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51
but through ignorance of the kind of clothing suitable and indeed
necessary for such delicate mortals.
After the confinement of the mother it would appear that the
question of clothing is left entirely to the nurse. At the Lying-in
Hospitals the mothers are not instructed to use woollen material for
the garment to be placed next the skin of the infants—hence the
midwives trained in these hospitals do not impress upon their patients
the necessity for providing woollen vests or soft flannel shirts. It
needs but little consideration to understand that an infant must feel
every variation of the surrounding atmosphere. The thin cotton shirt
is responsible for much of the suffering the babies are made to endure,
and is no doubt an important factor in causing the high mortality
amongst infants during the first few weeks of life from diseases of
the respiratory organs.
More real good would probably accrue from practical demonstrations
before a number of mothers gathered together than from the
individual instruction, as it would encourage them to discuss the
subject and doubtless to vie with one another to some extent as to
who should do best for her baby. An honest competition in this
direction would be most helpful. Visits to the homes would of course
be essential, in addition to this.
A considerable amount of opposition is met with when trying to
convince the mothers of the advisability of putting the infant in a
cradle or separate bed of some description. Here again the fact
that in the Lying-in Hospital the babies are put in the mothers' beds
is a difficulty not easily overcome. The visitor is frequently told that
the mother could not love her baby if she put it away from her at
night, and there may be some reason for believing that the children
put in separate beds are not always the best cared for in other ways,
although this would only apply to a certain class of mother, and certainly
not to those who have the real welfare of their offspring at
heart. Another reason given for keeping baby in the mother's bed
is the difficulty experienced in keeping the infant warm, but this in
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