OUR BABIES

Northern Advocate, 24 September 1927, Page 5

OUR BABIES

(By Hygeia.)

A PLUNKET NURSE’S TALK ON FEEDING AIETHODS. (Continued.) COMPLEMENTARY FEEDING. When a mother’s milir’ is deficient in quantity the baby should be given a certain amount of modified milk to make up the deficiency. This combination of natural and artificial food is called complementary or mixed feeding.

WEIGHING BEFORE AND AFTER FEEDING.

Before commencing to complement with artificial food, it is necessary to find ont exactly what baby is really getting from his mother by moans of weighing before and after feeding with accurate scales. Clock-face or springbalance scales are no good for this purpose, but proper scales can be borrowed from the Plunket Rooms, or sometimes from a store for a week-end. The weighing must be done at every meal for at least 24 hours, because baby takes much more from the breast in the morning than he does in the afternoon, and the total for the 24 hours must be reckoned when estimating the amount of deficiency in the mother’s supply. This should be made up at once by following the breast feeding; with a small amount of artificial food by bottle. On no account must a bottle take the place of a breast feed,.for it is of the greatest importance- to put the baby to the breast regularly every feed, no matter how little he gets. The regular suckling is the best possible means of stimulating the breasts to secrete more milk. Even an ounce or two of breast milk is valuable to baby, and helps to digest the cow’s milk, so give him the benefit of all he can get from both breasts everv time. ‘ 11

The milk used for complementing baby must be carefully prepared, and the bottle should be all ready before you sit down to nurse baby, with some hot water handy in which to warm the food when baby has finished his ''first course.” Do not prolong the feeding time unduly. Suckling at an empty breast does no good. Five to ten minutes at each breast and five to ten minutes for the bottle should be quite long enough.

BEWARE!

Complementary feeding may easily lead to weaning unless it is skilfully managed. Beware of giving too much milk by bottle. Jso everything possible to bring up your milk supply, and err on the side of giving baby rather too little than too much complementary food. If you give too much he will not go hungrily to the breast, and if he gets the food too easily by bottle he will grow lazy and refuse to empty the breasts. However, we know of many mothers who have continued to nurse their babies partially throughout the nine months, giving a small amount of artificial food, perhaps only at two or three meals, over a period of several months. Baby very often gets enough at the two first feeds in the day, only needing a little extra during the afternoon and evening.

INCREASING THE MILK SUPPLY. If anyone would like to know more about bow to increase the supply of breast milk to fully enough meet baby's needs, I shall be very pleased indeed to answer any questions after this talk, or at any time. I can only say now 'that the supply can be increased in all cases, and almost always

to fully enough, with the right treatment and help.

A RTIFICT AL'FEEDING. When a baby is unlucky and has to be artificially fed, he immediately becomes a complicated little problem compared with his breast-fed cousin. Still, you can do much by care and attention to compensate him for his loss. Ton will ask yourself, "What is the best food for baby now?” And if you arc wise you will choose the lest and freshest cow's milk, from a good mixed herd, and will modify it as nearly as possible to the human standard.

ABOUT GIVING BABY HIS BOTTLE

At feeding time take the jug from tho cool safe, stir up the contents witli a clean spoon, pour out and measure into the bottle the quantity required for a feed. Place the bottle in a jug or basin of hot water (an enamel mug or pannikin does well) and heat the milk to a temperature of KHMeg. Pa hr., that is, to blood heat.

Put the teat on the bottle without touching the mouthpiece. Put the bottle into a little flannel bag to keep it warm, but have hot water handy to rewarm the food halfway through in cold weather if necessary. Cold food causes colic and indigestion. HOLD BABY’S BOTTLE.

Baby may be fed in his mother’s arms or lying in his crib. The former is the better way, except for sick or perhaps very excitable babies, because it is nearer to Nature’s way. The poor little bottled baby should not be deprived of his rightful share of “mothering.” In either ease the bottle should be held, maintains? a certain pull, so that the teat is kept towards the front of the month, and the V, »y actively suckling. Thtis baby is brought to suck vigorously, and the whole body is Stimulated and thrown into action in n manner. mote or less resembling the activity of tlie baby at the breast. Keep the neck of the bottle full Of milk, in caSe baby should suck iu air. ifcef a tike during , •' ■■■ 1 *

his feed, and give him a rest and a spell halfway through, helping him to bring up the wind then, as well as at the end of the feed, iP necessary. Fifteen to twenty minutes is ; long enough to take over the bottle. It is a good plah to have two teats—one with a small hole, so that baby must suck hard to get his feed at the beginning, when he is fresh and hungry,

and one ’'with a larger hole, so that he may finish up more easily,, and not take too long or get too tired Over his bottle,,

AFTEH THE FEED. When he has finished he should on no account be jigged, rocked, or played With. Unwise handling after feeding may be the sole cause of most trouble* some vomiting. He should be gently held out, changed, and put back in his cot, warm and dry, to sleep or play. tn conclusion,. I want to bring before you once again the most import* ant puiitS in cenWtiea itith' tbii

matter of how to feed baby: ■ .Firstly: Breast feeding- is the best, method —all others fall far short | of the ideal. Secondly; Test weighing before and after feeding, for at least 24 hours, is necessary before starting complementary feeding, if this can possibly be arranged. Thirdly: Every mother who has to 'i artificially feed, or even com* plement her baby, should ritudy the composition of the natural food, and know what it is she is going to try and replace and 'how to do it. ' Fourthly: With few exceptions four hourly feeding, with no night

feeding, is beat for mother and baby. Fifthly: The importance .of regu* larity cannot be overstressed. Finally* this is the age of the child, •today* 1 more thah eVet, our attention id fojiuiaed on the baby and his .health. that errors in and;

feeding methods are the undcrlyi , causes of the great majority ! ills. If you are constantly guided these few hints I have given yoi\, h see that yoor baby lias ihe simple sentials for health, you will you are giving him the best' start on life's journey. • - —_