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The Care of Babies: Nursing

Nursing mothers should therefore keep themselves well and their milk in good condition, by eating at regular hours three plain, well-cooked meals a day, consisting of milk, meat, vegetables and cereals. They should drink freely between meals of pure cold water. The notion that large quantities of tea, coffee and beer improve the quality of the mother's milk is mistaken. Beer and tea are always harmful and large quantities are positively dangerous.

Mothers should keep their bowels regular.

Constipation in a nursing mother often causes colic in her child. If the mother is ill or run down, or the baby has diarrhea and vomiting, she should consult a doctor at once, and before giving the baby other foods or bottle feeding.

Diet of the Nursing Mother.- Both the quantity and the quality of the mother's milk may be improved by improving her health and by modification of her diet. The first rule of a good diet for the nursing mother is that it must agree with her and keep her in a good state of health. Hence a diet adopted to increase the quantity or quality of the milk must not be adhered to unless it proves wholesome to the mother. Some foods, as tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce, which may be eaten by some nursing mothers without affecting their babies, cannot be eaten by others. For most mothers these fresh foods are of THE CARE OF BABIES great value and may be eaten freely.

The mother must be in good health to produce good milk.

The quantity of the milk may be increased by the use of liquid foods.