OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3419, 26 September 1919, Page 58

OUR BABIES.

By Hygela.

PublUhsd under tne Bueplcc* tt the Royal New Zealand Society lor the Health ol Women and Children. "It It wiser to put up a «ence at the top ol a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at ti e bsttam." WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “ SUITING ” A BABY? How often, T wonder, have Plunkot Nurses and others engaged in the work of the Society heard such remarks as “ Baby is cn milk and water [or one of the patent foods], and as long as it is suiting her so well, I shan’t make any change.” Has a parent who thinks like this any idea of locking beyond the immediate present with regard to a baby? 1 think not; so in this and the following article I want to point out the necessity, not only of considering the present, but of looking to the far future as well. NATURE’S FOOD. The only food that really “suits” a baby in the proper sense of developing his body, his brain and nerves, his teeth, and all his functions in the best possible way is his mother’s milk; but the results produced even by this, the baby’s own God-given supply, can bo lowered if the mother does not know how to take care of her own health, and does not understand the great importance of perfect regularity In feeding baby and of all the other essentials for his health. It used often to he said —I think it is less often said now, after years of hard work by the Society—“ I had to wean baby because my milk did not suit him ”; soma even going so far as to say, “My milk seemed to poison him.” Let me say at once that Nature, or God. which is the same thing, does not prepare poison for little babies. He does not even put food there that will not “suit” them. We may, by our ignorance of the consequences of bad habits (such as lack of exercise or faulty diet) damage the quality of the supply; but usually trouble in breast-feeding is due to baby getting the wrong quantity. He is either underfed or overfed, and the latter is. the case, far oftener than people think. However, faults either of quality or quantity are generally easily set right under the guidance of a Plunket Nurse, and the time is past for any such reason to be given for weaning a baby. NATURE’S METHODS. The wise arrangements of Nature in making each animal’s milk provide exactly what is required for the growth and development of its young one are so marvellous that if they were better known much random talk would come to an end. These methods can ho studied at .greater length in two of the Society’s smaller publications —viz., “Natural Feeding” and “The Component Parts of Various Milks,” obtainable at 6d and 3d respectively from booksellers or the Plunkot Nurses. Those who grasp the plain teaching conveyed in these pamphlets will realise from the minute care that Nature takes the folly of supposing that human beings can “suit” a baby as Nature would; and they will see that a calf could no more develop properly on human milk than a baby can on cow’s milk. Nature works by law, and she does not stop to ask whether a child's mother infringed her laws in ignorance or not. If they are habitually infringed the consequences follow, although they may not be immediately visible. To some the consequences never are visible, though they may be plain enough to the seeing eye; but that is because our average standard of health is far below what it might be. As long as a child is fairly up to this standard we,are satisfied; or, if he is obviously below it, we are apt to fall back on saying, “ Oh, well, he always was delicate” —not realising that in the vast maicrity of cases he was perfectly strong when he was born, though he may have been delicate from his first month, or even from his first week. In some quarters the idea still persists that the chief work of the Society and its nurses is to teach people to feed their babies on humanised milk. It is almost incredible that such should be the case, since, from its earliest beginnings, the Society has striven by every means in its power to make the public understand that mother’s milk is the one and only food for a baby. This wrong conception of its work arose partly because are very apt to seize upon some convenient catchword to describe activities which are new to them, not realising tho inaccuracy involved in doing so; and also because the Society began its work when breast-feeding was at a very low ebb. Indeed, it was called into action by that very fact, and the Plunket Nurses were faced with a very large number of artificially-fed babies for whom there was nothing to be done but to put them on to the best form of artificial feeding. Now, however, where the nurses have been at work for any length of time, breast-feeding is becoming the rule instead of the exception! and in this fact lies tho best hope for the continued greatness of our race.

Next week I hone to deal with th© question of "suiting" a baby who is deprived of his mother's milk. *

HEALTH OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN. The monthly meeting of the committee of the Society for the Health of Women and Children was held on the 19th; present—Mrs Johnstone (in the chair). Lady Allen, Ivlesclames Theomin, J. 0. M'Georgo, Ansell, Hodson, Solomon, John Ross, Arundel, Cunninghame, the Misses Reid and Gow.

Tho hon. treasurer reported tho maintenance for tho month £23 12s 6d: also tho receipt of a number of subscriptions

and donations, including a donation of £25 from the Napier branch for the KuritaneHarris Hospital. The matron of the Karitano-Harris Hospital reported: Admitted during monthmothers 1, babies 7; number discharged—mothers 1, babies 7; jrroatcst number in residence ab an.y one time—-'mothers 1, babies 11. All cases admitted during the month came from the Dunedin district. All cases discharged were doing excellently. Number of Plunket Nurses in training, 5; number of Karitane Nurses in training, 11. Plunket Nurse Copland commenced » three months' course of training, and Nurses Lorna and Rosamond Scott a 12 months' course. Gifts were received and acknowledged from Mesdames Theomin, .Solomon, and Moore. All babies in hospital are progressing satisfactorily. The Plunket Nurses for North and Central districts reported:—Number of babes on the list, 731; sole breast-fed, 70: new cases for the month (babies' only), 19; visits to homes, 424; visits to Plunket rooms, Stuart street—adults 126, babies 76. The Plunket Nurse for South Dunedin district reported:—Babies on the list, 515; solely breast-fed. 25; visits paid to homes, 216; visits to Plunket rooms, King Edward street—adults 113, babies 120. Wit htlie exception of colds, the babies on the district roll were all doing well. •

