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weighing takes place once a week at the Hampstead and North St.
Pancras Day Nursery, 29, Pond Street, and at the Brondesbury and
West Hampstead Day Nursery, 36, Hemstal Road. The weighing is
carried out by the lady inspectors, assisted by the voluntary visitors,
and, at Heinstal Road, by Nurse Burnett, of the Ranyard Nurses,
whose help has been found most valuable.
One of the chief objects of the health visitors is to encourage breastfeeding,
but in the poorer parts of Hampstead instances have been found
where the mother, although anxious to continue nursing her baby, is
unable to do so, owing to the fact that through poverty she herself is
insufficiently nourished. To meet cases of this kind the West Hampstead
Infants' Committee of the Hampstead Health Society have formed a fund
to supply nursing mothers with milk and other food. This assistance,
which is only given on certain conditions, one being that the baby must
be brought regularly to be weighed, has been found of great value in
our work in Hampstead for the prevention of infantile mortality. The
effect on the baby, as ascertained by periodical weighing, of the improved
nutrition of the mother, has in many cases been marked. Maternal
nutrition is an important factor in infant welfare, and it is through
improving the nutrition and general health of the mothers in the poorer
districts that we may most confidently hope to effect further reductions
in the amount of ill-health and mortality among infants.
A further development of this side of preventive work was made
during the latter part of 1910 by Mrs. George Seaton, who made arrangements
for supplying dinners for expectant and nursing mothers at the
Day Nursery, 36, Hemstal Road. The dinners, which consist of meat,
two vegetables, and a pudding, arc served every week day except
Saturday, and any eligible woman with a proper recommendation may
avail herself of this on payment of twopence. Some of the women are
unable to pay even this small sum, and arrangements have been made for
them to be supplied with free dinner tickets by health visitors and other
responsible persons.
537 newly-born infants were visited by the lady inspectors during
1910, and 711 re-visits were paid.
In my Annual Report for the year 1907 particulars Were given of ail
inquiry, instituted at the suggestion of the Home Secretary, on the
relation of the industrial employment of married women to infantile