URINARY DIFFICULTIES.
Incontinence of urine is quite apt to occur toward the end of pregnancy.
It arises often from the pressure of the womb upon the neck of the bladder.
There is a notion with some of the “old women,” that incontinence of urine is an indication of good labor.
Treatment.—This difficulty cannot, of course, be altogether remedied; the cause cannot be removed. It may be lessened, however, by short and frequent hip-baths, wet bandages, and cold bathing. Drinking soft water instead of hard, will also be found to have a good effect in all difficulties of the bladder whatever.
Blisters are always liable to bring trouble upon the urinary organs, but more particularly so in pregnancy. The system is then in a more excitable or impressible state. Strangury in pregnancy is a very distressing and untoward symptom when it follows the use of blisters. Dr. Dewees had known cases where entire retention of urine followed the use of blisters, so obstinate that it could only be relieved by the catheter, causing a distressing inclination and violence of effort, only to be surpassed by labor itself. Retention may also come on from other causes.
Treatment.—It can be very seldom indeed necessary to resort to the use of the catheter for draining off the urine, if cold hip-baths, cold foot-baths, and even the cold general bath, if necessary, be sufficiently persevered in. Cold has a truly wonderful effect in causing the flow of urine.