Every mother should nurse her baby if she is well and has the milk; it is her most important duty for the time being, and all other things should be secondary to it.

The reasons. Breast milk is nature’s food for the baby. It is fresh, sterile, and always at hand. It is the least expensive food that can be given, and contains the proper elements of food in the right proportions.

Breast-fed babies seldom have bowel troubles—which are apt to be so fatal in bottle-fed babies, especially in hot weather. Ten bottle-fed babies die to one fed on the breast.

Hours for nursing. At the end of the first twenty-four hours the baby is put to the breast. Because of the scant quantity of milk in the breasts, every four or six hours is often enough for the first two days. Until the mother’s milk comes no food should be given to the baby except a little cool boiled water, not sweetened. If the milk is very scanty, the physician will probably order a few bottle feedings. For a normal baby the following feedings are recommended:

From Birth
To Three
Months Old		From Three
To Eight
Months Old		From Eight
Months To
One Year Old
6 A. M.6 A. M.6 A. M.
9 A. M.9:30 A. M.10 A. M.
12 noon1 P. M.2 P. M.
3 P. M.4:30 P. M.6 P. M.
6 P. M.8 P. M.10 P. M.
9 P. M.12 midnight
12 midnight

The mother should nurse her baby regularly and give nothing between feedings except unsweetened boiled water. If the baby is awakened at feeding times during the day, he will soon form the habit of nursing regularly.

How to hold the baby. While the baby is nursing do not hold him too closely to the breast, as he must have plenty of air to breathe. If the baby is nursing from the right breast, he should be held on the right arm, and the mother’s left hand should press the breast away from the baby’s nose.

Length of nursing time. The baby should not nurse more than ten minutes at first nor more than twenty minutes at any time. He should not be allowed to fall asleep while nursing nor be permitted to take his meal too rapidly, as this latter may cause him to hiccup. If a baby nurses too rapidly, withdraw the nipple from his mouth for a few seconds. This may be done every three or four minutes.

Baby’s stomach. The infant generally takes more fluid at each feeding than the stomach can hold at one time. Almost as soon as the milk is swallowed it begins to pass into the intestines. Breast milk is digested and passed on more rapidly than cow’s milk.

Mixed feedings. When the mother’s milk is of good quality, but is not sufficient in quantity to satisfy the baby, it is necessary to give him additional food. This is done by giving alternate feedings of the breast milk and modified milk. Mixed feedings should always be given under the doctor’s directions. Every bit of breast milk helps the baby, because it tends to make the digestion of artificial food easier.