HEARTH AND HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10301, 4 November 1911, Page 4

HEARTH AND HOME.

(By HYGEIA.)

OUR BABIES.

(Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children.) " It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ftrubulance at the bottom." ADDRESSES OF PLUNKET NURSES AND SECRETARIES. jDmiedin.—Plunket IS urges Ellis and Laing. Telephone 1136. Office ot' the Society, Health Department Rooms, Liverpool Street, Dunediu. Office hours, daily (except Sundays;, from ;i to 4 p.m. Honorary Secretary, Mrs Edmond, Melville Telephono 53. Christeliurch.—Plunkot Nurse-a Hickaon and Hansard. Office of the Society, Chancery Lane, Cathedral Square. Telephone 817. Office hours, daily (except Sundays), from 9 to 11 a.m., and from 2 to 3 p.m. Honorary (secretaries, Mrn Pyne, Bealey Avenuo, telephono '285; and Mrs 0. Reid, Knowles Stroet, St Albans, telephone 1071. Wellington— Plunkst Nurse M'Donald, 73, Aro Street. Telephone 2425. Honorary secretary, Mrs M'Vicar, Brougham Street, City. .Telephone 2642. Auckland.—Phinket Nurses Chappell av.d Bricn, Park Slreet. Tolcphone Ssl. Office of the Society, 2, Chancery Street. Telephone 829. Office hours, Tuesdays and Fridays, 2.30 to 4 p.m. Honorary Seerc--1 tary, Mrs W. H. Parkes, " Marinoto," Hymonds Street. Telephono 240. Napier.—Plunket Nurse Donald, Masonio Hotel. Telephone 87. Honorary eecro- ' tary, Mis E. A. Henley, P.O. Box Gl. Telephono 147. New Plymouth.—Plunket Nurse Murray, Imperial Hotel. Telephone 12.1. Office Town Hall, AVedneßclayß and Fridays, 2 to 4 p.m. Honorary secretary, Mrs R. J. Matthews, Fitzroy. Telephone 104. Tirriaru.—Plunket Nurae Bowman. . Offico ot tho Society, Arcade Chambers. Telephone 314. Offico hours, 3.30 to 4.30 and 6.30 • to 7.30. • Honorary secretary, Mrs Smithson, Faillie, Sefton Street. Telephone 230. Iriyercargril I.—Plunket Nurse O'Shea, Allen's : ', Holl, Kelvin Street. Honorary secretary, Mrs Handyside, Gala Street. Ashburton.—Plunket Nurse Hickson. Offico of. Society, Bullock's Arcade. Nurse in . attendance every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Honorary secretary, Mrs G. ; Nell. , Society's Baby Hospital, Karitane Homo, •'"" Anderson's Bay, Dunsdin. Telephono j ' 1955. Demonstrations on points of in- .' tereat to mothers me given by the ,'' Matron every Wednesday afternoon from • '2.30 to 3.30. All mothers are invited. Messages may be left at any time at tbe Plunket Nurses' offices or private ad- "' dresses. All other information available from the honorary secrefary of ,each ■ branch. PLUNKET NURSES' SERVICES FREE. BATHING PREMATURE OR DELI- ' GATE BABIES. ' , The question of bathing premature or very siclc babies crops up from time to time. The following; extract from a nurse's letter shows how much thought 19 given to the matter by some earnest women:— A NURSE'S LETTER. " I have been-discussing with a friend eolne aspects of pur work which have come to my mind lately. Of course, it is only within the last few months that I have begun to think seriously about such matters, and I am very likely quite at sea, and should naturally be very thankful to be set right. .Regarding the treatment of premature babies :■ In. our modern artificial life, where, unfortunately, premature babies are by no means uncommon, it seems important that wo should know the best way to. save them. It is deSlorable to see so often as the cause of eath " prematurity." My line of thought has been somewhat as follows: means this premature baby to have., say, another two months 1 under very different conditions, protected, in an even temperature of, say, jOOdeg Eahr., having a constant flow nf nourishment, lying in a fluid medium. Now, as far as possible Nature must be followed. One great _ essential -difference is that through birth the ! ' lungs have begun to take up their function,, and so plenty of pur© fresh fitr must be provided to be breathed in *nd out; but, unlike tho normal baby, the'' premature requires an airy, weilWarmed room, and could not yet stand exposure to the outside elements until ■Uch time as it had reached the normal Stage and could be gradually made to , ponform to normal conditions. Am I wrong P Would it be safe to put tho delicate premature on the verandah as one does with other babiesP Then about keeping the cradle warm. Would you ttdvise baby to be surrounded with hot bottles, not too hot that they may be enervating, but hot enough to keep the cradle at a temperature of, say, :.- lOOdeg Fahr. tested by a thermometer arranged in the blankets alongside baby. Possibly one might also test the •water one was putting into the bags to eee that it was not above ISOdeg. I Suppose the heat from it after it had' been covered by flannel would not be more than lOOdeg Fahr. I have thought of Nature surrounding baby with a ! fcomewhat oily fluid, and our therefore it with warm oil instead of bathing it. Is that a wrong conception? This week we shall answer only the latter part of the letter, which 'deals with the use of oil instead of water for l bathing. THE USE OF OIL. - For premature or very delicate young babies it is advisable to rub or batho with _ oil and not to use water until sufficient vitality and resistivencss have been acquired. Many delicate babies who now die would be saved if women ; Understood how absolutely necessary it IS to guard against any avoidable loss ve a m W€aklin S B at the dawn of life. Soma American authorities go further than this and say that it should , be a routine practice with nil babies to liso the oil bath only for the first Week of life. We do not agree with this, being satisfied that bathing with J* 'arm water rapidly carried out with ue precautions nets as a pleasant and Invigorating stimulus in the case of a 'normal healthy baby. But this is not go' with chilly, delicate, recently-born %fants—they are depressed, not stimu- . fated, by the ordinary bath, and in Iheir case oil should take tho place of "*ater, until a normal temperature of rthe blood has been established, and improved nutrition and vitality have been ouilfc lip to some extent. Then, using fvery precaution, hob water bathing jnay bo used, beginning with, say, two i*Uch baths a week, followed by rubbing with warm oil, tho wiping anil rubbing v frith oil being still resorted to on the Intervening days. Proceeding on these tines tho mother may gradually work •••4) to the ordinary daily warm water bath in the course nf a few weeks. The following account of the use cf oil by an American mother, Avho is also • doctor, conveys very clearly what is timed at by the chief advocates of oil bathing and gives also the best practical way ol setting about it: — "Formerly the new-born babe wrs plunged into a full bath, or exposed to tho air, was sponged over, often with Boap that was not too puro. . . ''To-day many physicians advocate - wrapjnug tho new baby in cotton batting, covering it quite closely and laving it awi'.y in a warm corner for govern,! hours, until it becomes in a measure adjusted to tho change- cf residence. Then, instead of a thormmh washing. It is "treated to an oil hrth before a warm lire, with only a small part of its kodv exposed at one time, ('oc.d, clean' freshly rendered lard is the best cmol- :;,, jient," as it removes most easily the ' Ternix caseosa with which the baby is Wore or less covered. By tome, sweet oil is preferred. After the little one lias had its rest, the nurse, with her basket at hand, her oil on tho hearth well warmed, is ready , to give it, its first dressing. Use a ■mall piece of absorbent cotton for the ' ipouge to oil it with. Cover the head well with tho oil and with a soft piece Of old linen rub it off. and with. i+ *"> n

