Labor commenced in the evening, and soon after, at the recommendation of her husband, she was sponged over the whole surface with cold spring water, and soon after took a cold sitting-bath. In about an hour after this she was delivered of a fine plump boy weighing ten pounds. After resting a little, and being somewhat fatigued and suffering some pain, her husband proposed another ablution, to which she readily consented. After this she slept well till sunrise the next morning. The wet girdle had been worn nights some time previous to labor, and was continued about a week after it.
The first morning she was washed all over, and felt very comfortable after it. She partook of rye-bread toast and blue-berries, with water for drink; this was her whole breakfast, and her appetite was good. At night she took a sitz-bath for five minutes, the chill taken off the water, then sponged the body and retired to rest; she slept well all night. She had no nurse but her husband.
The second morning she experienced no pain; followed the course of the preceding day, namely, the bathing of the body and the sitz-bath washing; partook of unleavened wheat-meal cakes for breakfast, with good ripe berries; for dinner, corn-bread with berries; supper, dry toast made of brown bread, with blue-berries; no drink at any time but the best of pure cold water. The third morning she walked about the room; helped to bathe herself; appetite good; food pretty much the same as the day previous; spent a large share of the day sewing; sitz-bath washing as usual at night. The fourth day she was able to bathe and dress herself, partook of meals with the family, and kept about house all day.
From this time forward she took the entire care of her child; neither mother nor child have taken one particle of medicine, nor any herb drinks of any kind or name, and both have been perfectly well and regular in all their habits up to this time, it being two months since the birth. All that the child has ever had was two or three tea-spoonsful of cold water at the time of its birth; after which it was put to the breast. I ought to mention that the child has also, from the very first, been washed every morning in water made slightly tepid.
Case XI.—This is the case of a newly-married lady of this city, twenty-four years of age, of nervous temperament, studious habits, and highly sensitive but well-balanced mind. She had been for years engaged in teaching in the South, and suffered very much with dyspepsia. She had followed water-treatment, pretty thoroughly, one year before she became pregnant. The first four months of this period, it being the winter season, she took the sitting-bath an half hour every morning in cold water, and after it bathed the whole body. During the day she wore a large wet girdle, covering the whole trunk of the body, always during the day rewetting before it became dry; at night it was left off.
She experienced at first much trouble from nausea and prostration.
By the use of the wet girdle, the sitting-bath, and general washing, in connection with abstinence—for she passed whole days eating not more than a fourth part of a Boston cracker in the twenty-four hours—she soon got the mastery of her stomach-sickness, and other troubles.
After the first four months she took the half-hour sitting-bath and general washing three times daily, and wore the large wet girdle as before. She was active in her habits, and for the greater part of the time appeared in as good health as ever in her life before. She remained in the city until the summer, and then left for the country.
About the middle of August, 1850, as she was on the point of returning to the city to make ready for her approaching confinement, under my care, she met with a fall. This brought on labor some weeks earlier, as she supposed, than it should have been. It was rather severe, lasting twenty-four hours. She took ether, as is the custom with many in New England, where she was—an unnatural and injurious practice as I regard it to be. Her child was born on the morning of the 15th of August, soon after midnight. During labor she ate nothing, bathed a number of times, and took clysters of water, all of which served to refresh the system.
In less than an hour after the birth, she was helped into the tub; sat some ten minutes in the water, and was washed over the whole surface. She could easily have borne her weight. The wet girdle was applied, and other cooling fomentations, after which she slept soundly till morning.