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Visits of Instruction re Management of Infants.—During the year
1909, the homes of 300 recently-born infants were visited by the Lady
Sanitary Inspector. In 74 cases, re-visits were made. Altogether in connection
with this work 427 visits were paid with a view to giving simple
instructions to the mothers in infant care and management. The majority
of the infants are breast-fed entirely. A majority of the artifically fed
infants are brought up on cow's milk and water. Most of the mothers,
especially those with first babies, are grateful for the advice given and
anxious to carry out the instructions. The chief difficulties the Health
Visitor has to encounter are irregularities in feeding, the use of infant's
" comforters," and the absence of cots for the infants. Dinner tickets for
nursing mothers were given in 30 instances, and 40 of the little books on
the " Care of Infants " were given away.
On the 30th November, 1909, the Notification of Births Act, 1907,
came into force in Chelsea under an Order o£ the Local Government
Board.
The work of providing good nourishing dinners for Chelsea Nursing
Mothers at the nominal payment of Id. per head, has continued throughout
the year under the direction of Mrs. W. E. Gordon and her friends.
The total number of dinners provided was 13,241, the mothers being
eligible three months before confinement, and 9 months after, if still
nursing. Very satisfactory results have been obtained, both as regards the
health of the mothers and of the infants.
Employment of Married Women in relatioti to Child-birth—It will be
remembered that, as far back as 1907, several communications were
received from the Home Office with regard to a proposed enquiry into the
employment of married women both before and after child-birth, which
was about to be organised throughout the various districts of England and
Wales; and the Home Secretary expressed a hope that the Public Heatlh
Department of this Borough would be able to co-operate. In order that
the Inquiry throughout the country should be of a uniform character, it
was decided that investigations should only extend to births registered in
1908; but since it was desirable to complete the records of the first year
of life, the enquiry could not be concluded before the end of 1909.
In accordance, therefore, with the instructions issued by the Home
Office, a systematic inquiry has been carried on in Chelsea for the past
two years with a view to ascertaining to what extent married women go
out to work, either before or after the birth of a child, and the possible
influence of such employment on the health of the infant during the first
years of life.