NEWBORN CARE IN 1927

I bought a book yesterday at a local antique store entitled, Diseases and Illnesses if Infancy and Childhood by Holt and Howland (9th ed. pub 1927) and I have been pouring over it ever since. It is amazing how far we have come and how far we have not...and the things we have reverted back to.

One thing that interested me was the fact that immediately after birth, babies were, "wrapped in a thick blanket and placed in a warm room." (1) [They were not handed to their mothers, who were possibly  still unconscious.]

Then, eyes were cleaned then "two or three drops of a 2 per cent solution of nitrate of silver, after Crede's method, instilled into each eye by means of a glass rod or eye dropper." (1) [ This application is still routinely administered, unless otherwise instructed by the mother, who must educate herself in order to say yes or no]

The most fascinating thing I read was that, after cleaning, the baby was placed in a crib and covered with blankets, "and if the feed are cold, or the fingers and lips a little blue, he should be surrounded by hot-water bottles covered with flannel, and placed near, but not in contact with, the body." (1) [I can only assume that the doctors and nurses did this because the mother was unconscious following birth. Why else would they not immediately give the baby to his mother, where he would be fed and kept warm?]



The feeding schedule is also alarming to me, as a breastfeeding mother.

They did believe the breast was to be emptied of colostrum, but they also believed "a little water should be given first; from two to four teaspoonfuls at a time are sufficient." (134)

If milk was delayed in coming in [which would be likely given the mother's anesthesia and the fact that babies were not put to breast immediately AND they were given water prior to nursing], then babies were put to breast at "regular intervals, but only for two to three minutes, and then given the bottle afterwards if still hungry." (134)

I'm amazed mothers were able to nurse at all.

Babies were nursed in 24 hours as follows: (135)

First day: 4 times: every 6 hours
Second day- 3 months: 6 times: every 4 hours
After 3 months: 5 times: every 4 hours

Night nursings: one feeding per night from first day - 3 months.
After 3 months: 0 night time nursing sessions

There are more interesting (and appalling) methods in the book, for dealing with thumb-sucking, masturbation, and other things, but I'll cover them later.