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41
They should be taught that child birth is a perfectly safe and natural
process; that nature rebels against being interfered with, generally with
disastrous results; that complications do occur occasionally, but that these
complications can be cured when discovered early ; that early discovery of
complications depends upon keeping under the necessary medical supervision
from the time that pregnancy starts until the baby is born ; that the growth
and well-being of the baby also is a natural process provided it is fed according
to nature; that nature requires clean and regular feeding and plenty of sunlight
and fresh air; that the best advice can be obtained from the doctors
and the health visitors at the local Infant Welfare Centres. The lesson should
emphasize that all processes are natural and safe, for I am afraid that if the
publicity of the dangers of child-bearing remains in its present intensity it will
defeat its object.
The future mother must look forward to child bearing with confidence,
otherwise abortions will become more frequent or marriages will become more
childless still. Let us instill this confidence and this knowledge into the child
of to-day—she will then be the perfect mother of to-morrow.
infant Life Protectlon. Towards the end of the year the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee
expressed dissatisfaction with the conditions under which some of the foster
children were cared for in the Borough and I was asked to prepare a scheme
which would ensure good conditions for every child.
I reported that, although the present conditions could not be considered
ideal, the results on the whole had been reasonably satisfactory. The aim of
the Act is to maintain the "health and well-being" of the children and with
very few exceptions this aim has been achieved.
The main difficulty is in respect of the infants of single women, many of
whom are mere girls who have come to London as domestic servants, who
have lost their places through childbirth or illness and who have drifted to
the common lodging houses.
Poor as some of the conditions are at present, these infants are under the
close supervision of the Infant Protection Visitor and strict legal action in
respect of these infants would result in the placing of future infants in unknown
and probably poorer, conditions, and there would be no such supervision. It
is useless to tackle this problem without first gaining the confidence of these
young unmarried mothers and this has been my policy up to date. Until a
more ideal scheme can be formulated, 1 maintain that in the interests of
the children it is the best policy.