OUR BABIES

Otago Witness, Issue 3030, 10 April 1912, Page 66

OUR BABIES

Bi Hyokia. Published under the auspices of th« Society for the Health of Women and Children. . " It is wiser to put up a fence *t tn« top of a, precipice than to maintain an ambulanct* at the bottom"

The following letter was received nearly two months ago : A MOTHER'S LETTER. Some time ago I wrote to you asking advice for my chad, who was then four months old. By return man i la letter tram you advising «>« * ow to. woceed. 1 also got the book on lhe Uare and fcecding ot the iiaby aiid« tar as I was able I followed the nous. , __ ~„,.,. The child screw strong and was \m liveiv until about nine months ago (she was then two years old), when I was obliged to send her away from home for a time. When sne returned she had just recovered from the mumps, and was tat and flabby; a month afterwards she took influenza very badly, and she has never recovered her strength. Un Christmas Day She had an attack of what 1 thought was bronchitis. len days later she had another very bad attack. She cried and coughed all night, ■ and was in a high lever. 1 rubbed her chest and back with hot camphorated oil and she lived on boiled water lor two days. She recovered on the fourth day, and was as full ot life as ever, but since she had the influenza I have had Hi-eat difficulty in gettng her to cat. Two nights ago she had a similar attack, but was not so levered. 1 saw a doctor, thinkinsr that she might he the better lor a tonic, but he said she needed no medicine. She is very susceptible to cold, and she feels the least change of weatner. When she is well she is outside the whole day long, and takes a great deal of exercise--so much so that sue exhausts herself by 2 o'clock and has a sleep ot two hours. Nino months ago she slopt with a young girl in a room with Doth door ' and window shut, and 1 date her weakness from that time, i have lost two beautiful baby boys, so you may know how anxious 1 am about her. Trusting to hear from you soon, and thanking you in anticipation, —1 am, etc., C . II •

COMMENT. The advice first forwarded to the mother ! was on the broad lines winch we recom- ! mend in alt cases—namely, " What every ! baby needs, whether well or ill," as given in uie Society s boon, ana repeated, slightly simplified, in this column a lew weeks ago. i' urtner, 1 sent a copy oi the account ' which 1 wrote same time ago dealing with a child whose case presented similar points. iliu mothers second letter, which 1 shall ' publish later, shows that she profited by lne mtormation given, and 1 am therefore . re-publishing the articles referred to, hoping they may prove equally helpful elsewhere: I HARDENING A DELICATE CHILD. | The following sample case, drawn from ! many within my own personal experience, illustrates the benefits of the '•hardening ! process " systematically and judiciously carried out durinjr early childhood. My reasons lor selecting this particular case are clneelold—viz. : 1. The child was extremely delicate when she first came unuer our ooservation, over three years ago, una was steadily dwindling and becoming feebler and teebler, in spite ot the tact that the laiuily were doing their best and were quito unsparing in their devotion, The •cmid was roany receiving too much, ratner than too little, attention —but the care was of the wrong kind. Z. 'lhe progress ol me ease stands recorded in a series ot letters coves :..„ ihe

homely terms Uie progress made irom time to time. o. 'liie relations are quite willing that the ieuers should be published, in spite ol tiie iact tiiat t!ie details and circumstances render identification possible, indexed, when communicated with on the subject, tiie grandmother replied, with line public spirit: " J.Here is not the slightest objection to making the case 1 puonc; names can be mentioned if you think well. We are only too glad if we can in any way help the good work of ihc Society." THE GOSPEL OF HEALTH. If all mothers and grandmothers were ■ equally broad and ln>ciuny inmued—equally ; willing to admit the mistakes of the past, : ana cnange tiieir point ol view with the ! aiivanco of human knowledg<—Die ta<s.k j of me Society in spreading :ts " gospel of j health " would receive a wonderful impetus. ! However, we have no reason to complain I of lack of help from parents whoso babies ! have been saved or benefited by conformI ing to the essential needs of child life, as ! practically tauyht in the home by tile i'iunket nurses and laid down in the S'cciet.y's publication.--. Wherever parents who have been convinced by their own practical experience of the enormous benefit accruing to i hildren from the .simple, systematic care recommended by the Societybecome helpful centres of light and leading for their district, they donstitute in effect ' branches '' ot the Society. There aro many such unnamed branches scattered throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion, and we arc only too (>lad to acknowledge the great service they are rendering to the cause we have at heart. LETTERS OF A GRANDMOTHER. Before quoting the actual letters, I shall j say a lew words by way ol introduction. | It is quite unnecessary to give the narno ! of the family or of the back-block in which ! they were living. The township was in I Southland —we will call it Erewhon. HISTORY OF THE CHILD. The child was brought by the grand- | mother to the Karitane Hospital in January, 1903. Sho was then over 2i, years of age, but was pale, feeble, flabby, and spiritless. During the, first two years of life she hail made good headway, growing well, talking, walking, and getting about in a normal way. Towards the end of the second year progress was less satisfactory. Gradually the child became irritablo and capricious, lost her appetite, and manifested increasing activity and listlessness. The parents were advised that there was irritation of the stomach and bowels, and as month after month went by with steady aggravation of the symptoms, and falling

off in every direction, they did all they could tc tempt the child to take sufficient food to keep up nutrition. Not only was the appetite very poor, but she became more and more fastidious. Do what they would, sufficient milk was not taken, and simple, wholesome foods such .13 bread-and-butter, toast, or plain biscuits wore refused. There appeared to be no alternative but to further humour and "spoil'' the child with sweet biscuits, sweet puddings, etc., which it took more willingly thai, anything else. Under this regimen there was a sad falling-off, but not so much in weight as in strength and activity. Being no longer able to run or oven walk, she was wheeled about in a go-cart, and when she was stood up there was obvious knock-knee. There was no vomiting or diarrhoea —no evidence of definite disease of any kind —nothing calling for the use of drugs or strictly medical measures in any direction. What the child needed was simply "What Every Child Needs, Whether Well or 111" (see pages 1 and 2 of the Society's book), and, for the very reason that it was ailing, an even stricter conformity than ordinary to these primary and inexorable requirements of Nature was of vital importance. WHAT WAS WRONG. The use of wrong food, undue frequency of feeding, the giving of pieces between meals, irregularity of habits, lack of muscular exercise, lack of stimulation of the skin (and consequent slackness and absence of tone throughout- the whole system) these were quite sufficient to account for tho remarkable and progressive falling-off in condition which was causing such alarm and making the parents further "spoil" the child in the vain effort to keep it from further wasting and going downhill. In such cases, in the absence of definite knowledge, the more affectionate and devoted are the parents the more difficult, it is for them to brinsr themselves to properly regulate and discipline the course of a child's life (see "Forming a Character." nage 135 of the Society's book). Once a wide departure from the proper daily routine has been made, owing perhaps to some temporary indisposition or illness (such as we may assume to have upset the child in question), a return to normal habits needs great tact, patience, and firmness on the part of guardians. In the present instance, fortunately, all these requirements were forthcoming, as soon as the relations h-d been brought to realise what was essential.