New Britain herald., 1918-12-05

Advice to Mothers.
 Prenatal care means visiting the patient every ten days, getting his- tory of past pregnancies, noting any swelling of the feet and legs (vari- cose Veins) persistent vomiting, re- i peated headaches, dizziness or blur red vision, puffiness of face and hands, constipation and reporting same to doctor; keeping patient in constant touch with the physician. Most of our prenatal work has come from the Metropolitan agents. The company recognizes the value of this work and pays for two visits. Many of the women reported have been in the habit of employing a midwife One case that I saw after delivery by a midwife would con- vince the most skeptical that we should get in touch with these cases before delivery, and get them if pos- ! sible under the care of a. doctor. This case was one of complete lacer- ation and intense suffering. Accord ing to reports from the family the midwife made but one visit, charged as much or more than 8 doctor and nurse, and now unless the woman goes to the hospital for an operation at an expense she cannot afford, she will be an invalid the rest of her life We cannot do anything for these Wo~ men except to advise them calling doctor as we do not work with mfd~ wives.
 There are many things these pros pective mothers need advice about, the kind of food and the amount of exercise, clothing, care of the skin and teeth, fresh air and ventilation, e,Jo ~P h,~no cfS 10 place of confinement, supplies, the baby's clothing. how to conserve her strength for the health of the baby, and for the physical strain of labor and nursing.
 ''Everything is done to render maternal nursing possible, and there by reduce infant mortality. Healthy, strong mother is able to nurse her baby and a nursed baby means an- other strong healthy citizen. To pro- tect the baby we must first protect the mother.
 If the mother is not prepared for her confinement it is quite likely to
 mean inability to nurse the baby: which means a weakened child, en- dangered by disease, an expense to the family and often to the com nlunity. These babies sooner or later come to the milk station, and with much care and supervision they are carried through the critical first two years. It is a very important part of our work to look after these babies. Dr. Robinson has very kindly given his services on Wednesday mornings when a clinic is held and advises about feeding.
 Help For the Babies. .<
 The babies are weighed and if there Is not sufficient gain the diet is regulated. We are trying to break away from the custom of providing formulas at the station: rather teaching the mothers themselves to pepare the milk at home. The very best milk is provided and the mothers are supervised in the homes. If it is necessary to provide artificial feed ing for successive babies the nurses time IS not taken for these formulas as the mother already knows how to ster1l1ze and prepare the food and her instructions in the care of the first baby may prevent his successive brothers and sisters suffering from colia, diarrhea, malnutrition.
 When our maternity cases are closed the babies are turned over to the Baby Welfare nurse, and she is to follow these cases, try to get them to clinics, and with Dr. Robinson's help and advise keep them we'll. If they and advice keep them we'll If they works with him watching the baby and reporting weights and conditions. So far it has been the sick babies that have come to the clinics, and natural ly these are the ones reported to us, but as I have said before the in1- portant work is the preventive work. We want to get hold of the we'll babies and keep them we'll.
 One other opening seemed to be waiting for just the right nurse, and we feel sure We have secured the right person in Miss Ronejko. We were unable to reach Polish people, and it seemed absolutely necessary to get some one who understood their traditions and customs and preju- dices as we'll as their language. Miss Ronejko came with the sole aim and ambition to help her people and al- 1 most immediately the children were rushing after her crying 'The Polish 1 nurse, the Polish nurse," and peopte ! were asking her to come into their 1 homes where there was sickness, and | doctors were demanding more tima , than the 24 hours would allow We discovered that she was going out 1 nights where the cases were urgent. | and she was starting in at a pace that | would soon end in breakdown. The ] people go directly to her because she understands them. When we start her ] out in the morning with four calls on ! her list we never know how many she 1 may report at noon. We are certainly
 gratified that the experiment has been so we'll received, that we have re | ceiVed a nurse who has won the conf