OUR BABIES.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13860, 21 April 1917, Page 1

OUR BABIES.

(By Hygeia.) Fttbllshed undei the auspices of tie Eoyal New Zealand .Society for the Health of Wornea and Children, "It is wiser to'put up a fence at the W of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom," OAMARU: ■Plunket Nurse-Roy, Toes street. Telephone 367. " Hon. Secretary, Mrs Haines, Bank of New Zealand, Oamaru. ABOUT LIME WATER, _ Question: Why is Lime Water used in preparing Humanised Milk, seeing that there is no Lime Water in". Human Milk? Answer: Though there is no Lime Water in Human Milk, lime salts are present. Cow's Milk is slightly acid, whereas Mother's Milk is prac- • tically neutral. By adding Lime Water in the proportion of loz to the pint we roducc the acidity, Question: if lessening tho acidity of Cow's Milk is tho only object aimed at when Lime Water is added, could this not lie more simply brought about by means of a pinch of baking soda? Answer: Nothing is moro effective for counteracting acidity than linking soda, and this is sometimes added to milk instead of Lime Water; however, Linie Water does much more than merely lessen tho acidity. It renders tho milk slightly viscous or gelatinous, and this tends to make, the curd, formed in tho baby's stomach, much softer and moro delicate, Soda is not nearly so efficacious in this respect; further, the continued use of soda, even in very small "quantity, always interferes more or less with digestion, Question: Is there any harm in the use of Lime Water? ■ Answer: The addition of Lime Water to Cow's Milk for babies is beneficial,' not harmful, provided that the proportion added does not exceed about, loz to tho pint. Sometimes 50/. or more to the pint is given to check diarrhoea; but if such a mixture were' continued it would tend to produce constipation and to interfere with digestion, Question: Can Lime Water be made at home, or must it be bought ready made/

Answer: Lime Water can easily be prepared in the home, as shown by the following extract from the Society's book "Feeding and Care of Baby: Thoroughly stir a heaped tablespoonful of freshly-slaked lime (i.e., burned limestone, to which sufficient water has been added to causo it to become hot, swell up, and then • crumble into fine powder)' into Jgal of boiled water; cover to keep out falling particles. After twelve hourf, pour off the water and throw it away, as it contains any impurities present. A thick cream of lime will remain at the bottom of the vessel, Again add igal of boiled wator, stir for three minute's, and allow it to stand, covered as before, for twelve hours. The clear fluid is lime water,and should be carefully poured off and bottled for future use. It will keep if the bottles are filled .-"1 well corked, Green glass-stoppered bottles arc the best, but thorouglrty cleansed small beer bottles will,do if filled, and corked with sound, well-cleansed corks, which have been scalded just before use. Lime Water deteriorates in tho presence of air; therefore the bottles should not be larger than pints, and the one in use should always be well corked immediately after pouring out; Further, it is a good plan to lie Lime Water bottles on their sides to make sure that air is excluded and the corks are kept swelled. The exact quantity of lime is not important, provided sufficient is used, because water will dissolve only a certain proportion.. Question: I have heard it said that the proper way to use Lime Water is to add what is needed to. tho baby's bottle just before each feeding. Is this right?

_ Answer: Yes, it would bo quite right if you prepared each feed separately just before use; but a much simpler and more convenient way is to prepare a supply of Humanised Milk for the twenty-four hours, adding the Limo Water to the other ingredients before heating the mixture up to 155deg. Fahr., which is needed for killing the mircobos which are found more or less abundantly in all ordinary fluids. Question: But seeing that Lime Water is made with boiled water, is it not free from germs? •Answer: ityf if it has been kept for more than a few days. If the purest, clearest artesian water is kept standing for any length of time in a water bottle it may contain a I considerable number of germs; and! so it is with Lime Water'. The germs present in such cases would be, so comparatively few that no harm would result from the baby sw«llpwing them;- but if loz of LimV Water were stirred into a pint of milk, and the precaution was not taken to heat the mixture to at least loodeg. FahL and then cool it down rapidly, a million germs might have developed from a mere half-dozen present in the* Limo Water. . Lord Lister said he never camo across a germ which would not flourish and run' riot in milk.. : - Question: But I-have been told that if milk to whjcli"Lime':Water has been added be heated, the limo becomes in soluble and turns into a fine powder, which nia\ accumulate in the baby's stomaih 01 bowels Is theie anj tilth in this/ Answci: None w hatevei Even if some of'the lime did turn to an insoluble powdei, the powdci would bo haimlcss, and would pasa thiough the baby like anj othei moit matenal Howe\ei, the fact is thai the quanhh ot lime piesent in Lunc Watei is nifiiutesiiiiallj small Tho fjunntitA of Lime Watei useiUui making aulaj'a supply of Humanised Milk foi the'oidinaiy lab) is L]o£

This contains leas than a'single: grain ' of lime, Question: Is there no circumstance whatever in which it would be inadvisable to boil a baby's milk after adding Lime Water?'.!:■ , ; .Answer: In the first place I may Bay, a baby's, milk should never be boiled unless there is some special reason for doing so temporarily, as in the case of doubtful milk and hot weather. Ordinarily the heating should not be -carried beyond 155deg. Fah'r. Secondly, so far as the Lime Water is concerned,,the boiling of. Human-! isew Milk does no harm; but boiling' would be somewhat.'prejudicial ; if from five to ten times the proportion of Lime .Water were present, The late Professor Rotcli, of Harvard University, specially pointed out that-if a large, proportion of Lime Water is added to milk, boiling causes the mixture to become somewhat brownish, and there is a very pronounced change in tho taste. Hence it is that if a doctor prescribes for a baby say, one part of Lime Water to two or three parts of . boiled milk ho would naturally glvo tho instruction to add the Lime Water at each feeding and not to boil it with tho milk,