Plunket Society.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 260, 1 November 1928, Page 2

Plunket Society.

ADDRESS BY NURSE. Advice to Mothers. In the course of an address to the Cambridge branch of the Women’s Division of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, Nurse Parker, Plunket nurse at Cambridge and Morrinsville, said she wished it to be understood that the Plunket Society wished to be a friend to any mother and baby born and was specially anxious that every baby should have the chance to become a strong, healthy child, and, later on, man or woman. To secure this end they must commence before the child was born. Every expectant mother could secure gratis advice from Plunket nurses the consistent carrying out of which would enable a mother to have a much easier confinement and start on

the right way to successfully feed her baby in a natural way. The 12 essentials for keeping a baby strong and healthy were : Fresfi air, pure water, suitable food, suitable clothing, bathing, muscular exercise, warmth, regularity of all habits, cleanliness, mothering, management and rest and sleep. Nurse Parker spoke briefly on all of these headings, giving useful hints and advice. The main object of the society was, she said, to keep the healthy baby well, and if these 12 essentials were conscientiously carried out the mother would be doing her best to give the baby a fair chance. The speaker spoke of the help given to mothers by the society’s nurses. Advice would be given on all matters, the babies could be weighed weekly or fortnightly, test feeding could be followed if necessary, and in many iother ways valuable assistance was given.

Nurse Parker also gave her hearers some details of the Plunket Society’s work in the Dominion. There were 64 Plunket districts, with 114 nurses ; also six Karitane hospitals, the parent hospital at Dunedin being used as a training school for Plunket nurses. The splendid work being done by the Karitane hospitals was explained in detail.

In concluding her address Nurse Parker impressed on those present that the Plunket Society was the 1 friend of women and little children—not their enemy—and the Plunket nurse was not the hard-hearted creature sometimes represented. The society had been in existence for 21 years and had not been found wanting.

At the close of the address the Mayoress of Cambridge, Mrs. T. F. Richards, who presided, expressed her pleasure at the very instructive and interesting lecturette, and on the motion of Mrs. Feisst a very hearty vote of thanks was accorded Nurse Parker.