OUR BABIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVLI, Issue 12, 20 September 1911, Page 59

OUR BABIES.

(By

HYGEIA.

Published under the auspices of the Society for the Health of Women and Children. is reiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom.’’

A MOTHER'S LETTER. I HAVE a baby nine weeks’ old on Monday, and I am commencing to partly feed her with humanised milk, and why I am writing is to ask from you any advice on the best way to use it, etc. Jt is our first baby, and I must admit I have never had anything to do with children nor been amongst them, and we both are very anxious that our little girl gets every chance as far as possible. J have nursed her up to now, but I have not sufficient for her —or, I should sav. it does not satisfy her. 1 thought jf 1 out the humanised milk, and gave her, sav, two feeds a day, it would help both of us. She is troubled with wind, too, though "ill spite of it all she is growing and. I think doing well. Yet very soon after her drink she starts and sucks her hands, and you can tell that she is hungry. .She was a CJlb baby when she was born, and before I close this letter my husband will weigh her and you will see how much she

is improving—we keep weighing her to see how she is getting along. I understand you have several different leaflets and pamphlets, and I would be so pleased to receive any. Are some free, or are they for sale? 1 would he very much obliged if you will tell us about them and inform us which is the best to get. I know very little about the humanised milk but several j»f my friends have used it, though there is only one near (Mrs M ), who wrote you—anyhow, it’s the same thing. Our baby is very much inclined to be ’too costive. I generally manage to get her to have one motion a day. but some days she misses. I have not used anything to speak of for it—to doses of magnesia,—for 1 know it is better, if possible, to get her bowels to act naturally. 1 am putting baby out in the fresh air when it is lit, but our home is on a plain, with no shelter whatever yet, and I am always afraid of her getting too much wind, etc. She sleeps out of doors whenever 1 think fit, and as the days get warm, I intend her being out far more. We, of course, have a

cow, which only calved six or seven weeks* ago. so we have abundance of milk. I have been taking a lot of milk food, gruel, etc., to help me, but 1 feel sure baby will be better and more satisfied if she has a little humanised milk as well as mine. 1 do trust 1 am not asking too much when writing and asking all this of you, for T will own up to it—neither Air or myself knows if I am doing right or wrong in writing. Ko 1 trust if I am wrong you will pardon me. But we are anxious to do our best for baby, and I know of none other to ask advice from. If any little pamphlet that you should think would help us you will kindly send, we would send the money by. return. I do not know how I should address your letter, but hope it will reach you. And while asking about other things I might say our baby has a cold in her head. She is only troubled at nights with and each day I think it is better; but when she awakes for her drink sometimes it is quite impossible for her to suck. It has been bad. not like that, for quite a fortnight. When bathing her 1 get her to sniff a little water Tip her nose, and it makes her sneeze. This way. I get it cleaned, and it is all right all day. but each night it returns. What could’ I do to help it? Baby’.-, weight is now 111 b. We have just weighed her. Reply. Your baby seems to be doing well, and it is a pity to begin feeding her arli filially until you have found out

whether, after all, she is not getting enough from the breast alone. You ought to weigh baby before and after each suckling for one day. By doing this you would ascertain exactly how much you were giving at each feeding, and on comparing this with the average quantity given in the table of feeding (see page 32 of Society’s Book) you would know whether your supply was short or not. Judging from baby’s weight, you must ha\e supplied her very amply, as she has gained 1 lb over the agerage since birth. You do not say how often you feed her, and whether you have been quite regular in the time of feeding. I rather think you have been feeding her at night that is, between 10 p.m. and 0 a.m. and probably you have just given her a drink when you thought she was hungry. The fact that she starts to suck her hands immediately after her drink does not prove that she is hungry still, but probably that she is uncomfortable from wind and possibly due t<* over-feeding, and not under feeding. Regularity. The best way to get rid of wind is to feed your baby quite regularly, with proper intervals between feedings. No ordinary baby should be fed more fre (piently than every three hours during the day. say at 6 a,m., 9 a.m., 12 noon 3 p.m.. (» p.m.. and 10 p.m., that is, six times in the 24 hours. You should give her only one breast at a feeding .and give them alternately. Jf you give both breasts at each nur-ing. your baby gets only the thinner, poorer milk, and (he richer, which would came liyst (like the strippings from the tow) is left behind. If you have been doing this it would partly account for the'coibtipation of your baby. The quantity v” fat in her milk would be deficient. Exercise and Diet. Then you should take some active outdoor exercise every day. No less than a walk a real walk, not a saunter — of two miles daily. Doh’t cat cabbage, as that upsets the baby. You should lake simple nourishing food. (In this point read carefully the first section of the Society’s book, which I am sending you by the same mail. It is not good to take large quantities of mushy millfoods. It is better to take a fair pro portion of dry food, such as crisp toast, oat cake, brown bread, or any other food which requires chewing. ( hew it well. Don’t take any fatty fried foods or indigestible foods of any kind (see the book). You will see that you should take about one pint and a half more, fluid than you take when not nursing. Water will do, or milk and water, or thin gruel. Three meals a day are best, and no snacks between. Of course, you may drink \\ iter between times. It is a most excellent thing to drink a glass of water iir-.t thing in the morning and last thing at night. Summary. To sum up: (Il You must see that your own health is as good as possible. (2) Feed baby Vogitlarly at the same times every day, and don’t feed more fre qnently than every three hours, and not oftener than six times in the 24 hours. (3) Weigh her before and after each feeding for one whole day. You mu.** 1 " have accurate scales for this. If you have not got such scales, you might borrow them from the nearest store over .Sunday, ami your husband could hel you (see pages 4 and 5 of the Society*? Annual Keport, 1911, ami pages 10 and 12. ‘"Weighing Before and .After Suck ling”; also read carefully page 9, ‘No Night Feeding”). For weighing before and after don t undress baby just pop her on tlie scale before nursing and note her weight; and then just pop her on again and see how much she has gained. This only takes a few moments. See that she Ims plenty of fresh air, as well as every one of the 19 simp!-* essentials summarised on pages I and 2 of the Society’s Book. Bead carefully the section on “Hygiene,” page 55 and on. With a little trouble your husband could make a shelter to fend off the worst wind, and you could have baby out all day long. You will see that there must be a current of pure fresh air streaming through the bedroom all night long. You must not ohafruct the opening by any curtain or blind. I am perfectly aatisfied from what you say that your baby is not receiving justice as regards fresh air. There is never* a day on which baby should not be out from dawn till dark, and no pain/ should be spared to ensure this.