Some time before the labor, the nurse should call on the patient and establish a working acquaintance. It adds greatly to her authority and to the patient’s confidence in her. Her advice will be sought on a multitude of subjects, partly real and partly to try her out. [Illustration: Fig. 31.—Abdominal binder with crosspiece to hold vulvar pads.] [Illustration: Fig. 32.—T-binder, used in all cases after the fifth day post partum.] =Sterilizing= may be done in a hospital, or, if this is not feasible, the nurse should go to the house two or three weeks before the expected labor and sterilize in an Arnold or Rochester sterilizer the following articles: ½ doz. sheets. 3 doz. towels. 2 pillow slips. 3 abdominal binders of unbleached cotton, 16 in. wide and 36 in. long, folded and hemmed. 4 T bandages. 3 breast binders. 2 jacket parts of pajama suits. 3 pairs of long white stockings. 3 packages of vulvar dressings (see Preparation of Supplies, p. 326). 2 obstetric pads 1 by 36 by 36 inches. 1 pillow slip full of cotton pledgets for sponges. 1 jar applicators (cotton twisted about toothpicks). 1 jar of gauze pledgets for perineorrhaphy and cord dressings. Everything must be neatly wrapped and labeled. [Illustration: Fig. 33.—Breast binder.] [Illustration: Fig. 34.—Baby’s dress with winged sleeves.] =Infant’s Outfit.=— 12 plain slips 27 inches long of dimity or nainsook (with winged sleeves). 3 long sleeve shirts, silk and wool (size No. 2). 6 pinning blankets, made of outing flannel, if it is a winter baby. 3 bands, 6 by 18 inches, clip or notch edges, do not hem. 3 petticoats, flannel bottoms and muslin waists, without sleeves and with small button on shoulders. 3 outing flannel wrappers. 6 plain, soft muslin dresses. 3 (Arnold) knitted night gowns, light weight. 4 doz. light weight cotton diapers, 20 x 40 inches. Bird’s-eye linen is the best. Wash and dry these in the air before using. 4 soft towels (linen preferred). 2 quilted pads. 4 soft wash cloths. 4 wool wrapping blankets. 1 pair scales that weigh ounces and fractions thereof. 4 oz. of olive oil or benzoated lard. 4 oz. of alcohol (95 per cent). ¼ lb. boric acid crystals. ½ lb. absorbent cotton. 1 cake of castile soap. 2 oz. solid albolene. ½ oz. subnitrate of bismuth powder and ½ oz. of powdered boric acid mixed. 1 bed pan. 2 basins, holding 2 quarts each. 1 papier mache, rubber, or enamel ware bathtub. =Anæsthetics.=—Excessive pain is destructive and disintegrating to the vital forces. Many a woman who has passed through a particularly severe labor remembers her experience with a horror that forever precludes its repetition.