Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-10-25
FATHER AS HEAD NURSE.

Among the foreign speaking people
nf n metropolitan city there are Gus
toms which are wholly unknown to the
people who have been longer in the
country. Among these is the custom
of leaving the decision on questions Of
baby care to the father.
Nurses connected with infant welfare
stations have told me Of the following
illustrative cases:
a mother brought her 2-months-old
baby to the station. Her baby was be-
ing fed ON a baby food which was rich
In but DOOR in fat. She was adj
vised to put her baby on milk. The
nurse showed ncr how to dilute the
midk and prepare the bottle. The
mother said she would have TO ask her
husband about it. The next day she
came to the station. bringing her baby
and her 15-months-old child. She said
her husband would not let her give the
baby milk. He said the other child had
had the food and n done well, Z
if it was good enough for the older
child 1t was good enough for the baby.
The l5-lnonths-old child could not
ak. She only shrugged her should-
crS. The nurse went to the .lolue
when the husband vas there. When Ii
was explained to the father that tho
baby would not get strong on the Pre-.
pared food and the fact tina the older
baby had done so was not proof, he
decided at once, telling his wife to 10
what the nurse said.
a woman came to the station with a
thin. lilly nourished, sick baby. 1t was
being fed improperly. The nurse
showed her how to fix milk for her
baby and she agreed to fix it properly.
AS she did not return to the station
the nurse went to her home to find
out what the trouble was. The baby
was sick. TN mother had gone back
to the old method of feeding? Why?
Her husband whipped her for going to
the station. ordered her to stay away
from there, ana to feed the baby the
old way.
Miss Wilson. a field nurse of the
Chicago Infant Welfare society. says:
The longer you are with foreign
speaking people the more convinced
you will be that the father is the key to
the baby welfare situation. He de-
cides what the baby shall be fed and
what shall be done for it. If the baby
Is sick when he comes from work he
sends for the doctor. When l have
trouble getting proper food and proper
care for a baby ! have found that ev.
erything was easy if l could get to
talk to the father. Whenever the
father tells the mother to do as the
nurse says. the mother ch%eerfully
agrees"
Miss Wilson would like to see the
station kept open Sundays, nights or
Saturday afternoons, SO that the regu-
lar attendance of fathers could be Sc
cured
This custom Is not SO difficult to ex.
plain. A family OF small income rnust
figure very closely. If q change in
baby's food means Increased expense
the father must be consulted. Generally
speaking. the father has been in the
country longer han the mother. He
q been thrown more into the world.
He has had better opportunities to
learn the language and also the cus-
toms of the country. He has nae bet
ter opportunities to learn the foods Of
the country. And, finally. in the old
country women did not have as much
right to decide as they have in this
country. This custom of our foreign
speaking citizens is a to UNDER
stand.