Feeding Under Abnormal Conditions

6. Feeding Under Abnormal Conditions

Naturally, it is always best to feed the baby with mother’s own breast milk but if mother is unhealthy or for some reason no milk is being secreted from her breasts, it is necessary to feed the baby in other ways. Most Hygienists would recommend serving infants under these conditions goat’s or cow’s milk in its raw, unpasteurized state. Doctors and others will tell you not to feed baby raw milk as it contains bacteria that could cause baby to contract an infection or other health problem. This is not so. Pasteurizing, homogenizing, preserving, and then enriching milk is what creates the problems of intestinal and gastric disturbance when milk is consumed.

As mentioned under the bottle-feeding section of this lesson, animals milks are an imperfect substitute for mother’s milk. However, they are better than no milk. In Shelton’s article, “Baby’s First Years,” he states, “I have seen babies who could not handle cow’s milk very well who did fine on goat’s milk. I have seen other babies who could not handle goat’s milk well thrive on cow’s milk. And I have seen other babies that did not handle either cow’s or goat’s milk well who did well on soybean milk. As a rule, babies do not grow as well on soybean milk or other artificial milk as they do upon animal milks “Dr. Shelton recommends feeding them a spoonful of milk at a time and observe how they react. If favorably, gradually add more. If not, try another milk in the same fashion. Remember also never to combine milks with other foods. When milk is mixed with foods, it causes dyspepsia and constipation.

Give the baby orange juice and grape juice at separate feedings in addition to the milk. Make sure they are freshly squeezed to ensure that baby is getting all of their nutrients.

Try making nut milks by blanching almonds, adding distilled water to them (one part almonds to four parts distilled water), and then blending them until no chunks of nut remain. Strain through a clean cheesecloth to remove particles and give to baby on a spoon. Watch his reactions.

Since cow’s or goal’s milk are specifically designed for the needs of these animals, they are naturally deficient in nutrients necessary to the growth of a human infant. This is why it is imperative that fruit and vegetable juices are included in baby’s diet. These provide the minerals, vitamins, and fruit sugars that are lacking in animal milks.