Case XVIII.—This is the case of a young married lady with her first child. She is of rather nervous temperament; too active naturally for the good of her system.
January 11, 1851.—She was confined after a seven hours’ labor. Two or three days before, she had evidently overdone at ironing and other household duties, which she was too fond of performing. Her full period would, I think, have been six to seven weeks later, the birth being premature, in consequence of the over-exertion alluded to. The child, however, was above the average weight—a daughter—but did not seem to possess its full share of vitality.
The usual treatment of ablutions three and four times a day, with cooling compresses, the wet girdle, clysters, etc., was practiced, and with the happiest results. The patient sat up, day by day, and recovered, not quite so rapidly as some, but in all respects well.
Case XIX.—A lady, thirty-eight years of age, recently married, came to her confinement the 4th of March, 1851. For two months only she had been bathing, with reference to her expected time; her health has generally been very good, and all along, during the period of pregnancy, she attended personally to her household matters, rendering her little habitation as perfect a specimen of order and cleanliness as could be conceived of.
All this tended powerfully to preserve health of body, and cheerfulness and contentment of mind, circumstances never more important than during the period of pregnancy.
We would expect, naturally, that a patient at this age would suffer the first time a severe and protracted labor. But in her case it was far otherwise. True, for two days previous to delivery she experienced some symptoms of labor, but was able to be about, and slept considerably nights. At 10 o’clock, A. M., on the 4th instant, labor had fully commenced; at 4 P. M., delivery took place; making labor only six hours, on the whole a short one.
Not long after the birth, the patient was helped into the tub for a thorough wash. She would have been able, I think, to perform the ablution herself alone; still, it was thought best that she should make no effort at the first bath.
It is now the third day since delivery, and the patient has had three or four ablutions daily in water at 70° Fah. She has used the compresses freely; the wet girdle much of the time, which she finds to strengthen her back. She sat up more or less every day, usually after the bath.
The third from the birth, she was going about her room, putting things in order, feeling in all respects well. The milk was secreted freely, and she has had no trouble from the breasts, from feverishness, or any other cause; the infant doing also as well as the mother.
On the sixth day, the patient went from home, taking her infant with her, on a visit to a friend residing in another street.