82. Have you any suggestions to offer as to the way a babe should be dressed when he is put down to sleep? Whenever he be put down to sleep, be more than usually particular that his dress be loose in every part; be careful that there be neither strings nor bands, to cramp him. Let him, then, during repose, be more than ordinarily free and unrestrained "If, whilst in cradled rest your infant sleeps, 83. Is it a good sign for a young child to sleep much? A babe who sleeps a great deal thrives much more than one who does not. I have known many children, who were born* small and delicate, but who slept the greatest part of their time, become strong and healthy. On the other hand, I have known those who were born large and strong, yet who slept but little, become weak and unhealthy. The common practice of a nurse allowing a baby to sleep upon her lap is a bad one, and ought never to be countenanced. He sleeps cooler, more comfortably, and soundly in his crib. The younger an infant is the more he generally sleeps, so that during the early months he is seldom awake, and then only to take the breast. 84. How is it that much sleep causes a young child to thrive so well? If there be pain in any part of the body, or if any of the functions be not properly performed, he sleeps but little. On the contrary, if there be exemption from pain, and if there be a due performance of all the functions, he sleeps a great deal; and thus the body becomes refreshed and invigorated. 85. As much sleep is of such advantage, if an infant sleep *It may be interesting to a mother to know the average weight of new-born infants. There is a paper on the subject in the Medical Circular (April 10, 1861), and which has been abridged in Braithwaite's Retrospect of Medicine (July and December, 1861). The following are extracts :-" Dr. E. von Siebold presents a table of the weights of 3000 infants (1586 male and 1414 female), weighed immediately after birth. From this table (for which we have not space) it results that by far the greater number of the children, 2215, weighed between 6 and 8 lbs. From 5 to 6 lbs. the number rose from 99 to 268; and from 8 to 814 lbs. they fell from 226 to 67, and never rose again at any weight to 100. From 834 to 9 lbs. they sank from 61 to 8, rising, however, 91⁄2 lbs. to 21. Only six weighed 10 lbs., one 1034 lbs., and two 11 lbs. The author has never but once met with a child weighing 1134 lbs. The most frequent weight in the 3000 was 7 lbs., numbering 426. It is a remarkable fact, that until the weight of 7 lbs. the female infants exceeded the males in number, the latter thenceforward predominating. ** * *From these statements, and those of various other authors here quoted, the conclusion may be drawn that the normal weight of a mature new-born infant is not less than six nor more than 8 lbs., the average weight being 6% or 7 lbs., the smaller number referring to female and the higher to male infants." but little, would you advise composing medicine to be given to him? Certainly not. The practice of giving composing medicine to a young child cannot be too strongly reprobated. If he does not sleep enough, the mother ought to ascertain if the bowels be in a proper state, whether they be sufficiently opened, that the motions be of a good colour-namely, a bright yellow, inclining to orange colour-and free from slime or from bad smell. An occasional dose of rhubarb and magnesia is frequently the best composing medicine he can take. 86. We often hear of coroner's inquests upon infants who have been found dead in bed-accidentally overlaid; what is usually the cause? Suffocation, produced either by ignorance, or by carelessness. From ignorance in mothers, in their not knowing the common laws of life, and the vital importance of free and unrestricted respiration, not only when babies are up and about, but when they are in bed and asleep. From carelessness, in their allowing young and thoughtless servants to have the charge of infants at night; more especially as young girls are usually heavy sleepers, and are thus too much overpowered with sleep to attend to their necessary duties. A foolish mother sometimes goes to sleep while allowing her child to continue sucking. The unconscious babe, after a time, looses the nipple, and buries his head in the bed-clothes. She awakes in the morning, finding, to her horror, a corpse by her side, with his nose flattened, and a frothy fluid, tinged with blood, exuding from his lips! A mother ought, therefore, never to go to sleep until her child have finished sucking. The following are a few rules to prevent an infant from being accidentally overlaid :-(1.) Let your baby while asleep have plenty of room in the bed. (2.) Do not allow him to be too near to you; or if he be unavoidably near you (from the small size of the bed), let his face be turned to the opposite side (3.) Let him lie fairly either on his side or on his back. (4.) Be careful to ascertain that his mouth be not covered with the bed-clothes; and, (5) Do not smother his face with clothes, as a plentiful supply of pure air is as necessary when he is awake, or even more so, than when he is asleep. (6.) Never let him lie low in the bed. (7.) Let there be no pillow near the one his head is resting on, lest he roll to it, and thus bury his head in it. Remember, a young child has neither the strength nor the sense to get out of danger; and, if he unfortunately either turn on his face, or bury his head in a pillow that is near, the chances are that he will be suffocated, more especially as these accidents usually occur at night, when the mother, or the nurse, is fast asleep. (8.) Never intrust him at night to a young and thoughtless servant. THE BLADDER AND THE BOWELS OF AN INFANT. 