OUR BABIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 August 1940, Page 8

OUR BABIES

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the is Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). 10 " "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance it, nt the bottom.'’ :s, li. is CONSTIPATION. 1it Some Practical Suggestions. First and foremost, give baby "what >■ every baby needs." Pay special attenV tion to fresh air day and night and y plenty of exercise —combined with Cl freedom to kick and play and a good >' lusty cry occasionally. Don’t have baby all day in the kitchen, and don’t overis clothe him. Nothing tends to ent- feeblement more than coddling in ;s warm, stuffy rooms. e Secondly. train baby in regular •- habits. It is best to start training a baby who is normally healthy and strong within the first week or two, "holding him ou,t" over a little cham- " ber or special small basin held between , ’ the knees. Of course, it is necessary to ’ support the little back well against the j chest and to hold the thighs firmly up ’ against the baby's abdomen. Don’t continue the lesson for more than a few '• minutes at first, so guarding against inti jury, fright, or exhaustion of the tiny i- baby. The bowels tend to act best just y after a meal, and baby should be held e out regularly once or twice a day after meals, always at the same time. e If there seems to be a natural tendency for the bowels to act at a certain time, as there often is, try and forestall this movement if possible. Thirdly, if the baby is breast fed, the mother should see that all her own habits are regular, and that her bowels move once a day. Constipation in the mother is bad in any case and may cause or aggravate constipation in the baby. t If the baby is bottle-fed consult the ■ Plunket nurse, and make sure the food ■ is correct in proportions and amounts.5 Indigestion arising from the use of ; patent foods often causes constipation, ‘ alternating with diarrhoea. Too much ■ curd and too little fat in the food, : as is the case with “mere" diluted 1 cow’s milk tends to cause obstinate ’ Constipation. Too much fat may have 1 the same effect. Boiling makes the 3 food more binding, and this should not r be continued .over a long period unless for some special reason. Too little f food and too little fluid both tend to - cause constipation. Babies artificially 3 fed are usually constipated in the first 3 month simply because it is absolutely 5 necessary to give a diluted food at the beginning. The trouble tends to right itself naturally as the food is made stronger. Give the baby extra fluid in the form of warm boiled water —from a few teaspoonfuls to an ounce or two between meals according to the age. This is good whether the 1 , baby is artificially or naturally fed. Massage of the abdomen, skilfully ’ done and persevered with over a good ’ period, affords a very successful means ' of toning and bracing up the muscles s of the bowel and of the abdominal wall. f ‘ Often a perfectly normal motion will ' occur almost immediately the baby is held out after five minutes or so of \ really deep massage of the abdomen. * | Unfortunately the movements are rare- ' Ily done efficiently, the mother or , '. nurse being afraid to apply sufficient pressure or being unable to avoid ex- ‘ citing the resistance of the muscles. Try ( the following method: —

The first essential is to realise just what one is doing. The large intestine starts just above the outer part of the right groin, runs upwards to the margin of the ribs, and then curves sharply and runs across the abdomen. just above the navel, to the margin of the ribs on the ether side. There again it make a sharp curve and descends to the left groin, where it passes downwards and backwards and ends in the rectum, from which the motions are passed. The object of the massage is to reach ■ and brace the muscles which form the 1 wall of the abdomen. Therefore the manipulations must be done, not on the 1 surface, but deeply and firmly, follow- ! ing the course of the bowel in the ' direction of the onward moving con- 1 tents. If the pressure is exerted c suddenly or jerkily or continuously 1 without allowing for breathing, the 1 child struggles and resists at once, and 1 the abdomen becomes “as hard as a 1 beard.” So a right beginning is all- r important in this as in other things. c Lay the baby comfortably on the knees or on a table or bench. Attract his attention if necessary, then stroke the abdomen very gently in the right b direction—that is. with a circular E movement over the course of the large 1 intestine using a warm, oiled hand. As n baby becomes used to the movements' press deeper and deeper, mainly with 1 each intake of breath (when the abdo- " men naturally tends to relax). In c this way one can finally accomplish say, five minutes of deep, firm pressure in successive waves, as it were, with- B out arousing the opposition of the P muscles or the objections of the baby. ° The massage may be followed by a c few movements exercising the baby’s 1 legs, alternately stretching them out G and flexing them on to the abdomen. h However, the deep massage is the n really important thing. Baby should be held out. afterwards. If no motion a results at first do not be discouraged. n Continue the treatment regularly t! every day at the same time. The best " time is just before feed time. fi