WHEN THE BABY SHOULD NOT BE NURSED

As much as we desire maternal nursing for the babe, there do occur instances and conditions which demand a change to artificial feeding, such as the following:

  1. A new pregnancy.
  2. Mothers with uncontrollable tempers.
  3. Cases of breast abscess.
  4. Prolonged illness of the mother with high fever.
  5. Wasting diseases such as tuberculosis, Bright's disease, heart disease, etc.
  6. Maternal syphilis.
  7. When maternal milk utterly fails, or is wholly inadequate.

When a maternal anesthetic is to be administered, or in case of inflammation of the breast or during a very short illness not covering more than two or three days, then the breast pump may be used regularly every three hours to both breasts; the baby may be artificially fed and then returned to the breast after the effects of the anesthetic has worn off or the temperature has been normal for twenty-four hours.

There may also appear definite indications in certain children which make it imperative that the nursing child should early be weaned. These manifestations of disordered nutrition and failing health admonish us to put the baby on properly modified milk, or to transfer it to a wet nurse.

These conditions are:

1. Progressive loss in weight.

2. A bad diarrhea of long standing; one which does not yield to the usual remedies, at least not as long as the baby continues to feed from the breast. These diarrheas are especially serious when accompanied by a steady loss in weight.

3. Excessive vomiting accompanied by progressive loss in weight.