OUR BABIES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 692, 18 June 1929, Page 5

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia. Published under the auspices of the Royal Nevv Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Soc»ety>. “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambuhnee at the bottom.” DIARRHOEA Treatment of a Threatened Attack If a. motion appears green when passed, the mother should be on her guard at. once, and should observe carefully the next motion. Sometimes a motion becomes green or greenish after being exposed to the air for a time—this is of no consequence. Sometimes the motions are slightly' greenish when passed, or partly greenish, hut on rubbing with a coiner of the napkin it is found that they are mostly yellow. If there is also some partially undigested food in the motions, this is a sign that the babj 7 ’s digestion is being overtaxed in some way. The food should be diluted for a few feeds, and worked up to full strength again gradually, or otherwise adjusted by the advice of the Plunket Nurse. These slightly' greenish stools do not necessarily mean that an attack of diarrhoea is threatened, but they should always put the mother on her guard, for. as we have explained, indigestion is the main predisposing cause of diarrhoea.

If a second green motion is passed. ! ! especially if it is relaxed, and is passed within a short time of the first, the mother should proceed as follows, whether baby is breast-fed or bottlefed:— 1. Give a dose of castor-oil —one or two teaspoonfuls, according to age. The average need is an ordinary teaspoonful (not a small afternoon teaspoon), but a very small or delicate baby may need less. 2. Give boiled water only for the i next two or three feedings at least. (If j the baby' is breast-fed the mother must draw off the milk from her breasts at the usual feeding times, either by' ex- ; pressing with the fingers and thumb of by breast-pump or soda water bottle. ii See “The Expectant Mother and Baby r ’s First Month.”) If the green and frequent motions still persist, and baby appears to be getting worse, continue to give boiled water only and call in a doctor. If the motions are improving after the oil and water for two or three feedings, and baby does not appear ill, proceed as follows: 1. In the Case of a Breast-fed Baby: Give a few ounces of boiled water immediately before nursing, and allow baby to suckle for a few minutes only', at the next feeding give rather less water and a slightly' longer period at the breast, and so on, the amount of water being cautiously reduced at each feeding and the suckling prolonged ac- | cordingly'. It may be necessary' to i take several days or even a week or ! more to get back to full normal feed- • ings. 1 2. In the Case of a Bottled Baby: > Either proceed according to the inl structions on p. 22 and 10S-109, “Feed* ( ing and Care of Baby,” or ' Discontinue humanised milk for a i few days, giving instead a mixture of ! skimmed milk which has been boiled I for 10 minutes and diluted with water. | At the first feeding after the period on boiled water only', give 1 part boiled skim milk to 4 parts boiled water. At the next two feedings give 2 parts boiled skim milk to 3 parts boiled water. At the next two or three feedings give 3 parts boiled skim milk \p 2 parts boiled water. I If all is now going well, there being no further green or frequent motions, undiluted humanised milk, boiled for five minutes, may be introduced into the skim milk and water mixture, until in the course of a few days or a week or more (according to progress) the baby may be taking only boiled humanised milk. The time of boiling may' then be reduced by' a minute or i two a day. until the mixture is merely j scalded or pasteurised in the usual way. j Fat, whether in the form of top I milk or New Zealand emulsion, is not j well taken in some cases of diarrhoea, i and if given too soon or in too great ; quantity, after even a slight attack, i may cause further trouble. Always reduce the fat in baby r ’s food after an attack of diarrhoea by reducing or discontinuing the time of setting for top milk, or by discontinuing the emulsion temporarily if the baby is on humanised milk No. 111. Work up the time of setting again gradually, or

reintroduce the emulsion by giving one teaspoonful in the 2 4 hours to start with, and increasing the aniouut by* about half a teaspoonful a day until full strength is reached, being guided in each case by the motions and baby's condition. In severe cases of diarrhoea it maybe necessary to cut off fat almost completely’ from the baby’s food for a considerable time, giving the boiled skim milk and water mixture (in the proportion of about 4oz of skim milk to loz of water) for a longer period before introducing any humanised milk. Qisoontinue fruit juice during the attack, but if all goes well, reintroduce it gradually as soon as tbe motions have been normal for a few days. Though quicker progress than that suggested may' be made, it is always safer to err on the side of “going slow” than to advance more quickly than the mother, relapse. A competent nurse can usually' advance more quickly' thau the mother, because she knows more about the symptoms and evidence which point to mere improvement on the one hand or to practically' complete recovery' on the other. Older Children Treat threatened diarrhoea in tl\e same way—that is, give an adequate

dose of castor oil aud nothing but boiled water for two or three meals boiled water, boiled milk diluted with rice water. Work for two or three meal Then get gradually back to the full diet by means of simple, easily-digested food. It is naturally impossible to give definite rules which will apply to every case. Imagination and common sense are necessary in this, as in everything. Consult the Plunket Nurse if one is within reach, or write to the nearest nurse or Karitane Hospital for advice if you are in doubt or difficulty 7.