87. Have you any hints to offer respecting the bowels and the bladder of an infant during the first three months of his existence? A mother ought daily to satisfy herself as to the state of the bladder and the bowels of her child. She herself should inspect the motions, and see that they are of a proper colour (bright yellow, inclining to orange) and consistence (that of thick gruel), that they are neither slimy, nor curdled, nor green; if they should be either the one or the other, it is a proof that she herself has, in all probability, been imprudent in her diet, and that it will be necessary for the future that she be more careful both in what she eats and in what she drinks. She ought, moreover, to satisfy herself that the urine does not smell strongly, that it does not stain the diapers, and that he makes a sufficient quantity. A frequent cause of a child crying is, he is wet, and uncomfortable, and wants drying and changing, and the only way he has of informing his mother of the fact is by crying lustily, and thus telling her in most expressive language of her thoughtlessness and carelessness. 88. How soon may an infant dispense with diapers? A babe of three months and upwards, ought to be held out, at least, a dozen times during the twenty-four hours; if such a plan were adopted, diapers might at the end of three months be dispensed with a great desideratum—and he would be inducted into clean habits-a blessing to himself, and a comfort to all around, and a great saving of dresses and of furniture. "Teach your children to be clean. A dirty child is the mother's disgrace.:** Truer words were never written,—A DIRTY CHILD IS THE MOTHER'S DISGRACE. AILMENTS, DISEASE, ETC. 89. A new-born babe frequently has a collection of mucus in the air passages, causing him to wheeze: is it a dangerous symptom? *Hints on Household Management. By Mrs. C, L. Balfour No, not if it occur immediately after birth; as soon as the bowels have been opened, it generally leaves him, or even before, if he give a good cry, which as soon as he is born he usually does. If there be any mucus either within or about the mouth, impeding breathing, it must with a soft handkerchief be removed. 90. Is it advisable, as soon as an infant is born, to give him medicine? It is now proved that the giving of medicine to a babe immediately after birth is unnecessary, nay, that it is hurtfulthat is, provided he be early put to the breast, as the mother's first milk is generally sufficient to open the bowels. Sir Charles Locock* makes the following sensible remarks on this subject:-"I used to limit any aperient to a new-born infant to those which had not the first milk, and who had wet-nurses, whose milk was, of course, some weeks old, but for many years I have never allowed any aperient at all to any new-born infant, and I am satisfied it is the safest and the wisest plan." The advice of Sir Charles Locock-to give no aperient to a new-born infant is most valuable, and ought to be strictly followed. By adopting his recommendation, much after misery might be averted. If a new-born babe's bowels be costive, rather than give him an aperient, try the effect of a little moist sugar, dissolved in a little water, that is to say, dissolve half a tea-spoonful of pure unadulterated raw sugar in a tea-spoonful of warm water and administer it to him; if in four hours it should not operate, repeat the dose. Butter and raw sugar is a popular remedy, and is sometimes used by a nurse to open the bowels of a new-born babe, and where there is costiveness, answers the purpose exceedingly well, and is far superior to castor oil. Try by all means to do, if possible, without a particle of opening medicine. If you once begin to give aperients, you will have frequently to repeat them. Opening physic leads to opening physic, until at length his stomach and bowels will become a physic shop! Let me, then, emphatically say, avoid, if possible, giving a new-born babe a drop or a grain of opening medicine. If from the first you refrain from giving an aperient, he seldom requires one afterwards. It is the first step, in this as in all other things, that is so important to take. If a new-born babe have not for twelve hours made water, the medical man ought to be informed of it, in order that he may inquire into the matter, and apply the proper remedies. In a Letter to the Author. Be particular in attending to these directions, or evil consequences will inevitably ensue. 91. Some persons say, that new-born female infants have milk in their bosoms, and that it is necessary to squeeze them, and apply plasters to disperse the milk. The idea of there being real milk in a baby's breast is doubtful, the squeezing of the bosom is barbarous, and the application of plasters is useless. "Without actually saying," says Sir Charles Locock, "there is milk secreted in the breasts of infants, there is undoubtedly not rarely considerable swelling of the breasts both in female and male infants, and on squeezing them a serous fluid oozes out. I agree with you that the nurses should never be allowed to squeeze them, but be ordered to leave them alone."* 92. Have the goodness to mention the SLIGHT ailments which are not of sufficient importance to demand the assistance of a medical man? I deem it well to make the distinction between serious and slight ailments; I am addressing a mother. With regard to serious ailments, I do not think myself justified, except in certain urgent cases, in instructing a parent to deal with them. It might be well to make a mother acquainted with the symptoms, but not with the treatment, in order that she might lose no time in calling in medical aid. This I hope to have the pleasure of doing in future Conversations. Serious diseases, with a few exceptions, and which I will indicate in subsequent Conversations, ought never to be treated by a parent, not even in the early stages, for it is in the early stages that the most good can generally be done. It is utterly impossible for any one who is not trained to the medical profession to understand a serious disease in all its bearings, and thereby to treat it satisfactorily. There are some exceptions to these remarks. It will be seen in future Conversations that Sir CHARLES LOсock considers that a mother ought to be made acquainted with the treatment of some of the more serious diseases, where delay in obtaining immediate medical assistance might be death. I bow to his superior judgment, and have supplied the deficiency in subsequent Conversations. The ailments and the diseases of infants, such as may, in the absence of the doctor, be treated by a parent, are the following:-Chafings, Convulsions, Costiveness, Flatulence, Grip Letter to the Author. |