OUR BABIES.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VIII, Issue 668, 13 May 1914, Page 2

OUR BABIES.

Published under the auspices of the 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 the bottom."

A MOTHER'S LETTER. The following letter was received by the matron of the Karitana Hospital the other day from a mother in the backblocks:--"I hope you will excuse me troubling you. I wish you would tell me what is beat to do for my baby. He is a week off four months, entirely breast-fed, a good average baby. When he waß about two months old he began to be troubled with his teeth, also with his bowls. He rarely has a natural motion; but he is not constipated, but more inclined the other way. I have tried a good warm bath, rubbing the storaai:h with warm oil; twice I gave him oil, but it had no effcet. At present I am giving him orange juice, and either apple or peach juice, stewed, one teaspoonful twice a day. I keep him as regular as I can, holding him out after his bath. He now knows what is expected of him, and Btrains hard, but rarely has a motion. I generally have to use the soap pencil; often he appears to have a good deal of pain at the time. He is otherwise a healthy, bright child. His motion ia often slimy, and sometimes greenish, with curd. He seems to be subject to indigestion. I tried a little fresh cream lor him, as used in the hospital where he was born, but his stomach could not take it. 1 might mention that, since I can remember, I have been troubled with indigestion, and up till less than two years I suffered from ulceration and inflammatiun for several years. Baby just gets his six feeds in the 24 hours; no night-feed-ing. He sleeps outside as much as possible. Before he was two months old he used to be rather relaxed, having two or three motions in 24 hours, and almost every napkin was silghtly soiled. I have no woman neighbour or anyone here who could give me proper advice, and I am thirty miles from a doctor and seven from the telephone, so I am anxious about baby. He is my first child. Although I have had a great deal to do with babies, I have not seen any like him. Would you please Fend me one of the Society's books "What Baby Needs." Enclosed you will find stamps for payment. Send "Feeding and Care of Baby" if it ia better. Hoping lam not troubling you too much.—Yours, etc." REPLY.

The matron of the Karitane Hospital sent me the letter you wrote her about your baby. She tells me she has posted you the Society's larger book "Feeding and Care of Baby.." You will notice on page 111 that it says, "A constipated child should always be regarded on the verge of diarrhoea: babies readily pass from one extreme to the other.' 'You will understand from this fact why it is that you find it hard to say whether your baby's tendency is towards constipation or diarrhoea. However, what you describe is a condition founded, apparently, on constipation rather than diarrhoea,though the state of irritation and formation of slimy mucus, etc., in the lower bowel tend to cause lax and sometimes unduly frequent motions, alternating with costiveness. In these cases the

evacuation of the bowels is likely to be incomplete and unsatisfactory, eo that several successive motions may not clear the system as effectively as one good complete motion. DON'T CONTINUE IRRITANTS. It is not desirable to get into the habit of using a soap stick, because, as explained on page 62, Boap tends to cause more or less irritation and the appearance of slime in the motion. A little water gently injected into the bowels by means of a small bulb enema, specially made for babies, holding only an ounce, and provided with a soft rubber nozzle, is much to be preferred. All such mattei-3 are fully dealt with on pages 62, 63, and 110-112. You should thoroughly master these pages and deal with your baby accordingly. The bulb enema I have described can be got from your storekeeper, but, of course, he will have to send to town for it. The wholesale druggists keep a stock,and the storekeeper in writing to town ought to specify: "A bulb enema for a baby to hold an ounce, provided with a soft, pliable, rubber nozzle, not one or gass." You would probably have to pay about Is 6d for it. The use of cream would tend to do barm rather than good. Sometimes a small teaspoonful daily of good malt extract proves beneficial. Fruit juice generally agrees, and tends in the right direction; but occasionally one comes across a baby whom it does not suit, especially if given before the fifth or sixth month.

ATTEND TO BABY'S RIGHTS. There is no condition which benefits more by strict attention to all the simple essentials named on pages 1 and 2 of the Society's book than constipation such as you describe. Just a little more all-round tone? health and vigour seta the baby right. On no account omit plenty of fresh air day and night, plenty of outing and sunshine, plenty of kicking exercise, daily stimulation and strengthening of the belly by rubbing, etc. ARE YOU ALL RIGHT YOURSELF? Bv the way, there is a matter which I should have spoken of first of all—namely, the question of your own health and habits. You say you have been troubled with indigestion, etc. It is never too late to mend in 3uch matters. For the sake of yourself and the baby you should study the advice given on pages 9 and 10. If you would only carry out the simple regiment for health outlined in the book, it would tend to make all the difference in the world to you and the baby.

IS BABY OVERFED? You mention that curd somtiinas appears in baby'B stools. It is possible that ycu are over-feeding him. This point - can only ba acsertained definitely by weighing baby before and after nursing every time for 24 hours, thus finding out ju3t how much he drawß off daily from the breast. See page 57 "Feeding and Cere of Baby." Knowing this, you have only to turn to page 34 to find out whathe* the supply 13 more or less than ought to be given. There is no exact standard requirement; but.practically speaking, the table shows ths best allowance for any ordinary baby, within a few ounces.aomo need a iittle less than is shown, few need more.

OTHER PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS. However, I am afraid you may not be in a position to borrow a weighing machine. In any esse it will be well to reduce the number of fsedinga to five in the 24 hours, as shown on the lower "clock face," page 35. This often proses beneficial at four months, or even earlier. In all probability the change will improve mattars, a3 it will give the stomach more rest and time for complete digestion. A baby dues not necessarily take less food when given only live instead of six feedings in the 24 hours, but the organs tend to do their work better, and the increased interval proves benefiial to the mother also. It occurs to me I have not mentioned that the giving cf a little more fluid—say from one to three tablespconsful of plain boiled water twice a dsy between feedings —often proves helpful. Further, if ot&Br measures fail, you might try the daily use of a teaspoonful of the best olive oil, which sometimes dogs good where a baby has constipation. This and many other useful hints you will find in the book. You should read all the earlier part at your leisure, because there are many points bearing on the health of yourself and the baby which one is unable to deal with in the course of a short letter.