OUR BABIES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 172, 21 April 1928, Page 20

OUR BABIES

By

"Hygeia.”

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women aud Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” MOTHERCRAFT HOMES. The Plunket Mothercraft Homes—which are situated at Auckland, Wanganui, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Invercargill—are designed to demonstrate and teach practical niothercraft, and so to prevent the troubles which arise in babyhood as the result of early weaning or mistakes in management. They also meet the needs of the mother with an ailing breast-fed baby who, for one reason or another, is not doing well ou the breast. The mother whose milk supply is failing or has failed may come in lor treatment, which, in almost all cases, results in complete or partial restoration of the milk supply within a few weeks. In very many eases natural feeding has been fully re-established after days or even weeks of weaning, ajid in some instances this has been aceomplishet* after eight to ten weeks, even when the baby- lias never been wholly breast-fed to start with. Mothers and babies can also be admitted for 24 hours’ observation and test-weighing, in order to ascertain just how much milk the baby is getting from the breast. The nurses in charge of the Mothercraft Homes have had much experience in the management of ditliculties connected with natural feeding, and arc skilful and understanding. It is their aim to make every mother feel ‘‘at home,” and to make her realise that she and her baby are being considered as individuals with individual problems for solution, not as “cases” in for treatment.

All the homes are very simply equipped, but they are comfortable and restful. They are run in connection with the Karitane Baby Hospitals, but are conducted separately. All the homes are beautifully situated, with sunny verandas, gardens, and in some of the centres very wonderful views.

The second fortnight or so of a baby’s life is apt to be a Little critical, especially in the case of a lirst b:)by. The mother, perhaps young and inexperienced, may find herself unexpectedly weak, nervous, and easily upset when she returns from the nursing home or is left by her nurse. Unskilled in the management of her baby and beset by conflicting advice from wellmeaning people, she is worried and confused, the baby’s crying harasses her, and she loses her milk, or overfeeds under the impression that the child is hungry. In a very short time a beautiful, healthy breast-fed baby may become an ailing bottle-fed, and the radiant young mother anxious, nervy, and exhausted. This, perhaps, is citing an extreme case, I)ut in some form or degree the story is all too common. The mistakes are not due to carelessness, but to lack of knowledge. Only knowledge, rightly applied, can correct the results of the mistakes and- prevent recurrences. The Plunket nurse can do much to help, but home circumstances often handicap the mother, and here the Mothercraft Home can be of the very greatest service. The mother may dread leaving home, but once she has made the plunge what a tremendous relief it is to hand over the responsibility of baby to skilled, experienced* people; how restful it is to know that, the next meal will come along cooked, and that there will be no crying baby to disturb the night’s ’ sleep. A few days, or a week or so of this lightening pf physical aud mental burdens works wonders, as many hundreds of parents would testify.

Better still is a short stay at a Mothercraft Home directly after leaving the maternity hospital, so that the mother may be helped and assisted back to full health and strength, learn to manage her baby, to have courtdeuce in her own power to feed him fully, and know that he is gaining satisfactorily and sleeping well. The lessons learnt in such a way are of incalculable benefit to both parents and baby, and tlie saving in worry, nervous strain,

and possible unhappiness can scarcely be estimated.

The care of premature babies is another important part of the work of the Mothercraft Homos. These wee mites can he admitted for skilled care within a few hours or days of birth if desired. The mother comes in Inter in order that the baby mny be established nt the breast. The Plunket Society hones that every woman who rends this column will remember the Mothercraft Homes and their purpose—“to help the mothers and save the babies”—in case of her own or another's need. Any further information will gladly be supplied by the matron's or the Blanket nurses. The maximum fees are four and a half guineas for mother and baby, but. reductions are arranged when necessary. according io circumstances. And no mother and bnhv needing care and attention which a Mothorcraft Home can give is ever refused admission on account of inability to pay the fee.