OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2892, 11 August 1909, Page 66

OUR BABIES.

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Publiehed under the anspice* of the Beoitty for the PrometiOß of the Health of Woioen am& Children. M — ' - '"

'ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET KURSES AND SECRETARIES. iPuneain.— Plunltet Nurses Mrs Matheson and Miss Ellis. Office of the Society, Health Department Rooms, Liverpool street, Dunedin. Office hours, Monday, Thursday and Saturday, from 2to 3 p.m. Tel 1136. Hon. sec, Mrs Carr, 8 Heriot row. Tel. 1774. Cfhristchurch.— Plunket Nurses Morgan ana Macarthy. Office of the Society, 27 Durham street South. Tel. 940. Office hours, 3 to 3 p.m. daily, except Saturdays ana Sundays. Hon. see,, Mrs P. H. Pyne. Bealey avenue. Tel. 285. Ifollingfan. — Plunket Nurse M'Donald, 73 Aro street. Tel. 2425. Hon. sec, Mrs M'Vicar. 45 Marjoribanks street, City. Te]. 2642. ifcucklaud.— Plunket Nurse Cha-ppell, Park street. Tel. 851. Office of the society, 2 Chancery street. Tel. 829. Office hours \ Tuesdays and Fridays, 2.20 to 4 p.m. Hon. sec., Mrs W. H. Parkes, Marinoto, Symonds street. Tel. 240. ■Rapier. — Pkmket" Nurse Donald, Masonic Hotel. Tel. 87. Hon. sec, Mra E. A. W. H«n!-ey, P.O. Box 64. Tel. 147. Palmerstcn North. — Plunkei Nurse Henderson, care of TV. Park, bookseller, The Square. Tel. 20. Hours, 3 to 4 p.m. daily. Hon. sec, Mrs M. Cohen, Grey street. Tel. 58. (few Plymouth. — Plunket Nurs« Warnocfc. Criterion HoteL Hon. sec, Mrs R. J. Matthews. Timaru. — Plunket Nurse Bcvman. Office of the Society, Arcade Chambers. Tel. 314. Onice hours. 3.30 to -t.30 and 6.30 to 7.30. Hen. sec, Mrs Siniihson, FailJie, Sefton street. Tel. 230. Society's Baby Hospital, Karitane Home, Anderson's Bay, Dunedin. Tel. 1985. Demonstrations on points of interest to mothers are given by the matron every "Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 to 3.30. A.U mothers aro invited. Mcs&ages may be left at any time at the Plunket Nurses' Offices or private addresses. The society's official sheet of instructions, ■written by Dr Truby King, price 3d (postage free), and all oilier information available from the hen. secretary of each branch. POPULAR FALLACIES. There arc many deep rooted prejudices mnd popular fallacies regarding the proper care of mother and child that need serious attention bacauss they exercise, directly or indirectly, a very injurious influence over obild-life and health. Herbert Spencer realiyjd this very clearly half a century ago, and his words cannot be. too often repeated. Under the heading of " Instruction in I'akenthood " appears the following:— Seriously, is it not an astonishing fact that though on the treatment of offspring depend their lives or death . . . yet nofc one word of instruction on the treatment of offspring is cve t * given to those who will by-and-bye be parente? l€ it not monstrous that the fate of a new generation should ba left to the chances of unreasoning custom, prejudico, impulse, and faney — joined with the suggestions of ignorant nurses and the prejudiced counsel of grandmothers ?_ . . To tens of thousands that are ruined add hundreds that survive with feeble^ j constitutions and millions that grow up with constitutions not co strong as they should be, and you will have come idea i of the curse inflicted on their offspring by parents ignorant of the laws of life. Do but consider for a moment that the regimen to which children are subjected is hourly telling on them to their lifelong injury or benefit, and that there aro twenty ways of going wrong to one way of going right, and ypu will get some idea of the enormous mischief almost everywhere inflicted by the thoughtless, haphazard sj =ten" in common use. LIST OF ERRORS. Erboe I. THAT HUMAN PREGNACY IS NATURALLY A TIME FOS! lIEST, IDLENESS, DEPEESSION, AND BEMI-INVALIDISM. Nothing ol the kind. The pregnant ■woman should be radiantly healthy, happy, and uplifted. If she will only take plenty of outdoor exercise and lead a bright, healthy, active Mfc she need have no fear for herself or the baby. Error 11. JTHAT VARIOUS BIRTHMARKS AND BLEMISHES ARE LIABLE TO ARISE IN OFFSPRING OWING TO :- MATERNAL IMPRESSIONS " DUBINS PKBGXACT. Mother* should rid their minds of all such fantastic Ideas and silly worries. Error 111. URAT THE EXPECTANT MOTHER SHOULD "EAT FOR TWO." Absurd. Pure air, care and moderation iv regard to food, and healthy regular habits, including plenty of exercise, aro the essentials. Error IV SHAT STOUT SHOULD BE TAKEN BT EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS. This :s quite wrong. Alcohol in any form taken by the mother flows as a poieon in her blood. The tender growing cells of the baby, directly nourished by this poisoned stream, or fed with milk derived from it, tend to become stumed and degenerate. Error V. THAT THE NURSING MOTHER NEEDS FREQUENT FEEDING. Most nursing mothers overfeed and •feed too frequently, under the mistaken notion that this induces an increaeed flow of milk. In reality, 'stuning and taking scraps or sips at all times tends to ruin digestion and spoil the milk. By taking food only three times a day nutrition and milk 6ecretipn are better promoted and *ustained than if the digestive organs are irritated and overtaxed by more frequent feeding. A glass of water Morning and evening and' between meals ia good for the nursing mother, but sho is better without gruel or milk, except at or just after meals. The least objectionable of oi dinar} 'dietetic indulgences to the nursing another between meals would be represented by a single cup of unfatiy cocoa,

