OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 62, 6 December 1919, Page 9

OUR BABIES

IBr FlYor.u.l

Published under the auspices of tho Koyal Now Zealand Society for tho health of Women and Children". "It In wilier to nut up a fence, .it thn top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance ai the bottom."

How can one measure what a child takes from the breast This is done by wcijhiiiß baby immediately befuro and immediately alter Iti-ii-inc. Tins should be done on several sintensive occasions, Jiaby need net be undressed, but .jitac pojuieil on tnc scales Uccurato grocers scales weighing to null an ounce must be used) immediately be'.ovo tnii niotner starts ,10 suuKle and mimodiateiy alter baby haa finished, ttheu accurate scales are not otherwise i-cnvotu-ently available., weighing can be arranged for at -the l'mnkel .Nurses' rooms. It should be specially noau mat tins weighin" gives ihe inoihsr very iiUle truiiiiio iimecd, because then: is no need to strip the ba.'uy or estimate the weiftht ot ltseil or its clothes. All that is needed is to find out the dilVerence in the tolalweigm ol baby and clothing hctiorc. and alter suckiinsr. The difference between tho llrst wcigaii.g and the second gives the quailtiiy of milk which the baby has taken during the feeding. If on comparing the Quantity taken with the proper <iuantuy for weight and ags (see tabic for feeding, page 32 of the society's book), it is found tuat too littlo lias been taken, th.< nuasuily should be made up by suppleilluming with the exact amount of properly modified, adjusted milk to make up tor tho dofieiency. If, on the contrary, it in found that the baby has taken decidedlv too much, the time- it is allowed lo reliiaiu at tho breast should he. diminished accordingly, or the mother may prevent ditch rapid sucking by compression or withdrawal of tho nipple (luring the time allowed. Of course, the mother should hear in mind thai the Quantities given in- tUs feeding table are averages arrived ot by 'ascertaining the ijuantity per feedi»i' taken by hundred* of haahhy, normal baoies. It docs not follow that this averago figure reprcceiits exactly the quuutity suited for the most perfect nutrition and development of an individual baby. On the contrary, it is found sometimes that ono will thrive best with a HUle less food, [mother will do best with a little more. Nothing is more striluug than the extensive tiivfii'gei.ces trom the proper quantities of milk drawn from the breast tbut si.ro allowed to go on for weeks or even months without the niothor suspecting that her baby is being starved, on tho one hand, or overfed en the other. It is not at nil rare to find on weighing thai a. baby who lias not thriven has been habitually receiving half, or evmi less than half, his pioper quantity cf milk; while there are many who draw half as much again as their normal supply. Tho latter may not appear to sutler mush owing to the tendency of the stomach to reject a part at lease of the excess soon alter feeding, but overfeeding always lends to damage Die digesiite powers and overtax tnc kidneys, liver, etc., to that in the long run overfed babies grow less perfectly and succumb to diseiue more readily than those who take only a proper quantity of food.'

Tho mother should turn to the illustration (page 10, "Ft-ediu;; r.nd Care .of Uaby"l, and read the description and remai'lts on panes 10 and 11. She should a;so read "Weighing Breast-fed Jlabiou Jieforo and After Suckling," page cl.

What is ono to do ivhen the baby goes to sleep boforo havimj taken sufficient to last tho correct nuinuer of hours?

The mother often supposes that tho haby IiHE not had enough when ho has roally takon all he should have. 'Ihe fact of boiiiu Eomuolcnt points in this direction. Or it may bo duo to the fact, that, bavin; bee.i used to moro frequent feedings, he tends to j>o off to sleep it-fore, a thrco hours' supply has been s mulbc'd. Or ho may ' not have sufficient stimulation and activity—tho euro for this condition l.fcing more outing and exercise. On an individual occasion the tendency lo drop off to sleep may be mastered by a littlo rubbing of tho limbs and moving the liippb about in -he mouth with the lingers, so as to stimulate sucking.