The maternal management of children, in health and diseaseBull, Thomas
Science
The maternal management of children, in health and disease
Bull, Thomas
Child care
Unwholesome articles of diet will affect the mother's milk, and
derange the infant's bowels. On the 25th May, 1836, I was called to see
an infant at the breast with diarrhoea. The remedial measures had but
little effect so long as the infant was allowed the breast-milk; but
this being discontinued, and arrow-root made with water only allowed,
the complaint was quickly put a stop to. Believing that the mother's
milk was impaired from some accidental cause which might now be passed,
the infant was again allowed the breast. In less than four-and-twenty
hours, however, the diarrhoea returned. The mother being a very healthy
woman, it was suspected that some unwholesome article in her diet might
be the cause. The regimen was accordingly carefully inquired into, when
it appeared that porter from a neighbouring publican's had been
substituted for their own for some little time past. This proved to be
bad, throwing down, when left to stand a few hours, a considerable
sediment; it was discontinued; good sound ale taken instead; the
infant again put to the breast, upon the milk of which it flourished,
and never had another attack.
In the same way aperient medicine, taken by the mother, will act on
the child's bowels, through the effect which it produces upon her milk.
This, however, is not the case with all kinds of purgative medicine,
nor does the same purgative produce a like effect upon all children. It
is well, therefore, for a parent to notice what aperient acts thus
through her system upon that of her child, and what does not, and when
an aperient becomes necessary for herself, unless she desire that the
infant's bowels be moved, to avoid the latter; if otherwise, she may
take the former with good effect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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