through life.

~The Bath.~--The daily bath is likewise necessary for the health and
comfort of all babies; so, too, are fresh air and sunshine.

As has already been stated, breast milk is much better for babies than
cow's milk or any artificial food. There is something in the mother's
milk which gives strength and resistance to the baby which is
absolutely lacking in any other food no matter how carefully it is
selected and prepared, and for this reason young mothers must be
prevailed upon to nurse their babies whenever it is possible for them
to do so. When circumstances, such as having to be away all day at
work, make it impossible for a mother to nurse her baby at regular
intervals, she can be taught how necessary are two or three breast
feedings a day to the future welfare of her child. When social reasons
or lack of desire on the part of the mother make her unwilling to
nurse her baby, it is the part of the nurse to lay the case before her
and let her judge whether or not she is willing to accept the
responsibility of bringing into the world a life for which she is
unwilling to provide weapons with which to fight the good fight.

~Habits of Mother.~--The mother must be taught how to efficiently
nurse her baby; she must keep in mind that upon her good health and
temperate habits depend the health and comfort of her baby. It
devolves upon her to provide food efficient in quality and quantity.
To do this, her own diet must be simple and wholesome. The nursing
mother must remember that she has to provide, not only for her own
maintenance and energy requirements, but also for the infant whose
fuel requirements are ever demanding more food to provide for its
rapid growth.

~Food and Its Relation to Milk.~--It is believed that two calories of
food extra are necessary to produce one calorie of milk, and since a
month-old baby requires 2-1/3 ounces of mother's milk to every pound
of his body weight, and one ounce of mother's milk will yield 20
calories, it is clearly seen that the mother will have to increase her
diet to cover the requirements of the baby. For example, if the baby
weighed 12 pounds, he would require 28 ounces of milk in 24 hours, or
560 calories. Thus if it requires two calories of extra food to make
one calorie of milk, the mother's diet would have to provide 1,120
calories extra, or about as much food as would fulfill the needs of a
laboring man, 3,000 to 3,500 calories, even if she were doing
practi