The Misses Reid were granted three months' leave of absence from the committee. » The committee very much regretted that" Mrs W. A. Moore had been obliged to tender her resignation as convener of the Campaign Committee. Mrs Theomin consented to act in this capacity. It was decided to call a. special meeting of committee to make arrangements in connection with the garden fete to bo held next month. Arrangements were made for the commit- » tee to assist in the street collection in aid of the funds of the Freo Kindergarten Association on Friday next.

HOME INTERESTS.

A SPECIAL ONION SOUP. Four largo onions, four potatoes, loz of fin-> oatmeal, salt, pepper, two sticks of celery, foz of margarine, three pints of stock, three-quarters of a pint of milk and water mixed. Skin the onions. Blanch them with a little boiling water and cut them up. Cut \ip the celery and potatoes, and fry in the fat for five minute 3 with the onion. Add the boiling stock, and boil gently until the vegetables are quite tender. Rub them, through a coarse sieve, then add the oatmeal, smoothly mixed with a little. cold water. Bring to the boil and cook gently for 20 minutes, then add the milk-and-water and seasoning. Heat well. Serve with toast squaras. BOILED SHANK OF VEAL. One shank (or knuckle) of veal, one carrot, white turnip.or one teacupful of swede, one onion, a lilt!© parsley, thyme, celery seed (bruised and tied in muslin), about 2oz of barley, a seasoning of salt and pepper. Break the bono across, cover with boiling water in a saucepan As the scum rises, remove it at once. Then add the barley, washed and soaked, and the vegtables, cut into small pieces, and the celery. Simmer for. about three hours. Remove the celery; parsley, and thyme, and serve with parsley sauoa and boiled bacon cooked separately. If preferred, slices of fried bacon may be used instead. SNOW PUDDING. One pint of milk, 3oz breadcrumbs, the grated rind of a lemon, the well-beaten yolks of three egg 3,2 oz butter, sugar to taste. Cover the bottom of the dish with any kind of preserve, pour the mixture over it, and bake an hour. Beat the whites of the eggs and a little sifted sugar into a stiff froth just before taking it out of the oven, and pour over; put it into the oven, for a few minutes to brown. TOr.s pudding is bast cold. BACON, EGG, AND BEEF ROLL. Half a pound of lean beef, 4oz of bacon, 3oz of crumbs, one" egg, a- little stock, salt and pepper. Cut the beef and bacon • into small pieces, season well with salt and pepper, and add the crumb 3. Mix well together Beat up the egg thoroughly, and mix it with a little stock in a cup. Stir this into th« mixture, which should be of a stiff con-s-is tency. Form it into a short, thick roll, and tie in a greased cloth. Put the roll into hot water, bring it to the boil, and allow to boil gently for two hours. "When cooked press the roll till quite cold and firm. Serve with salad of any sort. A little dissolved moat glaze can be brushed over the roll, and will give a very professional appearance. PRUNES WITH CORNFLOUR, Line a well-greased basin with chopped prunes. Next make a batter composed of three tablespoonf uf3 of cornflour, two; tableepconfuls of sugar, one egg, and a _ pint of milk (two breakfastcupfuls). Pour this batter over the prunes, cover the pudding with a gieased paper, and then steam for an hour and a-half. When it is turned out _ pour some custard sauce "around the pudding. SEVILLE CAKE. Required: Half a pound of flour, 2oz of fine oatmeal, 2oz of cornflour, one»dried egg, loz of margarine, three good tablespoonfuls of marmalade, one gill and a-half of milk, one heaped teaspoonful of baking powder. Well mix the flour, xaoel, cornflour, and baking powder. Warm the milk, fat, and marmalade just hot enough to be quite comfortable when the tip of the finger tests it. Add the prepared egg (dried or any other prepared eggs you use). Pour all these into the flour, and stir them gradually and smoothly in. Beat quickly together, pour into a greased tin, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about on hour. CURRIED VEGETABLES. Two carrots, two onions, one cabbage, a cupful of rice, salt and pepper, a dessertspoonful of curry powder, a small apple, a pint and a-quarter of water or stock Preare the vegtables and cut them up. The cabbago must be cut in neat pieces Stir the curry powder into a littlo of tho water, add the remainder with the vegetables and seasoning, also the chopped apple. Add tho rice, which should be already parboiled. A casserole should bo used. Let the contents simmer gently until all is quite tender. Servo very hot.