THE DOMESTIC CIRCLE,

come the cheesy substance called vernix caseosa, and leave the head clean. I>o this with tho entire body, little- oy little, taking great care that all the creases, which are numerous, shall be thoroughly clean and left well oilod, to that no chafing may follow. For a week your baby will need no other than tho oil bath daily, and the restfulness and comfort of the little cm-- will be expressed in sleep, sleen. sleep. The full bath in water should bo reached by degrees only, proceeding from a partial bath with sponge to a full sponge bath : then, as the baby grows stronger, put ic into the tub. Approached in this way, few babies but will take their bath with delight." As bearing on the above the following passage from the Society's book is relevant : It must always be kept in mind that a baby's skin surface is three or four times as sensitive in proportion to its siae as that of an adult; therefore when an infant is exposed to cool air he most always be warmly enough clad to prove.nt excessive escape of heat. Small dumplings cool quicker than big puddings.

this cams a lovely fichu of Limerick lace with differently draped sides. On the right shoulder the lace was drawn low down over tho bust an 1 covering the arms as far as the elbow, but on the left «ido the satin covered the top of tho shoulder, and the lace was draped below and crossed in front, above the folds of the lace on the other side. There wore no sleeves to this dress, and tho beautiful arms of the wearer looked still morn beautiful, through the transparent laco Pockets, and those no delusions, but real, capacious pockets, capable of holding manv sensible things a. woman would like to carry, are seen on tin newest wraps and coats. . It is not surprising that, accompanying tho revival of tho fichu, should come flounces for dresses of thin materials. In Sir George Alexander's new play " Tho Ogre," one of tho characters wears a dress of soft shiny silk with a full lamp-shade frill round "the foot that is very pretty, and I have seen this week. a. dress with two daop flounces of lace from the left hip round the front of the skirt und extending to the hem