Mother's Remedies, Thomas Jefferson Ritter [reading well .TXT] 📗

milk when it is met by the gastric juice in the stomach coagulates in minute particles, and the pepsin acts upon this very readily, but the curd of cows' milk being much coarser and firmer coagulates under these conditions, into large hard clots or masses, and these are quite indigestible if the child's stomach is sour from an under amount of acid being present. [580 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

How can we prevent this? By adding some bland and nonirritating substance to the milk which will mingle with the particles of curd and separate them until the gastric juice can act upon each separate particle and digest it.

What can we use for this purpose? Barley or oatmeal water or gruel is best.

What is cream? It is the part of the milk containing the most fat.

How is cream now obtained? By skimming after it has stood for twenty-four hours, "gravity cream"; by a separator, and it is then known as "centrifugal cream"; (most of the cream now sold in cities is "centrifugal cream").

How much fat has the usual "gravity cream?" Sixteen to twenty per cent.

How much fat is contained in cream removed from the upper one fifth of a bottle of milk? About sixteen per cent.

How much does the usual centrifugal cream contain? Eighteen to twenty per cent fat.

How much does the heavy centrifugal cream contain? Thirty-five to forty per cent fat.

Should the milk be boiled for babies in the summer time? No, not usually.

FOOD FOR HEALTHY INFANTS.—FOR EARLY MONTHS.

These directions, etc., are for healthy infants. Directions for such as are suffering from digestive disturbances will be given later. I have in preceding pages given formulas for feeding children. I give these additional, because not all children can be fed the same way and it may be well to have the two sets of formulas.

What important parts are to be remembered when we are modifying cow's milk for the early month's feeding? That sugar is the most easily digested, fat comes next, while the proteids (curd) are the most difficult.

What relation should the fat and proteids bear to each other during the earlier periods? Usually in healthy infants the fat (cream) should be three times the proteids (curds). Some healthy infants do not digest fat so well and they should have only twice as much fat as proteids (curds—skim-milk).

What per cent milk must be used to obtain three times as much fat as
proteids?
Ten per cent milk.

How can we obtain ten per cent milk? As top milk, described on another page, or by using plain milk and ordinary cream (sixteen per cent), in equal parts mixed; or it may be obtained directly from the milk laboratories.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 581]

Which is better to do, use the top-milk or mix plain milk and ordinary cream? If the milk is fresh from the cows, it is best then to use the top-milk, because the food can then be made up after it is only a few hours old.

If one uses bottled milk, in cities, the upper third may be used, but if milk and cream are bought separately it is usually more convenient to mix these, as cream will not rise uniformly upon the milk a second time.

What per cent milk must be used to obtain twice as much fat as proteids? Use for dilution a seven per cent milk, that is, milk containing seven per cent fat, as in this milk the fat is just twice the proteids.

How is this obtained? Same as top-milk, described on another page; or by mixing three parts of plain milk and one part of ordinary cream (sixteen per cent), or by obtaining it directly from the milk laboratories.

How should we prepare the food for the early months? Granted you make up twenty ounces at a time, first obtain the ten per cent, or seven per cent, milk to be used, then take the number of ounces of this called for in the formula desired. One must remember that to make twenty ounces of food one ounce of milk sugar (or three even tablespoonfuls) and one ounce of lime-water must be used. The rest of the food is boiled water and the per cent milk.

FIRST SERIES—Five formulas for early months for ten per cent milk:
   Formulas. 1 2 3 4 5
   10 per cent milk 2 oz. 3 oz. 4 oz. 5 oz. 6 oz.
   *Milk Sugar 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz.
   Lime-water 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz.
   Boiled water 17 oz. 16 oz. 15 oz. 14 oz. 13 oz.
                    ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-
                     20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz.

*The milk sugar takes no space as it is always dissolved in the boiled water.

How can we strengthen this food? By gradually increasing the milk (top milk) and decreasing the amount of water.

