OUR BABIES.

Clutha Leader, Volume XLII, Issue 91, 23 May 1916, Page 7

OUR BABIES.

[By Hygeia.j W'lblbhol under the auspices of the tor mi' Health of \Vomeu and 1 (.■liilil |Cll ' ~ wlmt to put up a fence at the t -j liit'i-ipi<'e than to maintain an jit; »> MISLEADING advice. When wiling last week on the sub- • of erroneous and misleading advice 1 i fm.tv directions liable to be given bv prejudiced or badly-train--5 monthly nurses, I promised to jjive 11C notes of a typical case ot the kind rticli en in e under >»}'• notice some time ' ILLI'STHATIVE CASE. The ca.-e war> one of a baby born vtion (T an<i healthy who had. been irtJiit i<> fe'i' 1 !' :l • slatt ' of debility by month* ol misguided nursing that lb mother in despair sought entry for i-rsflf and her ch id to the Karitane 1 Harris Her who was ' jnontib old, was emaciated and iWhed though fi he "-'.< l !°hed over 9ii> at birth, and should in .iJVaiitiine have increased to 12ib-- ■ j other words, she was fully 41b below her normal weight. The following is a resume ot ro*< s taken down at the time fro-a the pai ts I'hev wne a young couple entirelv wrapped up in their first-born and most' anxious to do their baby full justice. Their story was given with iiniple frankness and left no doubt in one's mind as to its being quite reliable. A BIG. FAT, STRONG BABY. Jlaby was strong, plump and big at j birth, weighing over 91b. The nurse „ (J t the mother to suckle every two ' Sours throughout the day and to give j night feedings besides. _ > Habv slept well, 'and seemed satisy; but us she cried occasionally the nurse thought she might ibe better with some elmuge of food, and, though there ins more than enough breast-milk, gave j li tr two bottles a day of artificial food containing arrowroot and oat jelly—one feeding being given at about 10 a.m. and the other at 6 p.m., instead of allowing the mother to suckle at j time times. | The baby appeared to the parents to | have been thriving ideally previously, j and at first the new food caused no ap- | pretiable change; but presently it was ' remarked that the baby tended to vomit after the starchf i'oedngs, though she ' kept down the breast- milk all right. PEHSEYKHE IN WRONG DOING. ' However, the nurse said they should ; persevere, and it was not until the baby was thoroughly ill and obviously losing weight that a further change in the I feeding was made. By this time the kbv was six weeks old, and the parents j were becoming worn out with worry j and broken sleep —the baby crying on ' and off the whole 24 hours—the same 1 baby who in the first week or two of i life, when on the breast alone, had been i ii ideally sound sleeper and a model of plump contentment. I The muse had used a dummy from ' the start, and baby had developed j "thrush' 1 when onlv; two weeks of age. I When on breast milk alone the motions we normal and the bowels acted i regularly, but soon after a.rtificil feed- : i "ig was begun the liowels became con- 1 ftipated. and once they did not act for ' three days. Further, baby was troubled with wind and stomach-ache. CHANGE TO PATENT FOOD. The nurse now decided on a change in the artificial food, and a patent food *as given night and morning; but this *#> vomited, and as the mother was: feeling Horn out and her breast supply j *as fading, a doctor was consulted", i He ordered 3oz and later 3soz of pep- i 'lonised milk to be given every two , hours day and night—except when the W>y happened to be asleep. As the halw never slept more than two hours, it follows that on an average 12 feeding were jriveiv in the 24 hours- —the fatal quantity taken being about 350z. i oho took her food ravenously and greed».v, but n.s vomiting occurred after almost every feeding much less than the quantity taken was retained. KRROKS OF OMISSION. Tlie niiiv never hinted that any at- ' tuition should be paid to the rate of Imluig, and when I drew the parents' ; mention to the fact that a whole allowWc was gulped down in three minutes. 1 said the baby never took more j™?. ' ol| r or live minutes over a bottle ' iwding. On examining the teat I 5 l ' u , a i K ' r ature large that the would flow passively through it '"•out any, appreciable exertion on the Wt ol the ha by. (See remarks and ! Orations on pages 87 and 88 of the book. "Feeding and Care of ' s ' low ' n g how to choose and test teats,) amoving the "binder" tiiMiS s st fortnight, the nurse control " s V ,* found th© baby ~ ml i tw<3 binders—a flannel S( , O ™ a hnw one—at eight weeks of i e rtVßs suffering from exbnttocks. hk!,o™ p ' ettl l ' u ' '' s t- omissions and nurse, I have only . Id that the parents said she had m *° k« e P the baby in Harm - i,' n ' because it ws winter time, tin f aith in the reliability of this lJw \ v w ' have assented to «rontl for tie fact »t had been PmP ,ni l )rc^ swl them that the Wt wn lr#s ? ( ' an o l ' ro «s one. Had this there i rn ° ( ' n oai ' r ied into effect ■ th-st +iT n L O '' wls °n whatever to suppose - The ' lfi of lying in warm. 'i'tosV i' 31111 ''rcatliing the exlialaIfnrpriut .t would have so far % W '' s v itality that it could otherV' l n ewfu!l - v against ttebsu; , tlle agencies. As.it was, ijm y just won through. Proper systematic care prove a^l 10 " began to imn<l wag doing splendidly.