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23 [1930
"She spoke about her fears to a neighbour, who frightened her with distressing
tales of what might happen ; then she met a friend who advised her to go to
the Ante.Naial Clinic at the Welfare Centre. She was rather timid, and hesitated,
but eventually went, when she was welcomed by a Nurse and made to feel at
home. The Doctor soon reassured her, gave her helpful advice and suggested
regular attendance at the Clinic."
"During the months that followed, she learned how to take care of her own
health, and also that of the little new comer; how to make the baby's outfit; and
above all, she was taught that she must nurse baby herself."
"A few weeks after her son was born she brought him to the Centre and
attended the Clinics regularly, and great was her joy when his weight increased
steadily week by week."
"Then came a set.back following an attack of influenza, and she was tempted
to wean baby, but fortunately the Nurse visited her and persuaded her to come up
for a day's observation and test feeds."
"As a result, her difficulties were overcome and at the end of nine months
baby was as nearly perfect as possible."
"She had been learning about baby's diet and had attended the cooking class ;
this had resulted in an improvement in her own cooking which was much appreciated
by her husband, who had sometimes suffered from spoilt dinners."
"During the following year she received much helpful information from a
course of talks on" The Mind of a Child " and the best methods of bringing him
up. The heat of the summer and the crowded conditions under which the family
lived caused baby to look pale and pasty, and the doctor suggested sun and fresh.
air treatment. So the mother brought him up daily from 9.30 to 12.30 to play in
the garden with" nothings "on and was amazed and delighted to see the
improvement in his health."
"In this way the child was watched and cared for up to the age of 5, when
all particulars of his case were sent to the School Authorities."
West Centre..The Medical Officer of this Centre reports:. "Two things
appear to stand out in our work during the past year. One is the increase in the
number of breast.fed babies and the consequent decline in the amount of dried milk
that we sell. This is a very good sign, and is evidence of much care and patient
instruction on the part of the nursing staff. The other is the comparatively large
number of toddlers who attend the clinics. In the case of children who accompany
the new baby this may be taken as inevitable, but there are numbers of older
children who are brought up regularly by their mothers for examination and
inspection. We welcome this, for there is no doubt that a considerable gap exists
between the supervision of the infant at a welfare centre and its medical supervision
on reaching school age, during which period much harm may be done and
much incipient disease may go undetected."
"On the educative side this Centre had six interesting lectures and a Cookery
Exhibition. These were supplied by the National Milk Publicity Council, and on
two occasions parties of mothers were shown over an up.to.date dairy plant, which
included the pasteurisation of milk."