OUR BABIES.

Marlborough Express, Volume LIII, Issue 273, 20 November 1919, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

By Hygeia. Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for tae Health of Women and Children. "It is wiser to put a fence at the cop of a precipice than to maintain an. ambulance at the bottom."

A fortnight ago we began a reprint of some articles which appeared in this column over nine years ago. We shall continue the reprint this week. The articles were written in answer to a Mother's letter.

THE INFANT AND THE NATION

Our correspondent is quite right when she says, speaking of the mother who feeds her young baby artificially, "but then perhaps she is the most in need of help"—only the word "perhaps" might have been omitted.

Dealing with the infant and the nation on a book on "Infancy," published in 1910,- Sir John W. Byers, M.A., M.D., Professor of Midwifery and Diseases of Women and Children in the Queen's University at Belfast, says:— . It is fifty times as dangerous to feed a baby on cow's milk as on breast milk, and a hundred times more dangerous to feed on condensed milk than on breast milk— and this though the risk of life is the least important element in the case. To quote Dr Chalmers, of Glasgow: "The dead baby is next of kin to the diseased baby, who in time becomes the anaemic,. ill-fed, and educationally backward child, from whom is derived later in life the unskilled ' casual' who is at the bottom of so many of our problems." Of this physical and mental deterioration I have had ample evidence in an industrial school in Belfast. I shall leave my readers _this to ponder- over, merely pointing out that if we of the present generation were to commence now to earnestly 4>ackle the difficulties in regard to motherhood and babyhood which the last hundred years of our civilisation have brought to a head, the ultimate solution of the problem—the swinging back to normal—could not be effected in one generation. THE AIM OF THE SOCIETY. The aim of our society is to ensure as far as possible that in the future every girl baby born in the Dominion shall be so reared as to give her the best possible opportunity of develogping into a normal, happy, healthy woman, who, if called on to fulfil the sacred duties of wifehood and motherhood, will not fail in any of them.

Of course, it is unfortunate to have to commence with ourselves— ; mothers of to-day—who in the vast majority of cases are the victims of unsuitable upbringing and unhealthy habits as to dress, exercise, etc.; but we must begin with ourselves, and do our utmost to wipe out the errors of the past and to ensure a better future.

We. feel that in this we should have not only the heartfelt sympathy of all parents i"n the Dominion, but also their support as members of the society. The annual subscription of ss, necessary as it is, is even less important than active co-operation such as is shown by our correspondent. We trust we shalll have both from the reader.

It is a great pleasure to receive letters which show so . clearly how anxious the mother is to do the very best for her children. I need scarcely say that we shall be glad to answer any questions with regard to breastfeeding or any other matter which comes within the legitimate scope of our work.

THE1 LETTER

(Continued.) I often wonder if many mothers have quite the same trouble as my sister and I have had each* with three babies, a,nd wondered if you could give advice. Just lately my sister wrote to a Plunket nurse, and *has received such helpful letters in reply that she advised me to write also in any difficulty. My baby is now nearly'> three months old, so many little trials are. over by now. The first thing I would like to know is about the diet of a mother during the first fortnight. Is it wiser td do as most old nurses advise and taste some of everything while still in bed, or "to live mainly on milk food and no vegetables? I. have tried both plans, and each seems to me to have its own peculiar evils. Of course, one is at the mercy .of the nurse to a great extent, and my last nurse, on finding that a baked apple caused the baby and ourselves a sleepless night, became more cautious, and for the rest of the time I lived mostly on chicken broth, bread, milk puddings, and gruel, all deliciously c made and much appreciated. However, when I got about it was considered high time I tried a little potato, jam, or jelly on my bread, and at odd times a piece of cake for tea. Nurse even tempted me with a little vegetable marrow one day while still in bed, saying it was quite harmless. But I had had previous experience with marrow, and declined. Baby has since got used to potato and marrow taken sparingly. . Several times I've had cake, with dire results. Next week we shall give the comment on this portion of the letter.