The Physical Life of Woman: Advice to the Maiden, Wife and MotherNapheys, George H. (George Henry)
Science
The Physical Life of Woman: Advice to the Maiden, Wife and Mother
Napheys, George H. (George Henry)
Women -- Health and hygiene
The room during confinement should be kept quiet. Too many persons must
not be allowed in it, as they contaminate the air, and are apt by their
conversation to disturb the patient, either exciting or depressing her.
So soon as the head is born, it should be immediately ascertained
whether the neck is encircled by the cord; if so, it should be removed
or loosened. The neglect of this precaution may result fatally to the
infant, as happened a short time since in our own practice; the infant,
born a few minutes before our arrival, being found strangled with the
cord about its neck. It is also of importance at once to allow of the
entrance of air to the face, to put the finger in the mouth to remove
any obstruction which may interfere with respiration, and to lay the
babe on its right side, with the head removed from the discharges. The
cord should not be tied until the infant is heard to cry. The ligature
is to be applied in the following manner:--A piece of bobbin is thrown
around the navel-string, and tied with a double knot at the distance of
three fingers' breadth from the umbilicus; a second piece is tied an
inch beyond the first, and the cord divided with the scissors between
the two, care being taken not to clip off a finger or otherwise injure
the unsuspecting little infant, as has occurred in careless hands more
than once. When the child is separated from the mother, a warm blanket
or a piece of flannel should be ready to receive it. In taking hold of
the little stranger, it may slip out of the hands and be injured. To
guard against this accident, which is very apt to occur with awkward or
inexperienced persons, always seize the back portion of the neck in the
space bounded by the thumb and first finger of one hand, and grasp the
thighs with the other. In this way it may be safely carried. It should
be transferred, wrapped up in its blanket, to some _secure_ place, and
never put in an arm-chair, where it may be crushed by some one who does
not observe that the chair is already occupied. The head of the child
should not be so covered as to incur any danger of suffocation.
ATTENTION TO THE MOTHER.
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