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The Care of Babies: Work
Work. The expectant mother may do her usual work, but should not work hard enough to get very tired.
Work in stores and mills is not good.
It should be stopped as soon as possible, at least four weeks before the expected birth of the child. She should go out of doors every day, but must not run for cars, or jump, or over-exert herself in any way.
Once in four weeks, at the times when the woman would have been unwell, if she were not to have a baby, she should be even more careful than usual about over-exertion, because at these times there is more danger of miscarriage.
Clothing.-All clothing should be loose. As soon as she begins to show her condition, the mother should leave off her corsets, and have nothing about the waist that is at all tight. A loose corset waist should be worn. To this attach side garters instead of wearing circular ones about the legs.
Baths. It is important to keep the skin in a healthy condition, and this is best done by frequent bathing. Sea-bathing is not good, however, because it is too violent. When the Baby Comes. -Send for the doctor when the labor pains begin. He prefers being called too early than too late. A sudden gush of water signifies that the membranes have ruptured and the mother should go to bed at once.
The bed should be prepared as follows: Place a rubber sheet or several thicknesses of newspapers next to the mattress and over this a clean sheet. Next place three thicknesses of newspapers over the middle and edge of the side of the bed and cover with a folded sheet and then cover with a clean sheet. This top layer of papers and sheets can be easily removed after the labor and the mother will lie on a clean, dry sheet.
Everything should be in readiness for the reception and care of the baby. Have at hand a warmed flannel blanket in which to place the baby after birth, and hot water bottles with which to surround it if the room is cold. Expose the baby as little as possible during the bath. The clothes and diapers should be warmed. Everything that comes in contact with the baby should be scrupulously clean.
The mother should insist that a drop of silver solution be placed in the baby's eyes. This will prevent blindness. If the baby weighs less than four pounds it can best be taken care of in incubators which are to be found in any well-equipped hospital. Your physician is required to make a prompt report of the birth to the registrar or local board of health. This is a matter of great importance. Don't let him forget it.
The mother should remain in bed for at least two weeks after confinement. The womb does not return to its normal state for five or six weeks and no hard work or active exercise should be taken during this period.
THE NEW BORN CHILD If a new born infant is to live its first requirement is air, its second warmth. It is extremely sensitive to cold and may be seriously or fatally injured by slight exposure to cool air.
Wrap up the child quickly and carefully and do not expose it, except momentarily, to a temperature below blood heat. Do not handle the baby during the first few days more than is required to insure local cleanliness.
The death rate among infants is at its highest point the first week. The second week it drops enormously.
Many babies die thus early because the care which they receive within the first few hours or days is not intelligent. The first bath coming too early kills many. A full bath should not be given before the child is ten or twelve days old. The first cleansing of the skin can be done much better with olive oil or even lard.
Apply this to only a small portion of the body at a time, then wipe it off with pieces of old, soft cotton or linen.
Next to air and warmth among the life needs of the new born child is sleep. After it has had its initial cry, see that the breathing is well established and the child is made comfortable. Then let the infant sleep undisturbed during the first two or three days, eighteen or twenty hours out of the twenty-four.
Immediately after birth of a child two drops of a 1 per cent fresh solution of nitrate of silver should be placed in each eye by the nurse or attending physician. This preparation costs about two cents and will prevent blindness. The eyes should be carefully shielded from the light until they gradually become accustomed to it. The need of food is not immediate. Nature does not usually provide a supply of food for the first two or three days and sometimes not for the first five or six days. Hence it is safe to infer that a preliminary fast is the best and safest for the baby. Observation shows that feeding within this time is most often injurious.
When a baby is well it will sleep twelve hours or more in every twenty-four, without being rocked. It will nurse every three or four hours during the daytime, and after the sixth month will be satisfied without nursing in the night. It will gain about six ounces in weight every week. It will have a movement of the bowels every day, soft and yellow in color, without the aid of medicine or other help. It will be happy and contented. It will cut its first tooth at about the sixth month; sit up without aid at the seventh or eighth month; creep at the ninth or tenth month; walk at from the twelfth to the fourteenth month, and talk at about the fifteenth month of age.
To keep a baby well you must satisfy its needs in respect of the following essentials, namely: food, THE CARE OF BABIES clothing, fresh air, bathing (with sanitary cleanliness of both the baby's body and clothing), sleep at night and naps in the daytime with all the rest and quiet possible. The following simple rules sum up a world of practical wisdom on this subject:
Give the baby pure outdoor air both night and day. Give it no food but mother's milk or milk or food from a clean bottle as directed by the physician. Let the baby alone when not feeding or bathing it.