OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 170, 12 April 1919, Page 5

OUR BABIES

I'B'f HTcr.ii.l Published under the auspices of the Royal Now Zealand Society for tho Health of Women and Children. "ft is wiser to put up u fence at tho top of a prccipicc than to maintain au ambulance at tho bottom." BALANCING BREAST-FED BABIES HEFOItE AND AITER NU]iSING. (Continued;) Last week we promised to give the history of a caso showing the great benefit which will almost certainly accrue to mother and child (where a breast-fed baby does not appear to bo thriving) if the infant is weighed immediately beforo and immediately after suckling, and any deficiency in Quantity is made up by properly prepared and adjusted humanised milk. AJf INTERESTING KECOBD. An expectant mother in our neighbourhood. who led an indoor and rather sedentary life, had a. good deal of anxiety for some months before the birth of her child on account of poorness of blood and slight haemorrhages. She had tho ttndoncy to constipation usual under such circumstances, but did her best to com bat this and other disabilities. However, she was not well enough latterly to got about much. Iler boy was born at a maternity hospital. Before this some of the glands in tho mother's neck began to swell, and later became so seriously affected that they had to be operated on when tho baby was a few weeks old. Tho operation gavo her groat relief, but she continued anaemic. The baby, which sho was a bio to feed naturally, did fairly well, except that there was marked constipation. The mother was advised to live practically out of doors, taking a fair amount of walking oxercise, and to keep hor bedroom windows open all night long ptlio other hygienic essentials were also Impressed upon her. There was soon a considerable improvement in tho condition of both mother and child. ij !? n tllc was J ust over 811 weeks old the mother had a very severe attack ot tonsuitis. She could not swallow any-thing-not even water-for two days. Iler triends advised her to wean the baby, and as she was feeling very weak and miserable, she asked the doctor whether she OUi ~i? 'i" 60 ' ®' le told me his reply was: Certainly not; it' you do you may get something worse." For a month no solid food could be taken, because her vf can . 10 K'' e atly swollen and "so stifftnat the jaws would not work." Almost tue sole food taken at this time was egg beaten up with milk. During this month the baby's health began to suffei, and the mother thought ho was not satisfied with hor milk/ Both mpthor and baby were troubled with constipation; to combat this the baby had been given malt extract and olive oil. Ihe home was again visited and the ventilation' and hygienic conditions were further gone mto. Tho best position for the cradle was pointed out, £o that baby would get pure, fresh, uncontaminated outside air; and a means was devised for keeping wind from blowing directly on to mm. At the same time sleeping in the ' open porch in the daytime was insisted on. Absolute regularity with regard to I lecdinr. cU'., were enjoined, tho mother wa? advised to remove the binder, which : was still in use. and the other hygienic 1 essentials, as laid down in the society's book, were again impressed on the : mother. Some o'rango juice was recom- ' mended in view of tho persistent constipation.

Baby Weighed Before and After pursing. J \ R ti le baby did not seem contented and the mother had difficulty in swallowing a BuiUcicncy of food {remember she was nble to tako fluid food only), she was advißed to woigh the baby carefully, before and after suckling, at three successive nursingß. For this purpose a set of accurate scales was lent to her. Tho baby, which weighed 71b. at birth, had thriven fairly well almost up to this point, and the falling off was accounted lor by the fact that the amount of milk derived from caoh nursing, as now ascertained by tho scales, varied from 2oz. to 307,„ instead of about 4joz.-thc standaid allowance for his weight and age Jt was no wonder, therefore, that ho had been growing restless, fretful, and dissatisfied. The very first time the deficiency was mado good by allowing l-loss. additional, ho seemed contented, and slept during the afternoon. Tho additional food consisted of equal parts of standard Immunised mill; fliecipo 111, pago 23) and sugiir of milk solution (Eccipe I, page 22); tho_ latter being gradually cut out so that at the end of live days humanised milk was taken pure. '

Why Bother About Weighing? n,n ho n iS ld ' f ? shl i oi i !d • nu !' se ' or a mother of tho old school, is inclined at this staco to say impatiently: "But why bother w u f l r? l ? h,n K ; tho fact of a baby boin? til - and shows he is not Edtine enounli. Why not just give S n °?'°?" ? f? ' om tho bottI(! without woild B?v- "Jw" 1 ? CaSoa ou f ot tcn sl'e wouia saj. iry two or three linttln food PBS a day in tho placo of Buckling |"! " lilk may a <-'curaulate." i , whatever would be made to' ascertain how much the baby really need0 , plln ? t i hls haphazard plan it wa, found almost invariably that babies fWI Ihn'HLfl 4 tlm broast ""d Partly from tho bottle were overfed, and soon began to suitor from putting up of food in ind.gcsion. This fact is so well re^ Si » » ®. an ? nurBOS al ' e strongly op. posed to mixed feedinp," and urcfor in wean the baby at once when the breii? bupplj falls short of tho needs of tho inat ijl in'idor c ? ntinue hrcast-fcediiiß rnnWni ? s0 clr cumßtancos, tiicy renf I,nß - at niKht on 'y °n the Eiournt of convenience.

Tho Why and Wherefore. n I hero is no reason in the world ivhv mixed feeding" should jiot agree The 1 ot i <1 3 is easily arrived at by finding out precisely how much the breast aupply falls short, and hen si nnln ST siu * wWc pTp« as Dossihln tn tH° ai, P ro ?9hine ns near <is possioio to the composition of normal ised mill™ othol ' words - lnlma n. isfMtorv Ult Ain pr f ac . tice 's more than sat. ibiaciory. Almost invariably' tho hnhv which has been pining and frettinir comes comfortable and hippy j&uallv Sbf'o? tlat "suallHe SSM: monly if the mother gives horsclf tho furfreshed q" T # T" 0 oUt<l ° ol, exer ci E e, iresner ai„ m tho house, more suitahln fcodlng aad due attention to other hvBienic needs, the breast supply goes on mf.wu' lmßr ° viu K both in iiuality and woo? 60 Ul6 course of a few necdei BU PP lom °ntary food will bo This iB in striking contrast In wlnt Jisuaily ensues under ordinary haphazard s S^SiZLi'Tl^l'sA "toaV'o? I, 41 '," a ff lfi<; ' al P«PMa«S? in® mSo mi fhA y if hc » po J tlon needed to i ul °Wiors shortage at each tad™ Tr 0 n V 'fno ßin % , ,° 3hoff Si " ns 0f of h?s »f,?p UentI f y "n" 8 a 'portion SI. » i?i sl ! ffer s from colic, and mav bp troubled .ivith diarrhoea or con-llnn tion The baby beingstill ftotfjl tho ♦ nu hwomes lesfl and le^s is« ; ft-sa no/ivo « ir Bto secrcli '"i afforded by vf.o^K tod - TWnUar'i.tS. titvnr is because the quanM tr itrf' 1 I s - J"** <•«" g&gmms torLV" ap1 ° i'Vßicnic rcßimcn f-c fos of a fow" Ctt '! 1,8 . lrained tlic course where allT' , 0n the other ite^M f ok,3r f? " 810 and sunnk- i 1 ]s rem ovcd—demand •inu supplj regulating one another.