OUR BABIES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11783, 8 November 1912, Page 1

OUR BABIES.

(By "llygoia.) . . Published under the auspices of the Society for the li<?alth of Women and Children. ■?- - "It- is wiser to put up a fence at v -the top of a- x>recipice than to maintain an ' ambulance at the bottom." - -' eMOTHER'S INQUIRY AS TO NINE-. MONTHS-OLD BABY. The following letter lias been received: From a mother in. Ashburton "I have gained' much valuable help from 'Tile Feeding .and Care of .Baby,"' but should- be glad if you will advice on the introduction, of some solid food into baby's food. Question 1. —He is nine .months old, entirely breasi fed.-' My health is good. I should l like to continue breast-feed-ing. Is this" wise? ' . Question s.—When is barley jelly to be given? Just 1 before the breast-feed-ing, or instead? '■ Question 3. —How many times a. d'ay and what quantity? Should it. be given plain: or with cow's milk? With or without sugar?" . Question 1. —He is nine months old, entirely breast-fed'. My health is good. I should like 't'o continue breast-feed-ing. Is this wise? Answer. —Before answering one would have "to know more .about the babv. Is he satisfactory? He should be putting 011 an average of about a quarter of a pound -a. week, though some weeks he might gain little or nothing owing to teething, o:c. However, he should' lie gaining about a. pound a month'. If this is* the case, and if lie is a bright, happy, laughing, firm, chubby little cherub, you'may be sure lie is getting enough from the and. that your milk is still The best main, nutriment for liini. On the other hand, if he seems unsatisfied or if he shows signs of fall-, ing off in any direction, you ought to ascertain the difference in his weight ' be l ore a nd' after each feeding for a whole day in order to make sure as to the quantity of milk lie .is drawing off in the 24 hours (see "Feeding and Care of Baby," page 51. or "What Baby Needs." pages 5 and G). If a child 1 is getting too much from the breast the remedy is obvious; but if lie is getting too little several courses are open. As you say you are in good health and nursing seems to agree with you. the best plan if the breast supply is inadequate would'.be to supplement with humanised milk No. 2, giving at each feeding the equivalent of a fifth of the quantity that your supply. is short in the day. Thus, assuming the baby's normal ration to be 42.V ounces ill the 24 hours (which would be met by giving five feedings of 8J ounces each), and you found that you had been supplying only 37i ounces, you ought •then l to give in addition an ounce by bottle after each suckling, or more probably baby would need nothing additional with the first three feedings, but, say, two ounces and three ounces respectively with the evening feedings. The proper course of procedure and the reason for it is clearly indicated in'tho following extract from the society's pamphlet "What Baby Needs": — "IDEAL FEEDING.

"The ordinary routine advice given to mothers lis that the baby must have only one breast at each suckling, the . breasts being usedi alternately. This is right where the mother lias an ample supply of milk —where the baby ge'fe all he needs from one breast. But, where this is not the case—where the breast supply tends to fall short of what iy needed, .and one breast does not supply enough for one feeding—the baby should certainly be put to both sides-'-at each suckling, the right breast being used first, at one feeding time and the left first at .the next. This l is the best means of stimulating the secretion- of milk, from eight to ten minutes being allowed 1 for each breast. 111 any case, the breast first suckled should be emptied ; but with an increasing supply less and'less time shouM be allowed : n regard to the second breast, and if the supply becomes ample only the one breast should' be used at each nursing.'' in giving the above instructions I have assumed' that you want to continue at least partial breast feeding for :» considerable time longer. HOW TO WEAN QUICKLY.

If. 011 the contrary, you want to get your baby completely weaned . : n tho course of a month, tho best means of drying off the breast supply will be to replace first one feeding a day by Humanised Milk (diluted at first with am equal quantity of boiled .water), then two bottl'e feedings, then three, and so on. These lessened stimulation of the breasts causes the secretion to. slack off much quicker than if they were to continue with partial breast-feeding five times a day. PROLONGED SUCKLING.

The pros and cons of weaning at nine months or continuing to partially suckle up to 12 or 18 months, where feasible, aio adequately dealt with in an extract from the forthcoming edition of the "Feeding and Care of Baby," which will appear in next week's columns. Question 2.—When is: barley jelly, to be given—just before the breast-feeding or instead? '

Answer. —Fluids are generally best given just after suckling; sofids, on the other hand, such as dry crusts, etc-, should rather be given before suckling, as the .baby then ten<lH to work more vigorously at them. Barley jelly or oat .jelly should not be given as the sole food in place of. an ordinary feeding, because its food value, bulk for bulk, is less than a third that oF human or humanised milk, and it is'notl 'in itself a complete food. Commencing with an ounce or so a day, the use of barley jelly may be gradually increased' up to about 'a quarter c.f a .pint- in the 24 hours by the time a child is a year old. At that age, if milk were the only fluid food given, She oidinary allowance of milk would' be rather less than a quart, assuming that the baby, was then taking a fair quantity of dry food in the way of crumbs and toast. A suitable allowance of fluid food 1 in these circumstances might be as follows Mother's milk or humanised, milk No. 2, 20 ounces; cow's milk, 15 ounces; barley or oat ielh-, 7 ounces. It cannot he too strongly insisted 011 that every baby should be trained to masticate a progressively increasing allowance of hard, dry, resistive food tVoni the age of nine months onwards. But if for any reason 'the baby took very little solid food, he might 'Deed a quarter of a pint more human or humanized milk than is shown above. Question 3.—How many times a day should barley or oat jelly be given and ill what quantity? Should it be given plain- or with cow's milk, with or without sugar? Answer.—The jelly may be. given mixed:-with t/he inilk as shown- above, or may Ik; given just betoro or after tile Mtpplv.llleni.aly milk.; ei~her plain or rendeied more appetising ivith a little salt or sugar. Salt is preferable. If sugar is' used «filow very .ittle indeed. Next -week I shall deal with the desirability of training tl..e bab.\. even earlier than I--have hitherto- recommended,, to o-iit -a raw apple and othei solid food.