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21
Undoubtedly much of the success of Infant Welfare
Schemes during recent years has hinged upon this Act
Notifications of the births of 2,559 living children
and 61 stillborn children were received during the
year under this Act, 92-31 per cent, of births registered
being notified. Of these 2,057, or 78-51 percent., were
notified by midwives, 421 by doctors, and 142 by the
parents or other persons present at the birth.
Visitation of Mothers and Babies.—As pointed out
above, the visitation of mothers and babies forms a
most important item in any well organised Infant
Welfare Scheme. As a general rule all births are
visited on the 11th day and thereafter monthly up to
and including the 4th month. From that period every
other month until the 12th month. Thereafter, every
six months up to two years of age and yearly up to
five years of age. This is a routine instruction to
Health Visitors, but of course it is varied according
to the necessities of each case, many cases being visited
much more than monthly during the early weeks of
life. During these visits the Health Visitors give
instructions to the mothers as to the nursing, feeding
and general hygienic care of the children. Parents
are also advised to attend the Infant Welfare Centres
as regularly as possible in order that the children may be
regularly weighed and that the mother may receive the
benefit of the free medical advice which is there provided.
The number of Health Visitors employed by
the Borough Council is now six. During the past
five years there were five, an additional Health Visitor
was appointed during 1925. This addition has materially
increased the efficiency of the work. During the
year the visits paid by the Health Visitors were as
follows :—
First visits to infants 2,729
Re-visits to infants 9,530
Re-visits to children aged 1 to 5 years old 7,875
Visits to cases of ophthalmia neonatorum 32
„ „ measles 644
„ „ pneumonia 66
„ „ diarrhoea 64
„ „ puerperal fever 20
Other visits 349