SECOND SERIES—Of five formulas for the early months from the seven per cent milk. This is weaker in fat (cream), etc., about one-third:

   Formulas. 1 2 3 4 5
   7 per cent, milk 2 oz. 3 oz. 4 oz. 5 oz. 6 oz.
   Milk Sugar 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz.
   Lime-water 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz.
   Boiled water 17 oz. 16 oz. 15 oz. 14 oz. 13 oz.
                     ——- ——- ——- ——- ——-
   Food 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz. 20 oz.

How can I decide which series of formulas to use? A strong child with good digestion can be given from the first series, ten per cent milk.

A smaller, weaker child, and whose digestion is not so good, or with one who has tried the first series and did not do well, should use the second series of formulas.

[582 MOTHERS' REMEDIES]

What is the reason the food is made so weak at first? The infant's stomach is made to digest mother's milk, not cows' milk, so we must begin with weak cows' milk, and the infant's stomach can thus be trained to digest it. Strong milk would be very liable to seriously upset the child's digestion.

How rapidly can I increase the food in strength, that is, go from formula 1 to 2, 3, 4, and 5, of either series? This can not be told, absolutely. It depends upon the infant, how it bears the food. Usually you can begin on formula one on the second day, formula two on the fourth day; three, after seven or ten days, but after that make the increase slower. If the infant is large, strong and of good digestion, he may be able to take of formula five by the time he is three or four weeks old. A weak child, or one with feeble digestion must go much slower, and such an one may not reach formula five until it is three or four months old. Mothers should remember it is safer to increase the strength of the food very gradually; some infants should have an increase of only one-half ounce instead of one ounce; thus: three to three and one-half ounces, etc. Two or three days should be allowed at least between each increase of food.

May I not go by a general rule in increasing the food? Yes, increase the food when the infant is not satisfied, but is digesting well.

How does an infant show this? He drains the bottle hungrily and cries when it is taken away. He may begin to fret a half hour or so before the time for the next feeding. He often sucks his fingers immediately after feeding.

If I wish to prepare more than 20 ounces of food, what proportions shall I use? To make 25 ounces, add one-fourth more of each ingredient. To make 30 ounces, add one-half more of each ingredient. To make 35 ounces, add three-fourths more of each ingredient. To make 40 ounces, double each ingredient.

For example, 25 ounces of food would call for—2-1/2 ounces of milk; 1-1/4 ounces of milk sugar; 1-1/4 ounces of lime-water; 21-1/4 ounces of boiled water.

For 30 ounces of food, proportions would be—Milk, 3 ounces; milk sugar, 1-1/2 ounces; lime-water, 1-1/2 ounces; boiled water, 25-1/2 ounces.

How much more should be made at one time? Five ounces may be made, but the first few days only two or three ounces of the additional should be given; four ounces the next two days, and after two days more may give the five ounces additional that has been made; that is, twenty-five ounces in all.

How much increase can be given at each feeding? Not more than one-quarter of an ounce.

[ALL ABOUT BABY 583] FOOD FOR HEALTHY INFANTS DURING THE LATER MONTHS.

How long shall I continue this proportion, that is, the fat three times the proteids (curd)—skim-milk? Usually for three or four months.

What changes shall I then make in the food? After you are using formula five of the first series; that is, six ounces of the ten per cent milk in twenty ounces of milk, increase the fat slowly, for the proportion of fat (three per cent), is near the limit for healthy children.

How then shall I strengthen the milk? By raising the percentage of proteids (curds, skim-milk).

How can I do this? Use the formulas derived from the seven per cent milk and discontinue the ten per cent milk.

THIRD SERIES.—Five formulas for seven per cent milk for the later months—
      Formulas. 1 2 3 4 5
    7 per cent milk 7 oz. 8 oz. 9 oz. 10 oz. 11 oz.
    *Milk Sugar 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 3/4 oz. 1/2 oz.
    Lime-water 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz. 1 oz.
    Boiled water 12 oz. 11 oz. 10 oz. 4 oz.