OUR BABIES

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 118, 21 May 1910, Page 15

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia.) Published under the auspices of the J Society for tho Promotion ot tho Health of Women and Children. "It ii wiser to put up a fence it the (op of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom." ADDRESS OF PLUNKET NUKSE AND SECRETARY. Wellington— Plunket Nurse M'Donald, 73, Aro-street. Tel. 2*25. Hon. sec, Mrs. M'Virar, 45, Majoribanks-atreot, City. Tel. 2642. Plunket Nurses services free. TOP-MILK. Last week we promised to point out irhy ib is better to use the term "topHdilK," and not "thin cream" when speaking of the upper fourth of milk which has been set for the preparation of humanised milk. Mothers sometimes worry becauso what they expect to be cream appears too thin and more like milk. It is quite true thai the lower stratum of the- lOoz to be removed from the quart of milk usually set (to make 30oz of humanised mil*.} is not only not cream, but is, indeed, not even milk. The lowest layer of the lOoz is merely "skim-milk," but the layer on the very surface isi thick cream, twice as strong as we want, and the layers between the top and_ bottom are of intermediate strength, which diminishes steadily as we descend from 20 per cent, to 2 per cent. Imagine tho f 'top-milk" to be composed of ten layers of an ounce each — the top layers very xich in fat and the bottom layers very poor (mere skim-milk, in fact) — then the blending of all these layers will give a "top-milk" of the required strength — Dot what would ordinarily be called "cream," but a "top-milk" about three times as rich in fat as the milk from .which it is derived. It may be asked, "Why not use the term '12 per cent, cream, 1 instead of 'top-milk ?' " as being more definite and precise. The objection is that the percentage of fat in the cream will commonly vary between 9 and 12 per cent., according to the quality of the milk, *nd to othei factors, such as the time expiring between milking and setting for cream, the rapidity and degree of cooling which can be brought about, etc. The richer the milk, the sooner it is set after milking, and the greater the chilling that can be effected (short of freezing) the richer will be the "top-milk." Any "top-milk" which contains between 9 and 12 per cent, fat will yield a humanised milk with between S and 4 per cent, of fat in it, which is as close_ as we need go for an ordinary practical standard. The range of variation of "fat-contemt" in homan milk is as much as or m'oro than this. When preparing humanised milk, some mothers, after taking what appears to be all the cream from the quart set, add lome more cream from the household milk, because they* wisti to do the best possible for their babies. They do not pause io consider that, by departing from the instructions in this way, they are giving their babies too large a proportion of fat, and so tending to upset them, besides altering the proper relative proportions of sugar, fat, and proteid which are essential for the best nutrition of their infants. As cases like the above have been brought to our notice on several occasions, the term "thin cream" has been cut out 'of the recipes in the new book iw« are issuing. Tho terra "top-milk" only is now used. HUMANISED MILK. It may not be out of . place here to state that the recipes advocated for the preparation of humanised milk have been arrived at after most careful study and calculation, and have been frequently tested' by analysis! They have now beenused practically unaltered for five years, and personally I have never had to do with a baby which failed to thrive when humanised milk was used and the other essentials for healthy living were practised. NATURAL FEEDING. Readers must not imagine for a moment that the bociety advocates the use of humanised milk or any other artificial food. What it does advocate, and wishes to see practised in every case, where possible, is natural feeding by a healthy mother who attends to the mairrienance

of her own. health, and who gives her baby all the other essentials for health in addition to the inestimable gift of its proper food. Let mo here warn mothers who are feeding their babies naturally that breastfeeding alone is not sufficient to ensure good health. Fresh air, exercise, regularity of all habits, including times for nursing bady, are as important for your infants as for thohe who are boi tie-fed. Alwajs feed baby at the proper time, whether asleep or awake. If necessary, wake him. Some babies take their 10 p.m. feeding while practically asleep. It is only when for any reason a baby cannot have its birthright that we say, with all the intensity of which we aie capable, that he ought to have the neares approach to his natural food which it is possible for us to prepare. Even if the preparation wwe difficult it is surely the least wo can do to make up, as far as may be. for our failure to provide proper nourishment. However, tho preparing of Humanised Milk is really quite easy/ It takes less time to prepare a 24 "hours' supply than it takes to make the cako or pudding for tho household which nowadays seems to be so necessary an article of daily diet. THE LETTER^ FROM HAWEEA. We seem to have wandered somewhat from Ethel's letter. We shall now turn ,to it again. Question II. — "la there «uiy objection to the use of an ordinary medicine boitle, with a teat, for a, feeder? The AUeiibury bottl'3 and other similar styles have cue .great disadvantage — the plug has* an. annoying little way oi popping out at unexpected moments, especially wiien one has a good frock on. I 'have seen infants fed from ordinary bottles, such &s I describe, and they do not appear to have suffered any ill effects." , Reply. — As you will see ftrom, the extract I i&hall give in a subsequent •aa'tiicle from the society's new Dook (atoub to be issued), we do not recommend the use of the boat-shaped feeder. The objection you raise is not mentioned, altihough it is a real inconvenience. I can remember my own first experience of it when I found that a baby had apparently finished its feeing with inconceivable rapidity, whereas the milk had really drained away through the plug "popping" out. The simpler tihe bottle tTi9 better, but the medicine bottle is not simple, and is one of the most difficult forms to cleanse owing to the angles at the bottom and tho shoulder. The "square" shoulder is most objectionable. In this respect the old soda-water bottle, which mothers sometimes used as a feeder, was much better. However, there is no trouble now in getting- bottles of a much better form than either the medicine or the soda-water bottle. The> best type ia a cylindrical bottle, rounded at the bottom, but slightly flattened outside so that it will stand up, and gently curved at the shoulder into a broadish neck, readily admitting tho passage of a brush. By the ivay, the brush sold for cleaning baby's bottlesi is generally too soft and meagre^ — a stouter, more serviceable bottle-brush is better adapted for Tapid scouring. Whatever kind of brush is used, it should be kept scrupulously clean, and should 1 be used for no other purpose. It should be thoroughly scalded at least twice daily, and should be hung up in a dean airy Eliace when, not being -used, instead of eing left lying on. its side. If the mother can tlo without a brush, so much the better. There is no difficulty in keeping a feeding-botitle clean if the mother washes it first with, cold water and then with warm water and soda immediately afteT use — wihich should be the invariable rule. A simple evidence of imperfect cleansing is the giving off of an offensive burnt-hair smell, and slight brownish discolouration on strongly heating the bottle in the oven. If the 'bottle does not become perfectly clear on simple washing, a few fragments of clean raw potato, raw turnip, or aiiy such con be shaken up wdtih. the water in the bottle. This will remove any cloudiness which is not firmly and toughly attached, and which is not lodged in a crevice or corner suoh as one would have in a medicine bottle.