The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-05-06
When To Begin The
Care OF A Baby
(By Mrs. Max West. }

(By Mrs. Max west.
Mothers are just beginning to rea-
lize that the better care which ba-
bies must have if 100000 of them
are to be saved during Children's
Year should commence before the
baby is born. Every year three
times that number of children under
five die and are lost to the country
before they have lived much beyond
infancy A large part of this vast
multitude of young Americans per-
ished needlessly, because many of
the deaths could have been preven-
ted by proper and sufficient care.
At what age do most of these pre-
ventable deaths occur? What are
the proven methods by which babies
lives may be saved? From the an
swers to these questions mothers
will appreciate the special work for
children which they can do during
Children's Year.
The first and largest number OF
deaths among little babies is due to
what are called the prenatal causes.
This group includes the babies which
were born prematurely, or too weak
to survive, perhaps with some defect
of the body which forbids their liv-
ing, and also those who are SO in
jured by the birth process that they
can not he saxed- All Of these car
ses of death are effective either IN
the period of pregnancy or at child
birth itself The babies lives can be
saved only if their mothers have
proper care at these most important
periods.
The essential features of good care
for expectant mothers are proper and
sufficient food, rest, freedom from
overtaxing forms of work and from
worry, medical supervision of her
general condition and prompt atten-
ton to small ailments as they arise.
A prospective mother needs light,
nutritious diet of digestible foods,
such as she likes and her appetite
demands. Fried and greasy foods,
heavy puddings, and all heavy Or un-
derdone pastries, or an excess of any
one article should be eliminated
from her diet, as we'll as anything
which she does not readily digest. 1t
is also important that the expectant
mother should drink a sufficient quan
tity of water each day.
During the last eight weeks be-
fore the baby comes the mother
should as far as possible be spared
all forms of heavy and taxing labor,
in order that her strength may be
built up in anticipation of the COM
ing demand upon it. The baby's
proper development also depends lar
gely upon the mothers condition at
this time, since the baby gains half
his weight in the last eight weeks OF
pregnancy. The mothers ability to
nurse her baby depends largely up
on the care she has during these last
weeks and Immediately after con-
finement.
The mother should be under the
care of a good doctor as long before
the birth as possible in order that he
may watch for and correct any un-
toward symptoms that may arise. 1t
is exceedingly important that the all
ments of pregnancy be dealt with IN
the beginning before they develop
into more serious matters. At the
first appearance OF swollen nanos
and feet, or persistent headache, or
pain in any part, or hemorrhage, or
of spots before the eyes, a good doc
tor should be called.
It is much easier and far cheaper
TO see tQaC HOCueT duu udDy nave ehN
right kind of food and proper care
during the brief period before the
birth than it is to undo the results
of improper food and care at this de-
cisive time. This is a need which
we in this country must soon face,
as England and France have had to
do. 1t is said that in Paris pregnant
women had never been so we'll cared
for as in the first months of the war.
The Children's Bureau, Washing
ton, D. c., will send to any one ask
ing for it a pamphlet giving simple
directions to mothers-to-be. The Bu-
reau will upon application furnish
information to associations or COM
munities as to starting prenatal
clinics or consultation centers for
| mothers, where the services of a
good doctor are made readily avail
able for all mothers.
The establishment of such centers
is one of the ways in which commu-
mites can give their children protec-
ton. Indeed, if all the mothers in
community realize how important
such clinics are for the well being OF