Sue Pace's reminiscences on advice to mothers in the UK in the 1959s and 
1960s is a reminder that babies don't necessarily grow on non-human milk, 
despite the firm belief by all and sundry that artificial food would make 
babies grow fat. Sue mentioned not having gained "enough" on National Dried 
Milk as a baby, and my eldest simply didn't gain when predominantly, then 
fully, fed on a commercial product preferred by the nurses, nor did she gain 
on dried cow's milk. "They" attributed that to the fact she was still 
getting a minute amount of my milk (a very suspect fluid then). 
Interestingly, she was the only one of my four kids who wasn't at or above 
birthweight at 5-7 days (and the only one to be stuffed full of artificial 
milks in hospitals and the aftercare "Home'). She gained weight on donor 
milk from the other mother in the aftercare facility for "problem feeders", 
till that mother went home. Then the nurses put her onto the commercial 
product and then (at my request) the household dried cow's milk. No one 
seemed concerned about her weight, as long as she was having this stuff in 
the approved quantities. She made catch-up gains after I relactated and fed 
her pre-demand. I dread to think what would have happened had I not 
relactated  I'll never know if she would have eventually grown after 
switching to a few more products.
From time to time I come across mothers whose babies aren't growing on one 
or other brand of breastmilk substitute Yet generations of belief that 
babies cannot fail to gain, as "you can see what they are getting", mean 
that these dyads may not receive the help they need, when they need it.
In Australia, after the School Milk Scheme came in in the early-1950s 
(sligjhtly later in Queensland than in the South), we had the little 1/3 
pint bottles of cow's milk each school day. No refrigeration.  My mother had 
a strong belief in cow's milk as a miracle food and insisted we drink two 
pints per day, and still drink the 1/3 pint at school (or else!). We were 
expected to eat large meals of other foods, as well, and so learnt to ignore 
feelings of satiety.
Yes, Heather, the orange juice in the UK was the concentrated stuff in a 
bottle, Allenburys brand (spelt with no apostrophe). Besides its intended 
use as a vitamin source, it was also given after the dose of cod-liver oil, 
to take away the taste. It didn't. My experience of it, at age 6, was in 
sunny Devon. As I didn't know any babies at the time, I'm not sure how UK 
babies were given cod-liver oil, whether by spoon or put into a nursing 
bottle with the reconstituted dried cow's milk. Anyone know?
Virginia
In Brisbane, Queensland.

Sue Pace wrote:
I was born in the late 50's in a small maternity home deep in the New Forest 
in the South of England delivered by my mothers GP.... because of 
restrictive feeding practices as described by Virginia I hadn't gained 
enough weight at 2 weeeks.... So at 2 weeks old at the reccomendation of the 
GP I was transferred onto National Dried formula, available free....At 6 
weeks I still wasn't fat enough so again on GP's recomendation Farleys rusk 
was dissolved in my bottle 3 times a day to build me up-well it worked and I 
carry the legacy forever.....Througout my childhood I also had from the 
"Welfare" cod liver oil and sweetened orange juice and once at school 1/3 
pint of full cream milk every day.

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