“A very large baby may require a little more milk than that allowed in these formulas. A small delicate baby will require less than the milk allowed in the formulas.”
These formulas may be tabulated as follows:
| Age | Milk | Water | Barley-Water | Lime-Water | Sugar | No. of feedings | Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Night | |||||||
| 3–7 days | 3 ozs. | 7 ozs. | 16 ozs. | ½ ozs. | 2 teaspoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 |
| 2d week | 5 ozs. | 10 ozs. | 15 ozs. | 1 ozs. | 1½ tablespoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 |
| 3d week | 6 ozs. | 10½ ozs. | 14 ozs. | 1 ozs. | 1½ tablespoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 |
| 1 month | 7 ozs. | 11 ozs. | 12 ozs. | 1 ozs. | 2 tablespoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 |
| 2 month | 11 ozs. | 13 ozs. | 12 ozs. | 1½ ozs. | 2½ tablespoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 |
| 3 month | 16 ozs. | 11 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 3 tablespoons | 7 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10–2 | |
| 4 month | 19 ozs. | 10 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 3 tablespoons | 6 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10 | |
| 5 month | 21½ ozs. | 2 ozs. | 3 tablespoons | 6 | 6–9–12–3–6 | 10 | ||
| 6 month | 24 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 3 tablespoons | 5 | 6–10–2–6 | 10 | ||
| 7 month | 26 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 3 tablespoons | 5 | 6–10–2–6 | 10 | ||
| 8 month | 28 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 2½ tablespoons | 5 | 6–10–2–6 | 10 | ||
| 9 month | 30 ozs. | 2 ozs. | 2 tablespoons | 5 | 6–10–2–6 | 10 | ||
Mixed Feeding. Under some conditions the breast-fed baby is given also a certain amount of modified milk, and this combination of natural and artificial feeding is termed mixed or supplementary feeding.
A deficiency in the breast milk, ascertained by weighing the baby before and after each nursing, may be supplied by following each nursing with a bottle feeding; or one or two breast-feedings, in the course of the day may be replaced by entire bottle feedings. In any case the milk mixture to be used as supplementary feeding is prepared with exactly the same painstaking care as is the milk for entire artificial feeding.
If supplementary food is given because of an inadequate supply of breast milk, it is of great importance that the baby be put to the breast regularly, no matter how little food he obtains, for his suckling is the best possible means of stimulating the breasts to secrete more milk and of equal importance is the fact that they will tend to dry up if the baby nurses less than about five times in twenty-four hours. Moreover, even a little breast milk is valuable to him and he should have the benefit of all there is to be had.
An entire bottle feeding is sometimes given to a baby who is nursing satisfactorily at the breast, in order to give his mother an opportunity to take longer outings than are possible between the regular nursings. And sometimes it is to the mother’s advantage, and therefore to the baby’s, to give him a bottle during the night and thus allow her to sleep undisturbed.
COMMERCIAL BABY FOODS
Since the baby’s food is prescribed by the doctor, the nurse has little concern with the various proprietary baby foods and the canned and powdered milks which are so persuasively advertised to young mothers. It is hoped, however, that the discussions on nutrition in general and on baby feeding in particular, have made it clear to the nurse that these foods cannot be expected to be satisfactory if used as a sole article of diet throughout the bottle-feeding period.
There are many times and circumstances, however, when the temporary use of a prepared infant food or canned or powdered milk is advantageous. In some cases of intestinal disturbance, for instance, or while the mother is traveling and is unable to have freshly prepared milk formulas supplied to her along the way; during the summer, while staying at a hotel or boarding house where the freshness, cleanliness or purity of the milk are uncertain; or during a sudden shortage of fresh milk, as may occur during a strike or severe storm when transportation is interfered with, a proprietary food may be a great boon.