Seating myself
beside him I held the warm, bottled meal as he nursed. Several times I
took it from his mouth, or so tipped it that "bolting" was impossible.
Gradually, carefully, and slowly, I took the empty bottle away from
the sleepy babe, and as I closed the door the mother said in anxious
amazement: "He won't forget I'm his mother if I don't hold him while
he nurses?" You smile as I smiled at this girl-mother's thought; but,
nevertheless there are many like her--anxious, well-meaning, but
ignorant.

The infant stomach is little more than a tube, easily emptied if the
baby's position is not carefully guarded after nursing. No bouncing,
jolting, patting, rocking, or throwing should take place either just
before, during, or immediately after meals.

TIME ALLOWANCE FOR ONE FEEDING

From twelve to twenty minutes is long enough time to spend at a bottle
meal. The nipple hole may have to be made larger, or a new nipple with
a smaller hole may have to be purchased. When new, you should be able
to just see a glimmer of light through the hole, and if the infant is
too weak to nurse hard, or the hole too small, it may be made larger
by a heated hatpin run from the inside of the nipple out; great care
must be taken, else you will do it too well. If the nipple hole is too
large, bolting is the sure result; while too small a hole results in
crying and anger on the part of the hungry child, because he has to
work too hard to get his meal.

AFTER THE FEED

We have seen some mothers, in their anxiety to prevent the sucking in
of air from the emptied bottle, rush in and jerk the nipple from the
going-to-sleep babe so forcibly that all thoughts of sleep vanished
and a crying spell was initiated. The tactful mother is the quiet one
who slowly, quietly, draws the empty bottle with its "much loved
nipple" from the lips. If you observe that the babe is going to sleep,
with an occasional superficial draw at the nipple, wait a moment; he
will drop it himself, and you can pick it up as you quietly leave the
room. In all instances, whether it be indoors or out of doors, arrange
the babe in a comfortable sleeping position, remembering that nursing
is warm exercise and the babe gets uncomfortably sweaty if
overbundled, especially about the head and neck. No one should
unnecessarily touch the babe immediately after feeding; even his
diaper may be changed without awakening him while he is thus lying
quietly in his bed.

INTERVALS