m. 4.55 a.m. 15min 3oz 2oz 5oz 9 a.m. 9.25 a.m. 25min 4Joz — 43oz 12.10 p.m. 12.30 p.m. 20mui 2joz 2oz 4joz

J p.m. 3.15 p.m. 15min %tn 2loz 4ioz 6 p.m. 6.20 p.m. 20min 2Joz 2Joz 4jos 10.15 p.m. 10.30 p.m. 16min 3ioz lioz 43oz 18oz 9Joz273oz