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From the first moment the infant is applied at the breast, it needs to be nursed upon a particular plan. This is critical into the well-doing of the child, tending to contribute essentially to preserve the health for this parent, who will thus be rendered a top notch nurse, and her duty at the same time will become a pleasure. This suggests, however, a careful attention on the part of the mother to her own health; for those of her child is essentially dependent upon it. Healthy, nourishing, and digestible milk usually are procured only from the healthy parent; but it is against wisdom to expect that, if a mother impairs her health and digestion by improper diet, neglect of exercise, and impure air, she will be able to, nevertheless, provide as wholesome and uncontaminated a fluid for her child, as if she were diligently attentive to these important points. Every instance of indisposition within the nurse is vulnerable to affect the infant. And this leads me to observe, that it should be a common mistake to suppose that, because a woman is nursing, she ought therefore to live very fully, and to add an allowance of wine, porter, or other fermented liquor, to her usual diet. The one result of this plan is, to cause an unnatural degree of fullness in the system, which places the nurse getting ready to disease, and which of itself frequently puts a stop with the secretion with the milk, instead of accelerating it. A good plan of proceeding is obvious enough; only let attention be paid to the normal laws of health, and so the mother, if she have a sound constitution, will make a greater nurse than by any foolish deviation founded on ignorance and caprice. The following case proves the correctness of this statement: A young lady, confined along with her first child, left the lying-in room in the expiration generally the third week, a top notch nurse, and in perfect health. She had some slight trouble with her nipples, but this was soon overcome. The porter system was now commenced, and at a pint with a pint as well as a half of this beverage was taken inside four and twenty hours. This was resorted to, not because there is any deficiency in the supply of milk, for it had been ample, as well as infant thriving upon it; but because, having become a nurse, she was told that it had been usual and necessary, understanding that without it her milk and strength would ere long fail. After this plan was followed for a few days, the mother became drowsy and disposed to sleep at the daytime; and headache, thirst, a hot skin, the truth is, fever supervened; the milk diminished in quantity, and, for the very first time, the stomach and bowels of the infant became disordered. The porter was ordered to get left off; remedial measures were prescribed; and all symptoms, both in parent and child, were after some time removed, and health restored. Having been accustomed, prior to becoming a mother, to look at a glass or two of wine, and occasionally a glass of table beer, she was advised to follow precisely her former dietetic plan, but with all the addition of half a pint of barley-milk morning and night. Both parent and child continued in excellent health in the course of the remaining period of suckling, as well as latter did not taste artificial food until the ninth month, the parent's milk being all-sufficient for its wants. No one can doubt that the porter was in this case the source of the mischief. The patient had gone into the lying-in-room in full health, celebrated, and came out from her chamber (comparatively) as strong as she entered it. Her constitution had not been previously worn down by repeated child-bearing and nursing, she had an ample supply of milk, and was fully capable, therefore, of performing the duties which now devolved upon her, without resorting to any unusual stimulant or support. Her previous habits were totally at variance with the plan which was adopted; her system became too full, disease was produced, and the result experienced was nothing more than what could be expected. The want to be followed for the very first six months. Until the breast- milk is fully established, which might not be until the next or third day after delivery (almost invariably so in a first confinement), the infant must remain fed upon a small amount of thin gruel, or upon one third water and two thirds milk, sweetened with loaf sugar. After this point it must obtain its nourishment with the breast alone, and for weekly or ten days the appetite generally the infant should be the mother's guide, as to your frequency in offering the breast. The stomach at birth is feeble, and as yet unaccustomed to food; its wants, therefore, are easily satisfied, but there're frequently renewed. An interval, however, sufficient for digesting the little swallowed, is obtained before the appetite again revives, and one fresh supply is demanded. At the expiration of a week roughly it is essentially necessary, and with some children this may be done with safety from the 1st day of suckling, to nurse the infant at regular intervals of three or four hours, day and night. This enables sufficient time for each meal for being digested, and tends to keep the bowels of the child in order. Such regularity, moreover, will do much to obviate fretfulness, and that constant cry, which seems as if possibly allayed only by constantly putting the child for the breast. A young mother very frequently runs into a significant error in this unique, considering every expression of uneasiness as an indication of appetite, and whenever the infant cries offering it the breast, although ten minutes may well not have elapsed since its last meal. This is exactly an injurious and even dangerous practice, for, by overloading the stomach, the foodstuff remains undigested, the child's bowels will always be out of order, it soon becomes restless and feverish, and is, perhaps, eventually lost; when, by simply planning to the above rules of nursing, the infant might became healthy and vigorous. For the same reason, the infant that sleeps with its parent must not be allowed to possess the nipple remaining in its mouth all night. If nursed as suggested, it is going to be found to awaken, as the hour because of its meal approaches, with great regularity. In reference to nighttime-nursing, I'd suggest suckling the babe as late as ten o'clock p. m., and not putting it towards breast again until five o'clock the next morning. Many mothers have adopted this hint, with great advantage to seperately health, and without the slightest detriment to that regarding the child. With all the latter it soon becomes a habit; to induce it, however, it must be taught early. The foregoing plan, and without variation, obviously is pursued to your sixth month. After the sixth month to time of weaning, that the parent has a large supply of good and nourishing milk, and her child is healthy and evidently flourishing upon it, no change in its diet should be made. If otherwise, however, (and this will but too frequently be the case, even before the sixth month) the child is sometimes fed twice among your day, and that sort of food chosen which, after somewhat trial, is found to agree best.
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Bill "The Resouurce Guy" Newland BillN@TheeResourceGuy.com www.parentingebookreviews.com/ Skype ID: etal200
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