OUR BABIES ,

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12252, 6 April 1935, Page 10

OUR BABIES ,

By Hygela.

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

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

NATURAL FEEDING.

During the nine months before birth the mother is building early foundations of the tiny body which is, in the ordinary course of Nature, one day to grow into a man or woman. From the mother’s blood the first cells are formed, and these grow and multiply, until the normal infant at full term weighs from seven to eight .pounds. The importance of the mother’s health has been stressed in the previous articles, and now we follow on the path of baby’s progress.

With his first cry an entirely new circulation is established. The oxygen is now obtained from the air instead of from the mother’s blood, and so, as it were, with his first breath lie begins to he self-supporting. Ho learns to do his own work of digestion, and gets rid of all waste products through the excretory organs. Nearly all babies are born healthy, and it is within every mother’s power to keep them healthy. Why, then, is it that at a few months of ago we so often see these same infants fretful puny little things, and sometimes even below birth weight? In nine cases out of ten it is the result of wrong feeding because .of the failure or unwillingness of the mother to nurse her offspring. At least 95 per cent, of our present-day mothers oan cither fully or partially breast-feed their infants.

The first few months often determine the health of the child for life. Every mother should know how to give her baby physical fitness, and how necessary that she should realise that she, and she alone, can provide the right food for proper growth and development. Just a few selfish women contend that it is too much of a tie to get home at regular times to feed a baby; but surely this Is more often because they do not realise the importance of breast milk for their babies rather than that they are not willing to give it. AT heart, except in very exceptional cases every woman loves her baby well enough to give him his birthright when she knows its importance to his future well-being.

Before birth the baby obtains all food from the mother’s blood stream, and the stomach takes no part in the process. After birth the food is taken in through the mouth, passes into the stomach and intestines, whence it is absorbed into the bloodstream, and the waste matter is eliminated through the bowels and kidneys. Nature lias evolved a wonderful plan whereby the stomach is slowly educated to digest normal food. For the first few days there is found in the breasts a thin, watcry-looking fiuid called colostrum—a most valuable food, containing a large percentage of protein -of the same nature as that found in actual blood. Thus it can he absorbed with practically no effort on the part of the stomach and digestive juices. Gradually this fluid is changed into true milk, aiut thus Nature provides a perfect transitional food for the baby, educating the digestive system to perform its work efficiently. What a difference, then, from the unfortunate child who is denied Ms birthright—his own mother’s milk I A few hours or days after birth an entirely strange milk is passed into his stomach for his digestive system to deal with. No matter how we dilute and alter cow’s milk it can never he made anything really approaching human milk.

The exercise of sucking from the breast is of great benefit to the baby. This promotes a good supply of blood to the jaws, producing wellformed jaws, having plenty of room for the spacing of good teeth, and there is less likelihood of developing tonsils and adenoids. Almost without exception the mother who happily and successfully nurses her infant benefits her own health as well. She is doing a natural thing, and not drying up a natural outlet. Much can be done before the birth of baby towards successful nursing. Many failures are caused through cracked and painful nipples, which Gometimes lead to breast abscesses. The following treatment improves the general tone of the breast, and hardons the nipple naturally so that when the infant sucks it does not crack or feel sore:—

The nipples should he scrubbed with a soft nailbrush (kept for tlie purpose) or a soft toothbrush would do as well. A super-fatted soap, such «s Castile, should be used. If depressed, they should be pulled out daily and rubbed between ail oiled finger and thumb. If it i,s impossible to get the nipple out a breast pump may be tried. Daily laying of the breasts with cold water or using cold and hot • water alternately finishing with cold) also' helps in toning up the mammary glands. Remember that rubbing, fingering, or other stimulation of the nipples should not ho carried to excess —moderation in all things.

In next week’s article we will deal with the establishment of lactation.