Evening star., 1937-04-25

"This morning they had to be
cleaned. The kitchen stove was the
only place to do it. Faraphernalia:
saucer Of olive oil, some soft rags
larger pieces of the cleanest and
warmest cloths could find, some bor-
acic acid and prayer Each babe
was done on my knee at the oven door;
temperature of room must have been
about 100 degrees.
|"RRoUGHT out basket and placed it
on chairs near stove The babies
are SO very skinny-they fit into the
palm of my hand
DIR. Dafoe came In and ordered a
formula of milk, corn sirup and wa
ter. The babes were hungry and
gave them two eye droppers full go
drops. The Red Cross nurse brought
some breast milk in the afternoon;
gave it to the three smallest. Got
more hot water bottles, absorbent,
diapers and flannelette from Callander
women. Made absorbent cotton coats
for the babes
The next day an incubator arrived
from Chicago. We put the three small
est babes in it, with the other two
kept warm in basket by blankets and
hot water bottles. My diary for May
80 remarks, "Well-things are little
better"
The next days entry was less hope
full:
May 81. Babes holding their own
and that's all. All kinds of blue spells
Bowels not good-babes jaundiced yel-
loWish. Milk of magnesia given in
milk"
1t was necessary to give the little
mites enemas the next day Dr. Dafoe
did this with a syringe, while Miss
Cloutier, the Red Cross nurse, and I
held the babes. 1t was terrible strain
to work with such tiny creatures; we
had to give them minute quantities of
rum right afterward, they were so ex-
hausted. My diary entry for the day
read:
June l. I'm dead tired Miss Clou-
tier has been coming in for an hour or
two, but I'm dead-I'm dying. The
babes are living though. Breast milk
is sent to them. They'll live-oh, I'm
sure they'll live. They are so tiny,
though. I was relieved at mid
night. How nice my bed-and did
sleep?"
wasn't quite so hopeful in my next
entry
June 2. The babes weren't so good
during the night-so Miss C. says-but
they're alive. Oiled them every morn
ing-they love it. The littlest one
grows weaker
June 3. Nine. de Kiriline has ar
rived. She and Miss c. organized a
nursery in the parlor, scrubbed, washed
and cleared out everything and in
stalled big incubators-heated with
crooks. Keep a boiler Of hot water
on stove. Three babes in big incuba-
tor, two in smaller Chicago incubator.
The big incubator is very deep and
has large glass top. Babes are living
on pad OF absorbent cotton covered
with diapers-and dressed in their alb
sorbent cotton coats, with white wool
blankets over them. They look sweet.
A small fist appears occasionally and
goes toward the mouth.
"Jaundice is definitely established.
lhe babes are so dark that it makes
them look very bad indeed. They have
been named Yvonne, Annette, Cecile.
Emile and Marie, in order of size.
We have small tags on their coats
With their names on them. Weights:
Marie, l12 pounds; Emile, 2 pounds
l ounce or so; Cecile, about ~
pounds; Annette, about the same:
Yvonne (my peD, 2 pounds 13 ounces
or so.
JUNE 4.-Babes had their oil bath
in the new nursery this morning.
We have to work fast to prevent chill
ing. It's funny, to, we don't dare rub
too hard because of the delicate skins.
and We feel as if we were handling
baby chicks. The legs and arms
might come off.
We give rum, about 2 to 3 drops,
whenever the babes turn blue or show
signs OF fatigue. Feedings are eyery
three hours, consisting of breast milk,
which comes from Toronto every