OUR BABIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 25 June 1927, Page 17

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.)

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

NATURAL .FEEDING. We give the following true histories to illustrate the way in which natural feeding has been established in apparently hopeless circumstances. What has been done can ibe done again, and we hope these stories may encourage mothers to seek skilled help and advice before deciding that natural feeding i.s impossible for them to achieve.

Although in all the histories we give results were attained by residence 1 in a Mothercraft Home, these were all cases of extreme difficulty. In many less difficult circumstances the skilled advice and assistance of a district Plunket nurse is sufficient, although a short stay in a Mothercraft Home is always an advantage. Apart from the routine treatment for increasing the milk supply, the mother has thereby a complete rest and change, and is relieved of all rosponsiibi lity for the baby, which in itself is a great help in establishing the milk.

Mother and Baby No. 1. This baby was a beautiful normal baOy at birth, weighing 81b. On the third day the mother became very ill and was taken to hospital for treatment, and the baby was suddenly and completely weaned. She naturally suffered from the shock of sudden weaning, aggravated by unsuitable food, irregularity of feeding, etc., and she steadily went downhill. In the meantime the mother slowly recovered, and when the baby was almost six weeks old she returned to her home. One can imagine her distress when she found the baby, whom she hadi left so bonny, obviously ailing and weighing only 611 b. More to comfort herself than in hope of having any milk, she put her baby to tlie breast. The Plunket nurse who had been asked to call strongly advised sending the baby to the nearest Raritan© Hospital, and, as the mother was heartbroken at the idea of parting with her baby and a drop of milk could be pressed from each breast, slie suggested that the mother should also go, and so it was arranged. At first the baby obtained practically nothing from the breast, but a teaspoonful or so of milk could lie expressed, and she was put regularly to each breast every three hours for a few minutes, and the artificial food was carefully adjusted. The mother was given much rest in the open air, ample fluid, and good, simple food, and as she got stronger extra, stimulation to the breasts and outdoor exercise. At the end of one week the milk had increased to ooz in 24 hours, and at the end of tlie second week to 10oz. In less than another week the supply was up to 13oz, more than half the baby’s daily, need, and mother and baby went home. The mother was feeling well and happy, and the baby had improved out of all recognition. Her weight had started to go up immediately _ after admission, and she gained 1-Jlh in less than three weeks, weighing 91b ' 2oz when, she was taken, home from Karitane.

All went well at home under the supervision of the Plunket nurse, and the milk continued to increase. After two weeks mother and baby were again admitted to' Karitane for 48 hours to ascertain just how much bot-tle-feeding was still necessary, and it was found 1 that the milk supply was fully up to the amount required. The bottle was discarded, and was never again required. At three months old halby weighed 11’lb, and by the time she’ was six months she was over the average weight for her age, and was still entirelv breast-fed.

We have given this case in detail in preference to others where the baby had' been weaned after breast-feeding had! already been established for some weeks, because it illustrates the possibility of overcoming the difficulty of illness in the mother. This is a common reason for weaning; yet this mother had been very ill; she had necessarily been given drugs and medicines which tend to dry up tbe milk, and no attempt had been made to preserve the supply, and yet breast-feed-ing was fully restored after nearly six weeks’ complete weaning. How much easier, then, if some milk is maintained in the breasts by means of regular expression during the mother’s absence.

Mother and Baby No. 2. This baby was two and a half months premature, and weighed only 2.)1b at birth. She was admitted to Karitane when four hours old, and the mother cairn© 10 days later. The milk was expressed by hand and breast pump from the first day or so, and after admission to Karitane the supply rapidly increased, and was maintained in spite of the fact that .the tiny baby was too feeble to suck at the breast at all for more than six weeks.

Although the strong suction of a normal baby is the best stimulus to the secretion of milk, the fact that a baby is premature or feeble does not make the establishment of the' supply impossible. Skilled hand expression, manipulation, and massage can do wonders, tiding things over until the baby is strong enough to suck. Mother and Baby No. 3. This baby was put to the breast for the first two days, but -lie could not be made to s-uek, and it was then decided to abandon all idea of breastfeeding. The baby was fed 1 on various patent foods, but though lie gained in weight in the first six weeks he made no further progress in the succeeding month, and was miserable and ailing when mother and baby were- admitted for treatment- when, he was 10 weeks old. The babv refused to suck the breast at first,' but this difficulty was soon overcome, and when discharged four -weeks later he was obtaining looz daily from the breast and only ooz ot artificial food. At three and a half months old he was fully breast-fed in spite of the fact that at 10 weeks old he- had never sucked at the breast at all. , „ Mother and Baby No. 4. This baby was weaned on the second day because the mother developed! a breast abscess, -which was subsequent—ly operated upon. The baby did not thrive, and' the food was * frequently changed. On admission of mother and babv for treatment there was some fluid in each hrea-st, although the one which had been operated upon was quite flat and deeply scarred. In spite of this fact, the function was completely restored, and this breast became equal in size to the other, the scars only noticeable by a slight discolouva-

tion. Breast-feeding was completely established when the baby was two and a quarter months old. We have taken the latter two very remarkable histories from the records of the Mothercraft Training Centre in London, where Sir Truby King’s teachings are so splendidly taught and) carried out.