OUR BABIES

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 12263, 26 May 1934, Page 8

OUR BABIES

By Hygaia.

Published! under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health] of Women and Children (Flunket Society).

“It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.”

NATURAL FEEDING

Tho field of knowledge covering the subject! of natural feeding is of vast extent, but in the meantime wo intend to give you only some advice and 'some of tho reasons indicating the paramount importance of breast feeding for both mother and child; Natural feeding—that is,- breast feeding—is host. for the mother and best for the baby. For perfect development of baby needs tho very host food available, and that is its own mother’s milk. This should also be ensured because of the bond of love existing between a mother and her breast-fed baby. Wo always do our best to establish natural. feeding whenever possible. Breast feeding is a natural procedure, and any departure from it should be regarded as an abnormality. Nearly every mother can breastfeed her baby for at least eight or nine months if sho has tlie desire to do so, coupled with tho confidence in her own ability. Tho failure of mothers nowadays, to d'o so often arises through lack of knowledge and wrong advice. If tho mother is strong enough to build and nourish her child for nine months before birth with her blood, then she should also be ■ able to suckle him afterwards. Tho blood which is puro enough to produce a normal, healthy baby must surely be pure and good enough to assist in the making of pure, healthy milk for the nourishment of the child.

“Accuse not Mature; she hath done her part, do thou hut thine.” Almost without exception all women can bo good nursing mothers. More than Four-fifths are good nursing mothers from the start. Almost all mothers who fail to nurse satisfactorily at first become able to do so with patience and perseverance in a simple routine treatment for increasing the supply of breast milk. The cases of failure of milk supply are exceedingly rare; absolute inability to suckle does not exist.

WIIY BABY SHOULD BE BREASTFED.

1. Milk is created for the baby in the breast of the mother, therefore it is the baby’s perfect food and his birthright. Why deprive him of this food and replace it with something quite inferior? 2. It. is a, food quite free of germs, because the milk is drawn straight from the breast into the baby’s mouth. (One has only to think of the various stages cow’s mdk has to go through before it finally reaches the baby to realise the importance of this consideration.

3. Breast milk is more easily digested than any other food; also it may he called the digestive of cow’s milk. If baby is given cow’s milk he will digest it much better if given even a small quantity of breast milk previously.

4. A baby bus better nutrition if lie has been correctly fed. 5. Baby tends to have better teeth because he has to work for his hiving, and so gets natural exercise for his mouth and jaws—not being allowed to idly lie whilo the milk dribbles into his mouth through a large-holed teat. 6. Biaby will have a better brain and better nerves, because the blood nourishes the brain and nerves. So you will see how feeding the blood with the best available food, which is breast milk, will render the blood purer and better able to perform its work.

7. Then there is a low mortality rate in breast-fed babies compared with those who arc bottle-fed.

<S. Again, the mother has better health. The blood used in nourishing the child before birth is directed to the breasts. The stimulus given by the suction 0 f the baby aids in this process, so that the pelvic organs shrink more easily, and there is less likelihood of the mother suffering from displacements, which so often occur ‘after childbirth.

9. Then, too, there is economy, both in time and money, which is a great consideration with so many mothers.

10. 'Wo sec that the natural food produces a, well-nourished and developed child who should be a- joy and comfort in the home, and not a fretful, weak sickly babe who is n, constant worry to his parents.