After the mother sits up, she may occupy a low, comfortable chair while nursing the baby. She should lean slightly forward and raise the knee upon which the baby rests by placing her foot on a stool, supporting his head in the curve of her arm, and holding her breast from his face, just as she did while in bed. (Fig. 139.) She should nurse him in a quiet room where she will not be disturbed nor interrupted and where the baby and her breasts will be protected from drafts or from being chilled. Many women prefer always to lie down when nursing the baby. Before the nurse leaves her patient she should teach her how to care for her nipples, including the preparation of boric solution; the importance of washing her hands before bathing her nipples, and of keeping the breasts covered with clean gauze between nursings. PERSONAL HYGIENE OF THE NURSING MOTHER The personal hygiene of the nursing mother should be virtually a continuation of that which is advisable during the latter part of the puerperium; a normal, tranquil kind of life which is unfailingly regular in its daily routine. But this is not quite as easy as it sounds, for during the puerperium the young mother is still something of a patient and is regarded as such, while during the months that follow she is simply a nursing mother, who must live sanely and moderately for her baby’s sake, and at the same time take her place among people who are not under compulsion to place any special restrictions upon their daily lives. It is much easier to take precautions and follow directions for a few days or weeks, while the situation is novel, than it is to persist month after month without help or encouragement. The young mother’s family often fails to appreciate the difficulty of her problem and for this reason she is sometimes unable to care for herself, as she should, with the result that she cannot nurse her baby successfully. As long as the nurse remains with her patient, therefore, she must try to impress upon both the patient and the members of her household that the most important single factor in the care of the new baby is the sustained and regular care which the nursing mother should take of herself. For it must be remembered constantly that it is not alone breast feeding, but _satisfactory breast feeding_ that nourishes and builds and protects the baby. Unsatisfactory breast milk may be positively injurious, and irregularity and thoughtlessness in the mother’s mode of living will usually produce milk of this character. Therefore, for ten or twelve months after the baby is born, the mother should discharge her responsibility and obligation to him by regulating her own life to meet his needs.