OUR BABIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 60

OUR BABIES.

By

Hygeia.

Published under the auspice* of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “ It Is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom."

PLUNKET NURSES, ETC., DUNEDIN BRANCH. NURSES* SERVICES EREE. Nurses O’Shea (telephone 23-348), Isbister (telephone 10-866), Thomson, Scott, and Ewart (telephone 10-216), Darling (telephone 23-431), and Mathieson (telephone 23-020). Society’s Rooms : Jamieson’s Buildings, 6 Lower Stuart street (telephone 10-216). Office hours : Daily from 2 to 4 p.m. (except Saturday and Sunday) and 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 315 King Edward street, South Dunedin, 2 to 4 p.m. daily (except Saturday and Sunday) and 10 a.m. to noon on Fridays; also 125 Highgate, Roslyn— Monday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m.; Gospel Hall, Mailer street, Mornington— Mondaj- and Wednesday, 2 to 4 p.m.; Kelsey Yaralla Kindergarten — Monday and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m.; Baptist Sunday School, Sunshine—Monday and Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m.; 211 Main North road, North-East Valley—Tuesdays,. 2 to 4 n..m.; Kindergarten, Caversham —Thursdays. 2 to 4 p.m. Outstations; Baptist Church, Gordon road, Mosgiel—Tuesday afternoons from 3 to 4 o’clock; Presbyterian Church Hall, Outram—alternate Fridays. 2 to 4 p.m.; Municipal Buildings, Port • Chalmers — Wednesday afternoons from 2 to 4 o’clock; also Hall, Macandrew’s Bay—Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m. Administrative Secretary, Miss G. Hoddinott. Jamieson’s Buildings, Stuart street, Dunedin (telephone 10-216). Karitane-Harris Baby Hospital, Anderson’s Bay (telephone 22-985). Matron, Miss Hilditeh. Demonstrations given on request every Wednesday afternoon from 2.30 by Plunket Nurses and Karitane Baby Nurses. Visiting hours : 2 to 4 p.m.. Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. BROADCAST TALKS.—III. The Baby. This is the third of these little talks, our subject to-day being ‘’The Baby"— surely a subject as old as the hills, yet as new as the morning. Those who listened to last week's talk will have in mind the ante-natal factors which influence the baby's development and potential health and well-being. However that may be. the great point to remember here is that the baby atbirth is not actually at the beginning of life—it is in fact nine months old or thereabouts—during which nine months it has grown from the union of two microscopic cells to the living, breathing person we hold in our arms when at last the waiting time is over ! —a “ person,” seven or eight pounds in weight may be, some 20 inches in length, possessing all seven senses, every part and organ in miniature, and all the delicate mechanism of brain and nervous system complete and ready for development—a new human being, perhaps another Florence Nightingale or Joseph Lister ! The miracle of growth and development continues after birth—very rapidly at first. then slowing down gradually quarter by quarter. In the first five or six months the norm I baby will double his weight at birth, grow several inches, learn to know his mother and to discriminate between friends and strangers, laugh aloud and goo and crow, hold his head erect, find his first playthings (his own hands and toes), and investigate his immediate environment.

This is the, normal baby—the picture of good nutrition expressed in every part of his sturdy little body, and also in the whole — in the vitality, vigour, good resistance to infection, sweet temper, sound sleep, and general joy of living. We are apt to think of good nutrition as merely a matter of feeding, but the baby needs also air and sunshine, exercise and rest, and the many details of care and management which go to make up good '‘mothering.” In institutions where the food is correct and the surroundings and treatment ideal from the purely material point of view, babies fail to thrive if they are not handled, loved, and “ mothered.” That is -why in the Karitane Hospitals “ mothering ” is a part of the routine. Every baby has a “ hospital mother,” whose special charge lie is, and certain times in the day are set aside when every baby who. is well enough is nursed and carried' about. Thus individual care and thought is bestowed on every child. One might divide the essentials for good health in childhood into three groups;—

Ist : Those which are actually concerned in building and growth of the body, such as air and ■ sun, water, and correct food. 2nd ; Those which are concerned with proper use of the developing body—exercise, rest and sleep, regularity. 3rd : Those which come under the heading of good mothering, “tending,” or care. These are warmth, proper clothing, cleanliness, bathing, and wise management.

