OUR BABIES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 228, 25 August 1938, Page 14

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia). Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children “It is wiser to put up a fence ' at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the hot- ' tom.” , DIFFICULTIES ASSOCIATED WITH BREAST-FEEDING. LATE ESTABLISHMENT OF LACTATION. Sometimes, especially in the case of mothers with first babies, the milk may not come in for some days or even a week or longer. Vigorous suction is the l>est method of inducing the flow of milk, and baby should be put to both breasts every four hours, and the routine treatment for increasing the milk supply given. (This treatment we will discuss later.) No mother need despair of her supply coming up. There are instances without number that one might refer to of mothers who had given up nursing from supposed inability to feed their babies who have after a period of 6ome weeks worked up a full supply agairis In the meantime, whilst working up' the supply, the baby must be aiven complementary feeding until he il able to obtain his full requirement from his mother.

There may l>e a decrease in the supplv of breast milk after the motliei l>e<>ins to get about and starts to do her own work again. This is probably only a temporary matter, and the likelihood can he safeguarded against it the mother will only take things quietly for a few days and not attempt too much work, and avoid worry and

excitement as much as possible. Always remember that baby comes first at this stage. Once a baby is properly established on breast-feeding lie will thrive and be contended, thus leaving the mother more freedom to fulfil her many calls and home duties. , ... An excessive supply of breast milk may easily cause trouble with your baby. I once heard of a mother who fed her baby every two hours m order to relieve the discomfort ot her breasts. She did not realise, of course, that she was obtaining her ease at the expense of her baby’s digestion and health —perhaps for -life. If a baby habitually obtains too much food, he may-grow rapidly for a while but will sooner or later show signs of indigestion and colic, with consequent tretfulnese and loss of weight. The only method of discovering how much baby is getting is to test weigh him for at least 24 hours. By test weighing him I mean to weigh him on accurate scales before and after feeds and to total the amount lie obtains for the day. If baby is only slightly overfed, regulation of the intervals of feeding and of the time at the breast may be sufficient to rectify the trouble. When indigestion is marked you may need to start treatment by giving a dose of castor oi (one teaspoonful), then give baby boiled water only Tor one feed; next give an ounce of boiled water, followed by a few minutes at the breast Gradually decrease the amount of hooted water and increase the time at the breast until baby is obtaining his correct quantity of breast nulk. Scales suitable for test weighing can be borrowed from the Plunket Society, and the regulating of your upset baby should be carried out under the supervision of your Plunket nurse.

The mother’s breasts and nipples themselves may present difficulties in feeding baby. Very small or inverted nipples are troublesome and baby, not being able to take hold after repeated attempts, gets cross and may refuse to try longer. The use of a clay pipe or breast pump to draw out the nipples before putting baby to the breast is most successful as a temporary measure, and a strong sucking baby sometimes complete the cure. Cracked nipples are very painful, and must be remedied as soon as possible. -If very painful it is wise to take baby right oft the breast for a day or two and treat the nipples, thus giving them a chance to heal. The milk must be expressed at the usual feeding hours and given to baby from a bottle. The nipples must be carefully washed and dried, and touched with some healing substance such as friar’s balsam. When possible, gradual exposure of the breasts to sunshine is a wonderful healer.With leaking nipples the treatment is to improve the tone of the muscles of the breast. Bathing with hot and cold water alternately for five minutes twice daily is very tonic in its effects, and exposure of the breasts to sunshine again gives excellent results. Avoid hot, heavy, or constricting

clothing, and take legular outdoor ex-! ercise. The recurrence of the monthly period may cause a temporary decrease in ’ the milk supply, followed, j naturally, by a cross baby. In this case complementary feeding may be ■ necessary for one or two days, but should not be carried on longer. Through illness of the mother the breast supply tends to decrease, but should be maintained by regular suckling if possible. Should the doctor think it inadvisable for the baby to be nursed at this time, the supply would be maintained by regular hand expression. Even if this stimulation has to be omitted, the supply often returns again when baby is put regularly to the breast. If baby does not thrive the mother very often jumps to the conclusion that her ‘milk is at fault. This is possible, but not at all probable, and is very seldom the cause of the trouble. However, when trying to find the reason why baby does not thrive, a specimen of the mother’s breast milk may be tested to find its fat percentage. The Plunket nurse will guide you here and arrange for-the testing. Sometimes the f»t percentage is too high. This may be rectified by the mother choosing her diet more carefully, drinking plenty of fluid, especially water, and taking plenty of exercise. Also baby may be given some warm boiled water before his feeds. The mother’s attitude of mind lias a decided action upon the secretion of milk. If she is over-anxious about nursing, or docs not want to nurse her baby, the supply will be affected. The emotions have a great deal to do with determining the composition and quality of the milk and affect m many ways the health of both motliei and child." The following passage from Charles Beade’s “The Cloister and the Hearth” is the most suggestive and entirely true : _ “The child is poisoned. “Poisoned! By whom?’ ~ “By you. You have been fretting. “May indeed, mother. How can 1 help fretting?” “Don’t tell, me, Margaret. A nurs-

ing mother has no business to fret; she must turn her mind away from her grief to the comfort that lies in her lap. Know you not that the child pines if the mother vexes herself?” The best nursing mother, keen to feed her baby and confident that she will do so, will be happy and contented and will radiate joy and helpfulness to others.