Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-11-07
MOTHERS
AND HEALTHY BABIES
Over 100000 Babies Die Every
Year In The United
States
PARENTAL CARE is URGED

OF the 100000 babies who die every
year in this country before they are a
year old, nearly half die during their
first month of life. In many tiny bodies
the flame of life burns so feebly at
birth that it is soon snuffed out, be-
cause mothers were i'll or overworked
or underfed during the momentcus
months before their babies were born.
That is why the Children's Bureau of
the u. S. Department of Labor and the
Woman's Committee of the Council of
National Defense urge that as part of
the Children's Year Campaign to save
100000 babies, proper instruction and
care be made available for all mothers
during the critical months before
their babies come.
The mothers themselves realize that
the care of the baby must start before
the baby is born, is shown by their
eagnerness to avail themselves of in
formation concerning the hygiene of
maternity. The demand for the pam
phlet on Prenatal Care published by
the Children's Bureau is steadily in
that pamphlet as well as from the
Children's Bureau pamphlet on In
FAINT Care have been translated into
Japanese for the benefit of the Japa-
nese mothers of the Pacific Coast. The
prenatal centers that have been es-
tablished during Children's Year in
many towns throughout the country,
MI NV. fhnr do
sire advice on how to make childbear-
ing safe for themselves and for their
children.
At least $4,000 mothers are lost to
the United States each year from
causes-most of them preventable-
that are connected with childbearing
They die because they have not known
how to protect themselves during
pregnancy or because the surgeon is
not within reach at the time of con-
finement or because the doctor or mid
wife who attends them is careless or
ignorant. Many other mothers who
survive in spite of improper care, are
left in weakened condition, incap-
able of properly looking after the
needs of their families
This loss, coupled with the loss of
thousands of babies, is one that no
country can afford to ignore. In Eng
land, after four years of war, prenatal
care for mothers has greatly increas-
ed. Only recently, the King has put
his signature to a bill that provides
government aid for medical and nurs-
ing ~e for mothers and babies. A
SINH, bill, destined to help the moth
ers of the United subsequently,
those in rural districts-has been pre-
scented in our own Congress.
What may be accomplished by max
ing available for mothers advice and
proper care is shown by the record of
one prenatal center in the City of
Philadelphia. Not one death in child
birth has occurred in three years
among the mothers attending the CEN
ter, and not case of eclampsia ICON
vulsions of pregnacy). Out of 80 full
time births, "a were living at the end
of the first month. All but two were
breast-fed.
In New York, the Milk Committee
has been in touch with more than 5000
mothers. Only of these mothers lost
their lives from causes connected with
childbirth and only sc babies died in
the first month of life. These figures
show reduction of SO per cent in the
death rate for mothers and of % per
cent in the death rate for babies
among the supervised cases as COM
pared with the figures for New York
in general. One of the largest insur-
ance companies of the country has, in
the past few years, been trying the
experiment of sending a nurse to ex-
pectant mothers among it's policy
holders. In 1916, these nurses visited
more than 1000 cases, and the deaths
in childbirth among the company's
policy holders decreased from 70.1 per
thousand in 1911 to 62.6 in 1916 a de-
crease of 1917 per cent.
The provision of such care for all
mothers would prevent a great waste
to our country-a waste that makes it,
self felt not only in mothers and ba-
bies that actually die, but in invalid
women and puny children destined for
a lifetime of ill-health and ineffi-
cheney