The first groups (sun, air, water, and food) are the common requirements for health in all living things; the second (alternation of exercise and fest) we

share with young animals of every kind; and, as for the third group, is not loving care and wise management a factor in the best development of every living thing, whether gardens, pets, or babies ?

These are the simple essentials on which the whole teaching of the Plunket Societyin regard to the care of the baby is based. We call them the 12 essentials, and the passing years have continuously strengthened our conviction that they form a protective circle round the baby, within which he is_free to develop, safeguarded from-, harm. Good nutrition is practically assured so long as the circle remains intact. If there is a weak spot in any direction, however, an element of danger is introduced, laying the child open to harmful influences. For instance, the food may be correct, air and sunshine abundant, exercise, regularity, cleanliness—everything provided for except adequate rest and sleep, and in consequence the child is likely to become nervous and high-strung, and may eventually suffer from digestive disturbances and failure to thrive. One could multiply instances indefinitely- But so strong is the complete circle that if we strengthen the weak spot and prevent recurrence of the trouble the baby is soon restored to complete health and remains permanently in a state of good nutrition. We prove this hundreds of times a year in dealing with ailing babies in the Karitane Hospitals, where the whole scheme of treatment is based on these essentials. It is, of course, a truism that the only perfect baby food is mother’s milk, but it is important to realise that the perfect nutrition of the normal breast-fed baby which we sec and feel in the velvety bloom of the skin, the firmness of the muscles, and the brightness of the eyes, is also taking care of the more important invisible organs and tissues. In our last talk we stressed the importance of antenatal nutrition in regard to the building up of the first teeth. In the same waygood nutrition dm ing the first three year's largely determines the soundness or otherwise.of the second teeth, which are i actually in the course of construction I from the time of birth onwards, and pretty well finished by about three rears old.

In this connection, not only does natural feeding provide the essential building materials for the teeth, but it also provides vigorous exercise for jaws and gums, which in itself promotes good nutrition of the teeth and a healthy state of nose and throat.

One must note, however, that the nursing mother herself requires sun and air and good food rich in mineral elements and vitamins : those same foods—vegetables and fruits, unrefined cereals, milk, butter, and eggs—which are mentioned in connection with the nutrition of the baby before birth. The mother cannot continuously put into her milk those food elements which she herself does not receive from her own diet. Mother's milk may be deficient in building materials needed by the baby, and breast-fed babies may even suffer from rickets if the mother is habitually deprived of sunshine and of vitamins in her food. It. is interesting to note how the proportion of babies fed in the natural waylias steadily risen in the last 20 years or so. keeping pace with the fall' in the infantile death rate. A quarter of a century ago every trivial difficulty was regarded as a reason for weaning, and it was the exception rather than the ride for babies to be breast fed. Af the present time over SO per cent, of New Zealand babies are partially or whollyfed in the natural way. at any rate in the earlier months, and the great majority of mothers know that they should give their children this advantage. -those who have seen the lives of dyiirt babies literally saved by a few ounces of mothers milk, when every possible modification of artificial food had failed, can never be in anv doubt as to the wonderful properties of Nature's own baby food. Early weaning always throws a strain on the baby, and almost always checks growth for some time. If it has to be done suddenly it may take weeks for the baby to get over what amounts to a severe shock to his system, and satisfactory gain in weight may be very hard to re-establish. Meanwhile, of course, nutrition of all growing structures is checked and permanent weakness mav be left. The same thing applies to the effects of infantile ailments. A severe attack of diarrhoea, of indigestion, or any other illness checks growth and leaves its mark. For instance, dentists can trace weak places in the enamel of the teeth to severe illnesses occurring in infancy or early childhood. It is, of course, impossible to give any details regarding the management of infant feeding in the scope of one short talk—one can only touch on the outstanding points, as it were. But everyone surely knows that the Plunket Nurses* are there to give detailed information to anyone interested. Suffice it to say. then, that almost all mothers can successfully nurse their babies, provided they have skilled advice in time to prevent or deal with anv difficulty which may arise. After six months of age, or even after three months, skilful weaning affects the baby very little, if at all. But mistakes made at this time may be disastrous, and correct advice is important to prevent the occurrence of a check to growth and nutrition at weaning time. One still comes across too many babies of whom it is said “he has never been the same since he was weaned.” Now a few words in regard to artificial feeding. The first point of importance is that cow’s milk is radically different in composition to mother’s milk. Being meant by Nature for the requirements of the calf with its simple organism and large physical frame, it contains nearly three times as much of the flesh-forming element as mother’s milk and less sugar. It is never justifiable to feed a baby on undiluted cow’s milk, whether fresh, dried, or condensed, even though he ma.y seem to “ tolerate ” it without actual indigestion. Proper modification of cow’s milk for the feeding of normal babies involves dilution of the milk with water to reduce the excessive protein, and then the addition of suitable proportions of sugar and fat. It is essential that the greater part of this additional su<pr should be in the form of sugar of milk, because this con-

