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Nevertheless the fact of employment does tell; the homes are
less cleanly, artificial feeding is more readily resorted to, and in most
respects the baby is not so well cared for; but it would seem that this
lower standard of infant nurture is an enforced result of the
mother's absence rather than an indifference to the claims of maternity.
BIRTH ENQUIRIES, 1907.
Report by Miss Gaul, Lady Health Visitor.
There is little that has not already been said with regard to the
conditions found in the homes in which birth enquiries have been
made during the year 1907.
The visits are generally well received and it is not unusual to be
told by a mother, as if she considered it a real grievance, "You didn't
come to see my baby," or to have the information volunteered" Mrs.
Brown has had a baby, aren't you going to see her ?"
The young mother with her second baby, particularly if she has
lost the first, is usually most anxious to learn anything that may be
for the baby's welfare.
The mother with her first baby is frequently at the mercy of wellintentioned
but sadly misguided grandmothers and neighbours, whose
varied specifics for the treatment of the newly born are more interesting
to the observer than beneficial to the baby.
The need for providing adequate and suitable food for the mothers
and so for the infants is perhaps greater than ever before. In times of
stress when the husband is out of work the mother is usually the first
to deny herself, regardless of the fact that two lives are more or less
dependent on the nourishment she takes. Many of the mothers have
suffered very acutely from hardships this winter and there is no agency
for dealing with and providing food for these cases at a time when
sufficient nourishment is so very necessary.
Practical demonstrations in the washing and dressing of infants
are another great want in the district. A large number of infants are
improperly clothed, not entirely owing to inability to procure clothing,