BREAST FEEDING
=Suggestions for demonstrations.= 1. Demonstrate how to hold the baby
when feeding him. 2. Demonstrate how to weigh the baby.
Every mother should nurse her baby if she is well and has the milk; it
is her most important duty for the time being, and all other things
should be secondary to it.
=The reasons.= Breast milk is nature’s food for the baby. It is fresh,
sterile, and always at hand. It is the least expensive food that
can be given, and contains the proper elements of food in the right
proportions.
Breast-fed babies seldom have bowel troubles—which are apt to be so
fatal in bottle-fed babies, especially in hot weather. Ten bottle-fed
babies die to one fed on the breast.
=Hours for nursing.= At the end of the first twenty-four hours the
baby is put to the breast. Because of the scant quantity of milk in
the breasts, every four or six hours is often enough for the first two
days. Until the mother’s milk comes no food should be given to the baby
except a little cool boiled water, not sweetened. If the milk is very
scanty, the physician will probably order a few bottle feedings. For a
normal baby the following feedings are recommended:
+----------------+---------------+----------------+
| FROM BIRTH | FROM THREE | FROM EIGHT |
| TO THREE | TO EIGHT | MONTHS TO |
| MONTHS OLD | MONTHS OLD | ONE YEAR OLD |
+----------------+---------------+----------------+
| 6 A. M. | 6 A. M. | 6 A. M. |
| 9 A. M. | 9:30 A. M. | 10 A. M. |
| 12 noon | 1 P. M. | 2 P. M. |
| 3 P. M. | 4:30 P. M. | 6 P. M. |
| 6 P. M. | 8 P. M. | 10 P. M. |
| 9 P. M. | 12 midnight | |
| 12 midnight | | |
+----------------+---------------+----------------+
The mother should nurse her baby regularly and give nothing between
feedings except unsweetened boiled water. If the baby is awakened at
feeding times during the day, he will soon form the habit of nursing
regularly.
=How to hold the baby.= While the baby is nursing do not hold him too
closely to the breast, as he must have plenty of air to breathe. If the
baby is nursing from the right breast, he should be held on the right
arm, and the mother’s left hand should press the breast away from the
baby’s nose.
=Length of nursing time.= The baby should not nurse more than ten
minutes at first nor more than twenty minutes at any time. He should
not be allowed to fall asleep while nursing nor be permitted to take
his meal too rapidly, as this latter may cause him to hiccup. If a
baby nurses too rapidly, withdraw the nipple from his mouth for a few
seconds. This may be done every three or four minutes.
=Baby’s stomach.= The infant generally takes more fluid at each feeding
than the stomach can hold at one time. Almost as soon as the milk
is swallowed it begins to pass into the intestines. Breast milk is
digested and passed on more rapidly than cow’s milk.
=Mixed feedings.= When the mother’s milk is of good quality, but is not
sufficient in quantity to satisfy the baby, it is necessary to give
him additional food. This is done by giving alternate feedings of the
breast milk and modified milk. Mixed feedings should always be given
under the doctor’s directions. Every bit of breast milk helps the baby,
because it tends to make the digestion of artificial food easier.
=Advice to nursing mothers.= Keep yourself well. As long as you are
well the baby will keep well. Even though you have but little milk at
first, do not get discouraged; be patient and persevering. You should
have lunches of milk and gruel—one in the middle of the morning, one
in the afternoon, and another at bedtime. Remember that an active,
cheerful mind is an important factor in good health. Nothing upsets a
baby more quickly than a nervous, irritable mother.
=Diet of a nursing woman.= The meals should be simple and nutritious
and should include a large amount of liquid. Milk, cereals, eggs, and
soups should form the principal part of the diet. Some of the foods to
be avoided by a nursing woman are cabbage, onions, garlic, and sour
fruits.
=Weaning.= The healthy baby should be weaned from the breast between
the ninth and the eleventh month. Every baby ought to be weaned
entirely at the age of one year, but it is better not to wean him
during the summer. If a baby has been taught to take water from a spoon
or cup, there will be no trouble at the weaning period in having him
take his milk from a cup. Weaning should take place gradually. During
the process the mother should take less liquids and usually some
laxative to produce free movements of the bowels.
=Weigh the baby.= The baby should be weighed once a week. Scales
similar to grocers’ scales, with a basket attached, may be used, as
they are more accurate than spring scales.
=Directions for weighing.= Have the scales in a warm place, protected
from drafts. Undress the baby, wrap him in a small blanket, and place
him in the basket on the scales. Write down the total weight; then lift
the baby out, weigh the basket and blanket together, and subtract this
amount from the first weight. The average healthy baby weighs from
seven to seven and one-half pounds at birth, and his average length is
twenty inches. A healthy baby usually doubles his weight at the end of
the fifth month, and by the end of the first year weighs three times
as much as at birth. For instance, if he weighs seven pounds at birth,
he should weigh fourteen pounds at the end of the fifth month and
twenty-one pounds at the end of the first year.
[Illustration: WEIGHING THE BABY]
If the length is twenty inches at birth, the baby should grow about
four inches during the first five months and eight inches during the
first year. The following table shows the actual gain in weight of a
healthy baby that was breast fed:
Weight at birth 7½ pounds
Weight at age of two months 11¼ pounds
Weight at age of four months 16 pounds
Weight at age of six months 18 pounds
Weight at age of eight months 20 pounds
Weight at end of first year 21 pounds
A child may be in good health and yet not conform to these averages.
This need cause no uneasiness, providing the child is well and gains in
weight.