barley water, or very weak tea, none of Tphich should con-tain more th-an a quarter of a pint of milk. Cakes or solids of any kind should not be taken either between meals or near bedtinie. Of the above drinks tea is the least desirable, and should certainly be avoided at night. Ebbor VI. THAT THE BABT SHOULD NOT BE PTJT TO THE BBKAST UNTIL THE THIRD DAT This widespread fallacy is responsible for much bottle-feeding Milk is secreted mainly in response to the stimulus of active sucking, and if the breasts are not thus stimulated within a few hours of childbirth, and at regular intervals in the period that follows^ Nature may keep the blood in the pslvic organs and refuse to send an abundant stream to the breasts as she intended. Ignorant women say : "We advise delay because if the baby sucks it causes • after-pain 6. '" Quite so. " After-pains " are due to the- contractions of the womb reducing the blood supply and expelling clots, etc., from its interior, which might otherwise do Jiarm to the mother. To escape the possibility of a little extra pain for a few hours the mother is induced to sacrifice her own health and that of the baby. Ebbor VII. THAT THE KEW-BOKN BABE NEEDS SOME FOOD FOE THE FIRST DAT IF HE GETS NOTHING FBOU THE BBEASTS. The baby takes no harm if given water only (no food) for several days. If he fails to draw anything from the breast let him have a little boiled water or sugar-of-milk solution on the second day, not Eooner. Ebbor VIII. THAT IF THE MILK DOES NOT COME BT THE THIBD OB FOURTH DAT IT WILL NOT COMB AT ALT.. This is quite wronpr. A week or more should elapse before giving up putting the baby to the breast every four hours in daytime. Further, the breasts should be stimulated by sponging and massage. Ebkoe IX. THAT NOBSING SHOULD BE ABANDONED DIEECTLT IF THESE IS A RETURN OF MENSTRUATION. This is quite wrong. Menstruation comes on during nursing in a largo proportion of cases, and is a natural process which should not interfere with suckling, except whero the milk manifestly disagrees with tivq baby. Even then, all that is needed in the majority of ca^es is to keep the baby from the breast_for a few days at the " period," the milk being drawn off by a breast-pump for the time being so as to keep up the flow. ! N-aver ttfe&n simply on account of men- i stfuation unless under a doctor's order. ' The mother should always wean at once if she becomes pregnant. Erbor X. ; THAT PLAIN COW'S MILK, OE COW'S MILK, CANE-SUGAR, AND WATER, OR BARLETWATEE ARE SUITABLE SUBSTITUTES FOB MOTHER'S MILK. . An infant may live and grow in spite of wrong feeding, but why overtax an<l damage liim at all? The mother may bo sure that her baby will thrive better if , she prepares the proper substitute — viz., : humanised milk. Patent foods and con- j densed milk are the worst enemies of the modern baby.