The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-08

| h. 4 q
PROTECTION OF HEALTH.
By VIM. n. Harper, B. s., n. D.
Freedmen IS Hospital,
Washington, D. G.
Infant Feeding.
The good health of any people is de-
pendent as much upon the proper kind
of rearing during infancy and early
childhood as upon any other factor.
The colored man today is not the
physical equal of the white man in
| every respect, but in some few respects
he (colored) outstripes the whites, as
was recently shown in the army stats.
ties comprising the two races. And the
day will be brought much closer, more
quickly when we will be the stronger
race as whole if the mothers will but
carry into effect the principles laid down
for the proper feeding and the nursing
of their infants.
The colored mothers have always
been denied the opportunity to get the
benefit of the many advances of science,
because of the apparent white monopoly
on learning which I pray God has at last
ended forever.
The ideal food for newly born child
is the milk Of its mother, and it is the
duty of every mother to nurse her baby
unless she has instructions to the con-
trary from competent physician. In
many instances where the supply of milk
is insufficient, it becomes increased in
amount if sucking is persisted in.
At first the child should be put to the
breast only three times day until the
milk flow becomes established, but after
that time, it should be fed at intervals
of three hours. Definite hours should be
set for each feeding and, if necessary,
the child should be awakened from a
sound sleep at stated times to take nour-
ishment for only by this means can It's
habits be made regular.
A definite hour should be arranged for
the child s bath, which should be taken
as a starting point in arranging the
schedule for feeding. Ordinarily the
most convenient time is between and
10 a. m. If the former hour be chosen,
the first feeding should be at 6 a, M,
after feeding. IF these regulations be
persisted in, the child will usually go
ing put to bed, and if it awakes before
the next feeding is due it will remain
quiet.
After the fourth or fifth week, unless
the child is placed upon four-hour
schedule one of the breast feelings
should be replaced by bottle, no matter
how much milk the mother gives.
1t should be remembered that crying
is not always symptom of hunger, but
much more frequently indicates indigcs-
tion, resulting from an overloaded stoin-
ach. A child which is receiving the prop
er amount Of nourishment should rot
spit up its food, should increase steadily
in weight, and should have normal vel
low homogeneous passages.
In some subsequent article will dis
cuss artificial infant feeding for The
benefit Of those mothers who for some
reason or other are unable to nurse their
babies.
and the next Immediately after the
bath; while if the later be chosen, the
child should be fed at a. M, and again
shortly after 10. After the feeding i'm
mediately following the bath the baby
should be allowed to sleep as long as it
will, which is usually several hours,
after which it should be given nour;sh-
ment at intervals of three hours until
bed time. BY this arrangement it will
receive seven to eight feeding during
twenty four hours. The last should be-
timed for the usual bed time Of the par
snts, and only one feeding should be Civ
en- during the night that is between IL
p. m. and 6 or 3. m. and frequently the
child can be trained to sleep the entire
night without awakening. This how
ever, can only be accomplished by feed
ing it at regular intervals during the
day, so as to insure that it receives the
proper amount of nntriment in the TWEEN
ty-four hours.
inst before feeding the napkin should
be changed and the child encou-ag ed to
urinate, but as soon as il is taken from
The breast it should be placed ii bed and |
not DO allowed TO sleep ut It's mother = |
,reast nor ahould IL ia rocked * 1ondlesI:1