SAVING THE BABIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 17756, 17 September 1927, Page 14

SAVING THE BABIES

PLUNKET .SOCIETY';; WORK

(By Hvgeki.) Published under the auspices of the Royal New Lea and Society lor the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). “It is wiser to put up a fence at the tap of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.” A PLUNKET NURSE'S TALK TO MOTHERS. METHODS IN NATURAL AND UNNATURAL FEEDING. T am going to speak to you to-day about the methods of baby-leeding, and | shall try to give you a few uselui hints | about the management of natural and j unnatural feeding. J. feel it is no exaggeration to say that the most essential knowledge in I tile routine care of babies is U • .r----ltclge of food and feeding methods. I In order that food shall be _ satisfactory it must not only be suitable in composition for the individual baby, I but is must be clean, fresh, and at the l right temperature when given in suit'able amounts at suitable intervals; it, j must bo given properly, not too last or too slowly; and it must be given under favourable conditions. Moreover, the baby himself must be kept in that good general condition which will promote the digestion and assimilation of the food given him. Fresh air, suitable clothing, an even body temperature, gentle handling, sufficient; exercise, regular sleep, freedom from excitement, irritation, and fatigue, all promote the baby’s ability to use his food to advantage. There are three methods of feeding a baby—• ! 1. Natural feeding. 2. Complementary, or mixed, feeding. 3. Artificial feeding. Natural feeding is incomparably the best method. It gives tho baby enormously increased chances of living past babyhood, and protects him from many ills and diseases. Never forget that. Supplementary feeding is only second best, and artificial feeding comes a long war- behind. Intervals and Times. Whatever method of feeding is adopted, however, we must first consider how often and for how long at each feeding the baby should be nursed and fed. The great majority of babies thrive best if fed four-hourly from birth. A few are found to do better if fed fhree-hourlv for, say a month, or occasionally even for two or three months. From 15 to 20 minutes is usually sufficient time for a healthy baby to get a satisfactory meal. However, some strong sucking, vigorous babies may take quite sufficient food in five to seven minutes or even less, especially first tiling in the morning, when the breasts are full. And on the other hand, if baby is a feeble sucker, great patience and perseverance is needed in teaching him to feed, and a rather longer time may bo necessary.

The Great Importance of Regularity. The very first thing to establish in life is regularity of all habits. In baby’s early life a few days of absolutely regular feeding usually suffices to establish that clock-like rhythm of alternate feeding and sleeping which is so vitally important, in laying the foundations of a stable nervous system. Babies regularly and properly fed tend to sleep like little dormice, digest their food completely, and are infinitely more contented and happy than those whose mothers are irregular and unsystematic. ]f baby is asleep at feeding time lie should be wakened. After a short time this will not be necessary, for he is the best of timekeepers. Remember baby is just as likely to cry because he lias bad too much as because be bar; bad too little. The tendency of mothers is to overfeed rather than to underfeed, and overfeeding causes half the troubles little babies are (quite unnecessarily) heir to. No Night Feeding. Night feeding strains the. baby’s digestion, founds a bad habit of broken sleep, and is a big tax oil the mother. Teach baby to sleep eight good hours at a stretell during the natural time for sleep—the hours of darkness; don’t encourage broken sleep and insomnia. How to Nurse Baby. When feeding baby you will find it a good plan to occupy a low, comfortable chair. Lean forward slightly, and raise the knee upon which baby rests by placing your foot on a stool. Support bis bead on the curve of your arm, and bold the breast away from his face between your first and second fingers, so that his nose is left free for breathing. Nurse baby in a quiet room where neither he nor you will be disturbed. You may find that a small pillow placed on your lap under baby will bo a comfort—it saves stooping. Some mothers find it a benefit to lie down while nursing, for in addition to finding the position comfortable, they are glad of the little regular periods of complete rest. Jaw Work and Exercise.

A point of great importance in baby feeding is the exercise the infant gets while sucking—the kind of alcrtncs.-) wo notice in all lu-althv young animals at the breast, and which you may have noticed .in the rapid, ecstatic tail-wag-

jrrititr of puppies, lambs and calves. Every organ in the body is stimulated bv this natural exercise, but it is specially important for the jaws and mouth, bringing as it does, a free flow of blood to all the adjacent parts. Therefore, natural suckling at the breast, or. failing that, the nearest possible approach tends to ensure better development of teeth and jaws, better tongue, palate, nose, etc., and so an immunity from acre throats, enlarged tonsils, and adenoids. On the other hand, a baby who imbibes his food passively through a long tube feeder, or through a teat with a big hole in it. is no better off as regards exercise than a spoon-fed baby, and worse off as regards cleanliness. Cleanliness. The nipples should be kept scrupulously clean and dry. They should be washed before and after each nursing with a little piece of cotton wool or old linen boiled and kept covered in the boiled water, and not used a second time. Get Baby’s “Wind” Up. Halfway through the feeding, and also at the end, hold habv upright against your shoulder and help him to expel any wind, but handle him gently. This helns to prevent vomiting and colic. But if vou find from experience that habv tends to have very little wind, don’t spend a long time :n this way.

(To be continued next week.)