tains special elements which play an important part ill the building of the brain and nerve tissue, and also because it does not tend to set up fermentations and indigestion, as cane sugar is apt to do.

The fat should be fine and soft and digestible, and it should contain a full supply of vitamin D to prevent any tendency to rickets. Neither cream nor top milk is good on either of these counts. Cod liver oil is a very rich source of the rickets-preventing vitamin, therefore every bottle-fed baby should have cod liver oil daily in his food, preferably in the form of a very fine homogenised emulsion. Secondly, the milk used for baby feeding must be as clean and fresh as possible and free from harmful germs. For this reason the milk mixture should be scalded or pasteurised and rapidly cooled, after which it must be kept cool, clean, and covered.

Thirdly, every artificially fed baby must have some raw fruit or vegetable juice daily to prevent scurvy. Orange juice is irteal, but tomatoes, carrots, qr swedes may be used equally well. If dried or condensed milk must be used in place of fresh, such needs proper modification on the same lines as fresh whole milk needs it. Simply diluted according to the directions on the tin, neither constitutes a balanced or complete babv food. It is surely unnecessary to say nowadays that the so-called patent baby foods are unsuitable for the feeding of the normal infant. One need scarcely remark that regular four-hourly feeding intervals with no night feedings are a condition of good management of infant feeding—natural or artificial —and that many details of feeding methods are important if the best and most successful results are to be obtained. We come now to the transitional stage—from n'.ne to twelve months — during which the fully breast-fed baby should be weaned and graded on to properly modified milk and cereals, and the artificially fed baby should be weaned from the bottle to cup and spoon feeding, at the same time learning to eat cereals and dry. tough, or crisp bread in the form of twice-baked bread, crusts, or toast. Carefully managed, the baby need suffer no check in nutrition during this period; but if things are badly managed this may be the beginning of that “ falling ” in condition which one sees so sadly often iu the second year —the falling off which often leads one to wonder “ what becomes of the beautiful babies.”

Actually the milk mixture (properly graded) and the fruit juice supply practicallj- all the nourishment needed throughout the first year. The importance of the cereal foods and the twicebaked bread included in the diet is largely educational. The object is to gradually accustom the digestion to deal with solid foods, to teach the child to chew, and to bring the mind to accept new methods of feeding without shock or strain of any kind, so that the second year with its more complicated and varied “lessons” may be entered upon with Al nutrition and normal mental attitude towards food changes. It is extremely important for preservation of the teeth that the child should be taught to masticate properly during this period. One cannot leave this subject of the baby without touching on the question of habit and character training—what is now frequently referred to as mental hygiene. It might be said that what good diet is to the body, good habit training is to the mind—it lays down the foundations of healthy mental attitudes and reactions. The child from birth is a human being, with a mind and emotions to be respected and wisely directed. Mental states in those around him affect the child profoundly. Over-anxiety always defeats its own ends. There is a tendency on the part of the intelligent mother to concentrate her thoughts and attentions too closely on the child. This attitude is a very common source of difficult behaviour in children. The best atmosphere is one of calm, confident “ matter-of-factness.” This is one reason why many a child in a happy-go-lucky home with a large family does better than the only child of a mother whose attention and affection is centred in it and its care. In conclusion, let us gather up the threads of this rather discursive talk and summarise the essentials for good nutrition in infancy: — 1. A rational diet and mode of living for the expectant mother. 2. The same for the mother of the young baby, so that the baby may be breast-fed for at least six months. 3. Good milk, sugar of milk, and some cod liver oil in the form of good emulsion, also uncooked fruit juice or vegetable juice for the bottle-fed baby. 4. Skilful, gradual transition to mixed feeding. 5. Sun and air, exercise, rest, and regularity, and good mothering generally. 6 (and last). A quiet and serene mental atmosphere in the home. The subject of next week’s talk will be “ Mothercraft.”