OUR BABIES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1909, Page 15

OUR BABIES.

«i {By Hygeia.) Published under the auspices of the I Society for the Promotion of the Health ot Women and Children. FOOD. 10OD FOR EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS. DIET DURING PREGNANCY. The diet during pregnancy should bo good, simple, digestible, and nutritious. Ihero is no need for any special food preparation?, oi for taking appreciably more than would bo taken at other times. Tho common counsel to "eat for two" is absurd, 6eeing that the weight of a mother and her unborn babe soarccly exceed her ordinary weight. Women often bring on indigestion through accepting the advice of nurses to take an excess of food, especially of soft, sloppy foods. Tho special need of. thd expectant mother is plenty of open air exercise, and exposure to the elements, and a sufficiency of rest and sleep. This, with freedom from undue worry and excitements — a pleasant, active country life, with no suggestion or trace of invalidism— is the ideal condition. Regularity of habits is all-important, and avoidance of the bodily and social conventional trammels to which women subject themselves — from oonfctriction of the waist and feet to the ties and inconveniences of excessive "calling ' and being called on. . None of the special or patent foods which have come to bo so much used of late years show any advantage over ordinary fooct substances ; indeed, tho iiundred-and-one forms of baked flour, etc., that enterprising business firms have induced people to buy by clever advertising, prove one and all when carefully tested to be less nourishing and digestible than simple crisp toast. Truly and literally they are dull, stale, flat, and unprofitable, except as regards the pockets of their proprietors. DIET FOR NURSING MOTHERS. . As for special dieting during nursing, the main point is to take more fluid than at other times. "Water may be used plain, or in tho form of barley-water, milk and ■water, etc. ; and a certain amount as broth, weak tea, coroa, etc. The less the mother takes of tea and coffee tho better, and there is practically nothing in cocoa beyond the flavour to cause it to bo so much recommended. Does anyone realise that a whole breakfastcupful (lOoz) of the best cocoa, made of tho ordinary strength, contains less nutriment than a single ounce of milk? Of course, milk and sugar may be added, but apart from such additions there is practically nothing in the way of food in a cup of cocoa. However, of all such drinks cocoa is the' least harmful, because it contains a smaller proportion of alkaloids to act prejudicially on the nerves, and it is free- from tannin. Fatty cocoas and chocolates tend to cause indigestion. Taking any kind of food or food-drinks between meals is injurious, with tho v>ossible exception of a glass of milk and water (equal parts), which is' permissible, say, twice or three times in the twentyfour hours, with nothing in the way ' of cakes or sweets. Beer, stout, or alcohol in any form should be strictly avoided. Of course, one knows the irtsomonefs of all counsels of perfection, but what I have said may at least serve to help mothers to hold out a little against tho tyranny of ordinary conventional habits and irregularities, which place such a severe task upon the long-suffering internal organs. The despotism of dieting is nothing compared to the despotism of social customs and functions, which take no account of the laws of Naturo or tho demands of health and comfort. Gruel is all right if taken in moderation, but it exerts no special influence over the secretion of milk, beyond tho fact that it is one way of taking water. Further, it is a good thing to mix some thin gruel or barley-water tfith milk, as it renders the curd lees dense, and therefore more easily borne and digested. On the other hand, the food taken at ordinary mealtimes should be dry rather than" mushy- or' fluid, and it is better to take no drink while actually eating beyond, gay, a few spoonfuls of soup at the commencement of a meal. The staple article of diet at Carlsbad and other such leading health resorts and "cures" is Zwieback, which is equivalent to crisp toasl (made by drying bread one day old, by standing it iv thin slices on odge in an oven with the door ajar and then toasting it until buff), or pulled bread" (made from twist loaf pulled apart, dried, and crisped in the oven £"*" tn e white surfaco becomes slightly buffed). Being quite dry, thorough mastication and insalivation cannot be avoided • and to most people there is an aehial pleasure and stimulation in crunching quite crisp -food. Nursing mothers would do best if they took mainly dry food at meals, along with a reasonable allowance of eggs, fish, ( hghtly-cooked meat, vegetables, fruit light puddings, and, say, about a pint or a, phvb and a half of milk in the twentylour hours— best taken warm just after or betwesn meals, with boiling water or thin gruel and not drunk at a gulp. A reagonable quantity of milk is beneficial, but the nursing mother often overtaxes her digestion by taking an excess. Personally, I am quite satisfied that in ordinary life food taken only three times in the twenty-four hours, with the main quantity of fluid drunk just after each meal and. as a part of it, and no food between meals, ib best; but it is perhaps an open question as to whether the nurslii.? mother may not in some cases be beneJited by taking- midway between meals ,0; cupful of weak fluid food (say, milk tvith water, gruel, barley-water, or cocoa), though plain wator would sufnoe. In this matter some concession may be made to ingrained habit, preference, and personal .idiosyncrasy ; but on many grounds my own opinion is that during nursing, as at other times, with few exceptions, thert-j-ould bo better digestion and appetite, better nutrition, better health and spirits-, sounder slc-ep, arid a more normal seci-e-*Jj£ ot milk, if the mother restricted hcr52fltO^akins foocl threc i ° r at the most 7W' i_ tlmes ln the . twenty-four hours, though she might with advantage take ft glass of water or barley-water between times, and must tako a sufficiency of such fluid 111 the twenty-four, hours— an average of between one and two pints more fluid than she would when not nursing. Of course, there should, be plenty of variety,^ and all food should be as palatable and appetising as possible, apart from lattiness, nchne&s, iinduo seasoning, etc. Ihe latest scientific investigations confirm the > paramount importance of "enjoying" one s food, at well as thoroughly masticating it. Everything known to be difficult to digest, such as pastry, rich cakes, hot buttered toast, fried bread, fried potatoes, fried, overdone, or recooked meat, c ' c -> should be avoided ; and caution should be exercised in the use of cabbage, which often causes wind. On the other hand, it is a great mistake for the nursing mother not to Have food pleasantly flavoured, appetising, and to her taste. There is no objection to the use in moderation of ordinary condiment 5 !, such as pepper and mustard, but pickles and currier should be avoided. Not only should foocl be heartily enjoyed, but every means should be taken to avoid worries and sources of annoyance, because the emotions have so much to do with determining the composition of the milk and affecting in other ways the health of both mother and offspring. Tho following passage from Charles Reado's "The Cloister and the Hearth"' is most eußgestive and entirely true:— " 'The child is poisoned.' 'Poisoned! By whom?' 'By you. You havo been fretting.' 'Nay, indeed, mother. How can I belli fretting?' 'Dcm't tell me, Margaret. A nursing mother has no business to fret. She must turn her mind away from her grief to the comfort that lies in her lap. Know you not that the child pines if the mother ivexes herself?' "

The Melrose Lodge No. 66 U.A.0.D., held its fortnightly meeting in O'Donnell's Hall, Kilbirnie, on Thursday, A.D. Brother Marlow presiding!* Some spirited discussions . took place during the business. Tluee new members we.ro prOpoi>ed. A vote of thanks was passed to the visitors, D.P. Brother Crombie and Brother Scott, both of Pacific Lodge, to which D.P. Brother Crombie briefly responded,. »