SUMMARY
Breast Milk as a Food.—The superiority of breast milk over any other known food cannot be too strongly emphasized.
Regularity in Feeding.—The absolute need for regularity in feeding—“feeding by the clock” and not by guess or when the baby cries.
Indications of Health.—The normal growth and development to be used as guides as to the physical well-being of the infant; also as an indication of the use of the proper modification of milk for the individual needs of the child.
Dilution.—The amount of dilution necessary—cereal waters, whey, etc.—to increase the digestibility and nutrient values of the formula.
The Addition of Alkali.—The addition of alkalies to milk formulas to accomplish a like purpose.
Milk Sugar, Malt Sugar, Cane Sugar.—The use of the different sugars, namely, dextri-maltose, lactose, or cane sugar under various circumstances as the condition of the infant demands.
Substitutes for Whole Milk.—The substitution of different milk, such as lactic acid milk, Bulgarian culture buttermilk, Eiweissmilch, cream and whey mixtures, as the individual needs of the infant demand.
Technique of Milk Modifications.—The absolute need for the nurse to understand the technique of milk modification before attempting the care of an artificially fed infant.
Percentage Computation.—A knowledge of percentage, that an accurate computation of a formula may be accomplished.
Preparation of Food.—A sufficient knowledge of food preparation to enable the nurse to prepare any food which may be deemed necessary by the physician for the welfare of the child.
Water.—The importance of giving the baby water aside from that used in modifying the milk. Many babies cry from thirst when they are believed to be crying from hunger or temper.
Increasing the Diet.—The necessity for increasing the amount and strength of the formula with the age, growth, and development of the child by the addition of solid food as soon as the physician deems it advisable.
Feeding Premature Infants.—The method of feeding a premature infant differs from that employed in feeding an infant born at term: (a) because its development has not progressed so far; (b) because its digestive apparatus being more or less immature, food handled with ease by an older baby will be totally unfit for the premature one, both as to quality and quantity.
Wet Nurse.—The advisability of procuring a wet nurse when the mother is unable to nurse the infant, (a) on account of the more digestible character of the food constituents, especially the proteins, in mother’s milk over those of cow’s milk; (b) on account of the resistance furnished by the natural food which has been proved to be very much greater than that furnished by any other food, no matter how carefully the modification of the milk is made.
Premature Infants.—Their caloric needs are greater than in full-term babies, hence their food must be adjusted to meet these needs.
In fact the nurse must have an understanding of the behavior of foods in the metabolism of infancy and the laws which govern their use in the organism of the child.