The third installment of "Words of Wisdom from Ages Gone by" -- ca. 1935, that is: "For the sake of giving her an opportunity to go out, mingle with her friends or enjoy some music or a play, it is often a very good plan to replace one breast feeding, some time in the course of each day, with a bottle feeding. The freedom which this long interval between two nursings gives the mother for diversion and amusement, will usually affect her general condition so favorably that the quality of her milk is better than it otherwise would be, and the baby is benefited as a result. This single supplementary feeding cannot be regarded lightly, however, for it must be prepared with the same cleanliness and accuracy as a completely artificial diet. Weaning. One advantage in giving the baby a supplementary bottle, once a day, is that it paves the way for weaning, when the time comes to make this change. Under ordinary conditions, the mother begins to wean her baby about the eighth or tenth month. Having started by replacing one breast feeding, daily, with a bottle feeding, she should gradually increase the number of daily artificial feedings until all of the breast feedings are discontinued. There are exceptions to this general rule, of course, and under any conditions the weaning should always be directed by a doctor. If the mother's milk is satisfactory and the baby is doing well, it is often considered wiser not to discontinue the breast feeding entirely, during the hot summer months, even though the weaning falls due at this time. It was formerly deemed advisable to wean the baby for any one of several reasons, but at present the only indications for this step which are generally accepted by the medical profession, are: insanity, pulmonary tuberculosis, acute infectious diseases or a general rundown condition in the mother, and sometimes pregnancy." Tomorrow: on pumping and dumping during menstruation! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------- Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D. email: [log in to unmask] Anthropology Department phone: (409) 845-5256 Texas A&M University fax: (409) 845-4070 College Station, TX 77843-4352