OUR BABIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13914, 27 May 1909, Page 3

OUR BABIES.

Whether nursed or brought up artincially, most babies are overfed rather man underfed, and tney are fed too frequently lairing the last xe»v years au enormous amount of research lias been directed towards this question m Germany, anil Hie conclusion ■arrived at leaves no room for doubt that iti is better for both mother and chilli, to allow longer intervals Met ween the feedings tnaii have been customary. aim in many cases to restrict the total amount given m the twemylour Lours. , Women are inclined to say: —"Lut surely the •maternal instinct' is the best guide if t-ne baby is breast-feu.'' there can 'be no greater fallacy. J u human beings reason and custom Inn e come to replace and override instinct, even among comparatively primitive peoples, and under the complex conditions of modern civilisation the <..iiidance of instinct cannot be Cijioted at all. Mankind in a state of i.i-ture made no attempt to habitually tin n night into day. Mother and !>;ibe lay down to sleep at- dusk or soon after dark, just as most of ho lower animals do, but we orten find *., : ie human mother suckling her baby sevjral times during the night, though it ..ouM bo better for both to be at r,.-st. .Dr. Camerer, a leading German authority, says:— "It is undesirable to give ihe ly>fast more than eight times during twentyfour hours. JSvery two hours is a custom .still frequently in vogue, even it the secretion of milk is insufficient \nd the baby is weak. It- would l;e l.ecessarv on a two hours' hiterv.il to interrupt the sleep too frequen'.ly. Ihe best method is to put the baby to the breast six or seven times in twentyfour hours. . . . The infant should be trained to take its meals in the first week about every three hours in daytime, while at night- an iutervil of from five to eight hours should be interposed. If tiie infant is v-tv ueak. and drinks little at a time, the intervals in daytime may ba shortened to two and a half hours, but they sLouH never be decreased anv further."

This view accords with a growing con elusion arrived at of late hot uniy jii Germany,-. but elsewhere. Thus in Paris, Pnifcisor -Marian, the leading authority 011 babies, says that ol laa' years, even in earliest infancy, lie iias not allowed feeding more often than every two and a half hours, and he finds it better for both mother and child that there should be 110 suckling between 11 p.m. and o a.m., thus allowing six hours of unhroKen sleep. American physicians are following l.ie Continental icad and advocating even longer intervals than are recommended in the older countries. Thus in Chicago several physicians of note are advising feeding only every four hours during the daytime from birth. As the resulr. of a year's experience in hospital and private practice, they express themselves satisfied that the results are better than when babies are fed mere frequently. It is probable that- in many cases ''four-hour" feedings would be less injurious than the too frequent "two-hour" feedings, but during the earlier months feeding every three hours may be regarded as the happy mean which will prove 011 tl=< whole best lor both mother and child. J he collateral advantages of lengthening the intervals between feedings are obvious. In the daytime the mother lias sufficient respite not only for other household duties, but also for rest, recuperation., and the reasonable .demands of soci-il life. Further, the nervous system is not broken down by undue interruption or loss ol sleep. As for the baby, both its digestive organs and its nervous system are equally benefited by not being kept constantly irritated and 011 the alert. Iroebel s injunction. " Give space and time and lest.'" applies equally to the feeding. of a baby and the educating of a child, (mr modern tendency is to •'cram both, anil leave 110 time lor rest and f|tii'-t growth. . Experience at Karitaue Home, the

society Baby Hospital at Dimedni, taken in conjunction with 'the reports of Plunket Nurses who of late have been trying longer intervals between feedings', confirms the conclusions Arrived at- elsewhere. It is found thaj. a change from ' 'two-hour to thfechour" feedings tends to cause yiifing babies who have been dyspeptic, fretful, -,nd restless to take ' their food with mors relish, and to wake up. refreshed alter a good comfortable sleep between the feedings. Howevei, it must not be supposed that any change in the food or manner of fending is alone sufficient to ensure such results, Im't thev may be relied ,011 ll'y the mother at The same time gives due attention to fresh air, exercise, regularity of habits, etc. The intervals between feedings given in the Society's pamphlet, "The Feeding and Gare of the Baby,'' are based on what h,ls been universally recommended hitherto, but I. purpose giving next week a table made to accord with the latest advances in the science of Pediatrics (Cure of Children). It is hoped that mothers will cut out this taple unci paste it into the pamphlet for future use. It is strange to reflect that, the serious systematic study of infancy and its needs' is of quite recent growth. An encyclopaedic work einbodymg all that has been done in thij connection in Germany during the last 10 years appeared last .year, and in the introduction Professor feclilossnian says; . A peculiar interest, especially within the last 10 vears, lias been acfcordod tonursing infants. . Their 'nourishment, their care, their shelter in health and sickness, has been the subject of continuous and varied investigations, and fills a large place, in pediatric literatiire. . . ', , Many universities still lacH adequate facilities to ensure profitable- instruction in pediatrics, and. in Many cases liave 110 instructors fuUys,|ponversant ukll tne progress of our science. iiiguciv' uiu jiischericii predict an iihminent change in this direction w hen J.e called attention to the appreciation which infantile therapeutics. ,linds m the most, modern seats ol investigation ami learning and at the "schools, piactica medicine. Vnth joyful assurance, therefore, wc look forward to the tutu re of our science. Its practical importance, as well as the peal ol its disciples, ensures its' progressive and successful development. . . How babies came to be .left almost entirely out of account- is best told in a conicssion by I'rolessOrr-. iiudin. ol Paris, which appears at- the opening ol ins great, book.. " 'llie ,*j-U'|Vlinfe," just translated into Kuglish. iliißiin, who died only last year, spoke [is tlie leading autlioritv on Maternity and l>abynood 111 Pans. '■i.' "Medical interest in th? welfare ol infants is of comparatively recent development. Formerly tildl birtn ol a child was an ordeal of hie and death to tiie mother ; and the accouciieur, engrossed 111 iier safety, scarce spared a uiougnt lor the iniant. _ Nowadays, uvea lroui anxiety as to tlie late 01 tiie motlier, he can. devote iiis attention to tlie needs of tlie vintant. Xielure parturition lie supervises tne Hygiene or tne expectant motlier so tnat sue may arrive at term 11L a healtny, condition; during deliveVV' He taiies every precaution to ensure' tliafc tiie ciiiui m ill be burn via bio; and throughout the first two years 01 lie uiiecta its teeding with the utmost care." ' ' oir Alexander Simpson, who recently retired from the Professorship of Aiidwitery and diseases of Uinldreu '• ac Kdinburgii University, eoirtirms what j.'rotessor Uudin says oy wilting as r allows in his introduction to . jiudiu s book: . ■

'• When 1 look buck on iiiv own professional and professorial hie 110 nxtinorv stiugs me with more sharp regret than tlie thought of tho too little heed J have given to the lie'eds bt :the uewb'uru." ■