Infant And Child Care (1960)

medical self-help is an emergency measure to be used only in cases of sudden or extraordinary Misfortune if people require Medical Care in the course of normal everyday living they should always be treated by a doctor however when disaster strikes you may not be able to obtain trained Medical Aid in time there are many forms of disaster they can happen to you and your family at any moment this film is one of a series on medical self-help its purpose is to teach you what to do in an emergency situation when there is no doctor here in this shelter area your little Community safe you are however cut off from the outside world what will you do there will be children around you problems of Medical Care will arise and while there are many similarities in caring for children and adults there will be problems peculiar to Children those of feeding disease and emotional stress and of course there will be extra difficulties in caring for the the infant and the newborn the normal newborn baby actually needs little Care at first since he will usually sleep most of the time he should be a healthy red but soon he will turn to pink don't worry if his skin has a mtle look this is Perfectly Natural the baby may even be jumpy and have jerky motions often he is startled by loud noises and sometimes times his breathing may be noisy due primarily to mucus in his throat all this is quite usual and should not worry the mother during the first week or so the baby may have a slight yellowish discharge from his eyes and his initial bowel movement will probably be black or greenish later becoming yellow and rather soft again this is perfectly normal check the umbilical cord area to make sure it isn't bleeding wrap something clean around the baby's waist to keep the navl covered this will also help to keep him warm a newborn baby needs plenty of warmth but avoid excessive covering if the shelter water supply is limited don't use it to clean the baby save it for drinking any leftover may be used to wash your own hands always make sure your hands are clean before touching the baby as for keeping him clean oiled cotton will do very well in a pinch even salad oil will work because a newborn baby is extremely susceptible to infection keep other people especially children away from him in emergency situ uations breastfeeding is the most desirable the breast and nipple must first be washed carefully with soap and water and then followed by a rinse with clean water the baby may be put to breast immediately after birth and then every 3 to 4 hours after that most of the baby's crying will be because he's hungry so he'll work out his own feeding schedule until about the fourth day the baby won't be getting milk what he will get is colostrum a transparent liquid that does not look like milk but which is very nourishing this is natural and the mother shouldn't be surprised until the mother has milk leave the baby at breast only 3 or 4 minutes at a time after that it should take 10 to 15 15 minutes for a feeding put him to one breast at a time unless there is not enough milk if he is put to both breasts during a feeding and still seems hungry start him on a bottle a can of Ready Mixed formula with its own sterile nipple may be used if not available the simplest method of making a formula is to dilute evaporated milk with water it should be two parts water to one part evaporated milk during the first 2 weeks bottles and nipples should of course be as clean as possible washed with soap rinsed and boiled for approximately 10 minutes germs are a newborn baby's worst enemy we cannot overemphasize how important it is that everything be sterile and absolutely clean if water is scarce you must do the best you can in a desperate situation all you may be able to do is wrap the bottle and nipple in a clean cloth between feedings during emergency situations or whenever things are upset many women will go into labor early and deliver their babies prematurely before the normal 40 weeks period a premature baby will be smaller less well-developed and will resemble a a tiny wrinkled old man if he is very small he will need special care there are four important things a premature infant needs warmth careful handling body care and special feeding wrap him Loosely in a soft wool blanket as soon as he is born and lay him in the warmest place possible this will most likely be next to his mother if a box or basket is available Pat it with a blanket or with newspapers then tuck jars or bottles of hot water around the edge be sure however to protect the baby's tender skin against an accidental burn never use anything hotter than you can handle with your bare hands you can improvise a better bed if you have two boxes one within the other in the space between set jars or bottles of hot water lay the baby into his bed and leaving a small opening for air cover the box with a blanket this will keep the heat in remember a premature baby's heat mechanism is not fully developed and he is not able to adjust to temperature change the way we can so it is critical to keep his body heat between 95 and 100° if you have a thermometer check his temperature 1 hour after he is put in the bed and then every hour after that for a while the easiest way is to place a dry thermometer underneath his arm which should also be dry to make a good contact press his arm lightly against his body leave the thermometer in position for 3 minutes this method is accurate and is less disturbing to the baby than any other as always keep everything as clean as possible sometimes the baby is too small to suck and must be fed by hand even if the milk must be expressed from the mother's breast it can be fed to the baby with a medicine dropper give him only one or two drops at a time all newborn babies sleep a great deal and do not require a lot of care an older baby however does need space in which to exercise he also needs lots of loving holding and hugging him is never a mistake if you establish such a routine with him he will feel more secure as always be sure your hands are clean there are a few other important things to watch for we have stressed absolute cleanliness at all times since any infection in a baby may lead to diarrhea this can be serious if the baby is less than a year old skip one or two feedings or give him smaller amounts make it up with as much boiled water as he will take if he is bottle-fed dilute the formula with an equal amount of water and let him have all he wants thrush is a fungus infection common to babies small white spots like like milk curds form on the tongue and cheek the cause is dirt from the nipple bottle or Mother's Hands it is not a serious disease but it is unpleasant do nothing for it except give boiled water to the baby after each feeding to prevent the condition from spreading a baby is very susceptible to Childhood diseases if he becomes ill isolate him use a sheet or blanket as a screen also keep his clothing and dishes separated from those of his family sudden upheavals in family life such as might happen in emergency situations can be upsetting to adults and children alike babies tend to forget things they have learned and regress to an earlier stage of development even older children may feel that way an emergency can also put an emotional strain on all members of the family it will be particularly difficult for the child under 6 years since he is likely to regress you must have great patience and try very hard to keep him occupied with Playmates active games and other pastimes can be organized to give children exercise without taking up too much space just because a 6 to 12 yearold can do many things for himself he should not be neglected remember he is still a child who needs Comfort good talk and reassurance about his fears efforts must be made to include him in games and activities giving him small jobs and having him participate in group projects are ways to get him to join the crowd and enjoy living the child growing into his teens is entering a most difficult time in his life in a serious emergency he may react in many different ways he may feel he is almost an adult and try to act the way he thinks an adult would teeners are always unpredictable and an emergency situation may exaggerate their behavior sometimes even to the point of Hysteria mature adult guidance should always be applied in such cases you won't have to invent useless games there there are many things a teenager can do to really help whether for his own family or others in the shelter teenagers can be of invaluable assistance but they will need assistance and support from you even though a teener accepts extra responsibility you must remember that he is not an adult with an adult strength and stamina basically the needs of teenagers and other children will be similar to those of their normal daily lives encouragement reassurance a mixture of work and play and nourishment during an emergency families should be kept together and everyone should have jobs assigned routines will not only be convenient they will help give comfort and make children feel more secure in an upset World keeping busy is the best thing for everyone and there just isn't any situation where someone ever suffered from too much understanding the more cooperation a family gives in both work and play the faster and easier time will pass in an emergency [Music] situation