OUR BABIES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 28 July 1928, Page 17

OUR BABIES.

Published under the auspices of the Royal New' Zealand Society for the Health of Women dud Children (Phiuket Society).

BABY’S FIRST MONTH. ’Wo in New Zealand me justifiably proud of our infantile mortality figures, buit we must -not 1-oir get that we still 1 lose uuneoessaniy a great many babiies »«• tne iii|Sf-month of Jite. Of an tiie baoies who die belong they are a year old two-thirds die box ore they reach one month of age, and the greatest propoition of theoo do not live to be a week ohl. The closer to the moment or birth the higher is the proportion ox dearths, i . , , , This sounds alarming, but, or course, tire vast majority of all babies are born healthy. The great point is that the causes of these very early deaths a,re closely connected with the mother’s ista<te of health before and »ttu her baby comes. Therefore tne thought of these deaths of tiny babies sliould bring inline to every mother the absolute necessity for her to seek the very b-est possible” ante-natal advice -an-u medical and nursing caae, and to follow the advice she isi given. Then she has no causa whatever lor anxiety knowing she has done everything she can to enable her to carry her baby normally to full term and to bring naan inito- the world strong enough and ready to adjust himself to the conditions of his indepandent existence. Naturally the first month, is not an easy one even for the normal baby, and we should think and plan for his comfort and good. A bapy who has been floating in a warm bath at blood temperature .protected from- shock, injury, o:r hostile germs, with food and oxygen constantly supplied to him, is suddenly called upon to manufacture heat, resist germs, digest food, and obtain his own supply of ogygen. We will never be able to alter these fundamental condition's, but with care and forethought we ought to be able to reduce their strain on baby’s system to a. minimum. “With a new-born baby we axe faced with two .problems': first, we must protect him, and make life as easy for him as we can ; secondly, we must start him on the right lines'. The [ manner in which any bodily function is performed serves a'g a pattern for the manner in' which it will 'be carried out a second time or a. third or a fourth. We do not want baby to gat into the habits which we must inevitably' undo at a later date if he is to develop on iiealthy, hygienic lines. There is no need toi get baby into a single bad habit; but he must bo only gradually accustomed to the full hardiness of good habits. For example, take the matter of breathing. We want the Little baby to s’.ee.p well and soundly, ire want to keep him warm ; but neither of these needs should :be an excuse fou' allowing baby to .sleep with bis mouth open. Care must be taken on the first day, -as much as on the one hundred and first, that the bed coverings do not come over baby’s mouth and that his little nostrils are .clean, so that there may be no sort of hindrance to his breathing the way Nature intends. Should the little mouth fall open it should lie gently propped up. The habit of mouth breathing is sometimes formed during the first week of life, with results 1 that stretch far into manhood. Thus in every detail we shall seek to strike the happy mean—on the one hand remembering the importance' of regular rhythm and the formation of good habits; and on tire other the delicacy of the new-born. We shall part him straight into lii-s cradile. hut it will be a warmed cradle; we shall feed! him every three or every four hours, with no night feed, but only with the special food Nature provides, and only for a few minutes a.t a time: we shall give him a hath, hut it will be with unusual precautions: we shall have the room properv ventilated, bat baby will be carefully screened from draughts.

‘‘Too great care cannot be taken to prevent the little one losing heat; but this does not mean keeping kirn in a stuffy over-warm atmosphere'. A rubbar bottle with a flannel cover should be put in his cot and the room warmed before hie is taken out of his bed for feeding or bathing. On the second day lie may he left in an unwarmed. wellventilated room for a few hours; then he ma.v sleep by a wide-open window; and, finally, if the weather is kind, say on the third day. he may fio right out of doors. His eyes must -always be protected from glare in the early days—they are very sensitive to light.”