OUR BABIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23857, 11 July 1939, Page 17

OUR BABIES

By Htgbia.

Published under Che auvpleee of th* Royal New Zealand Society for the Health or Women and Children (Plunket Society) " It it iciter te put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maini*in an amlulantis &t the bottom.'' CONSTIPATION Constipation is a condition in which the motions are abnormally hard and dry. Usually they are also small and infrequent, but they may be bulky and formed, and occasionally several motions are passed daily, but these are small, dry, and marble-like. It is very important to realise that the baby is seriously constipated, even though there are several stools a day, if these come away ir, hard, dry pieces. It is practically certain in this case that poisonous waste materia] is being retained in the intestine. At any time in babyhood or childhood this may cause grave symptoms of poisoning, the child being suddenly seized with persistent vomiting, diarrhcea, and fever. The constipated baby should always be regarded as on the verge of diarrhcea. On the other hand, some normal, breast-fed babies pass infrequent motions. These are normal in colour and consistency—that is, a bright yellow colour and perfectly soft and smooth—but occur only every 36 or 48 hours. These babies are not actually constipated, and are in no danger of poisoning, as are the babies who pass much more frequent, but hard, dry motions. Mothers are apt to worry unduly about this Infrequency. Regular daily holding-out and simple measures to train baby to a daily habit of evacuation are usually quite successfu' after a time. It is not necessary in the case of a breast-fed baby to worry or to* resort to enemas or medicine provided the motions are really normal when passed and that not more than 48 hours (at the most) have elapsed between them. Babies are creatures of habit, and regular, good habits are essential for health in later life. It is probably due to the fact that parents or those responsible for the welfare of children have failed t< realise this, and regular bowel movement is not established in early infancy and maintained throughout childhood. The effect of early training would be so deeply rooted that very many cases of obstinate constipation in adult life would be prevented. A normal baby should be held out from the end of the second week of life. HOW THE BOWELS ACT Food is passed along the digestive tract by means of regular wave-like contractions which occur in the muscles of the stomach and intestines from end to end. The digestible portions of food are acted upon by various digestive Juices and rendered soluble, and in the Anal state this fluid food is absorbed by the intestine and carried to all parts of the body for its needs. There is, however, always a certain residue of undigested food, and this waste material is passed further on into the lowest part of the bowel, where its presence stimulates the nerve endings which regulate the action of the outer orifice, the anus, causing it to relax and discharge the waste material as a motion. THE REAL CURE FOR CONSTIPATION From this it is easy to realise: 1. Why the first step in the real cure of constipation is to tone up the whole muscular system and ensure Al genera] health and fitness. 2. Why the second step is to improve the muscular tone of the bowel in particular. 3. And why the third step is to correct any errors in diet. Generally speaking, purgative medicines stimulate the muscles of the intestines to violent action, thus bringing about a motion, but there always tends to be reactionary exhaustion after this effort, with more and more sluggishness and lack of normal tone than before If aperient medicines are to be continued the bowel tends to become incapable of action without this artificial stimulation Medicines do not cure constipation either in infants or adults. For babies they should be given only by a doctor's orders. For

success in really curing constipation the most important thing of all is patience and perseverance on the part of the mother and nurse. Spasmodic treatment is of very little good. The various measures must be carried out day after day even though there appears to be no immediate results, and at first palliative treatment as well may have to be given to bring about an immediate motion. The effect of the treatment is cumulative and will be crowned with success in the end unless there is some real abnormality, which would, of course, necessitate treatment by a doctor. Next week we shall describe in detail the various measures at our disposal for the treatment of constipation, and how they can best be applied.