St. Tammany farmer., 1905-08-19
II
Home Health
Club
By DAVID Il. REEDEa. Ph. D. ND.
1 La Porte, Ind.
/. . ga
. 0NG

r or some time l have been prOm1S-
ing ins ructions upon the subject Of in
fant feeding. Some of the young
| mothers are beginning to get impatient
| at the delay. But as that season OF
the year is now with US in which it is
supposed that the greatest care must
be maintained in regard to the diet OF
the little folks, will proceed to give
q series Of lessons On infant feeding
which will, I believe, answer all de-
MAIDS.
The principal thought seems to be
that in proper feeding lies the whole
secret Of success in rearing healthy
children, and I am inclined to concur
in the belief, adding thereto cleanli-:
ness. With these two elements prop
eriy looked after, we need not greatly
fear the so-called .tchildren's diseases" :"
and especially summer complaint or
diarrhoea, which appears to be the all
nent most dreaded OF all. Having de-
sided to accede to the request, and in
order to do the matter justice, will In
al, probability, give the lectures a
somewhat technical form, although I
shall endeavor to follow the lines l
have hitherto laid down, and make my
meaning as plain as possible.
Some mothers appear totally igncr-
ant OF that which should constitute
their own diet, to say nothing Of that
Of their helpless little ones. They do
not seem to realize that the nursing
babe must of necessity be affected by
what they themselves take into their
stomachs. Is not your own flesh and
blood made from the food which you
eat? Then admitting, as you must,
that this is a self-evidens fact, does it
not stand to reason that the portion
extracted by the nursing child must
also be derived from the SAME source?
What, then, can be expected of the
baby when the mother INDUCES to the
fullest extent in such FOODS as pork,
sausages, ham, fried potatoes, fine
white bread, tea, coffee, or beer, cakes,
pies and fried doughnuts.
One mother complained that her
child's teeth did not develop, and that
those which appeared soon turned
black and crumbled away like chalk.
She was asked as to her diet, previous
to the birth of the child and during the
time it was nursing. She said it was
white bread and butter, coffee and
fried potatoes, but mostly fried .potap
toes. trust that those OF my readers
who follow my lectures from week to
week will not need to question further
as to the cause of the early decay.
While it is true that the nursing mo-
ther must give to the child that Of
which she partakes. yet the child gets
the best elements of that food, and
will not suffer as much as the mother
will.
Out of 5000 cases carefully observed,
less than three per cent. of the deaths
from diarrhoea was of nursing chill
dren-that is, children nursed by their
mothers, while the remaining 997 per
cent. was among children that were on
prepared baby foods, cows milk or
mixed diet. Nevertheless, the nursing
mother or wet nurse should carefully
study the subject Of diet and give the
child, not fighting chance TO live,
but the. best food possible for its susie
nance and development. Nothing .of
an offensive or injurious nature should
be tolerated, but that whioh Will SUI
fee to keep her in good health, SO that !
she does not suffer from Indigestion, /
constipation Or anemia. There sh.uld |
be no alterations in her weight, and
she should not be SO burdened with |
household cares as to cause her to be-
come overheated. overtired, anx Gus or |
angry. A nursing mother once became
very angry and soon after, as the par
oxysm subsided, took up her infant son |
and allowed him to nurse. In less than |
II hours the child died Of acute diar-
rhcea. Another mother was over
worked on a hot summer day; but the
baby cried for its dinner, and it was
permitted to nurse. A few hours later
diarrhoet set in, and was with difficult
at deaths door. And yet these mothers
could hardly believe it was their own
condition which caused all the trouble.
AS a general food an abundance. OF
milk is good for nursing mothers; but
in cases where it causes constipation,
1t must be diluted with one-fourth it's
quantity of hot water, SO as to render
all of it at blood heat, and it must then
be slipped slowly. If then the constipa-
ton or biliousness persists, which is
not likely, its use should be discon-
,inued.
Gruels and broths are excellent, and
such nourishing foods as lean meats
mo veal or pork, eggs, vegetables and
fruits. Even sour fruits do not have
IN unfavorable effect unon the child,
provided the digestion of the mother
S good, but the tendency seems to be
% stimulate activity Of the bowels
Such drinks as tea. coffee, beer. wine,
II liquors of any kind, should be as re-
igiously avoided as yo:l wouid with
lold them from child of greater age.
In order to pander to their own de-
3raved appetites, wet nurses some
lines demand ale, beer or porter with
heir meals, on the fallacious idea that
he quantity of milk is thereby i'm
proved. This is untrue; the quantity
nay be increased, but the quality is
lot nearly so good as that produced by
Thinking pure. water. 1t is necessary to
,artake of an abundance of liquid, but
he best results will be secured by
aking it in the form of fruit juices,
cups, milk, or water. Most vegeta-
lies are composed largely of water,
,owever, and they furnish large por-
ion Of the fluid required.
The condition of the child and its
Lbility to digest it's milk tells the story