If the woman abounds with blood, to bleed her a little may not be improper, for thereby she will both breathe better, and have her breasts more at liberty, and likewise the more strength to bear down her pains; and this may be done without danger, because the child being about that time ready to be born, has no more need of the mother’s blood for its nourishment: besides, this evacuation does many times prevent her having a fever after delivery. Also, before her delivery, if her strength will permit, let her walk up and down her chamber; and that she may have strength so to do, it will be necessary to give her some good strengthening things, such as jelly, broth, new-laid eggs, or some spoonfuls of burnt wine; and let her by all means hold out her pains, bearing them down as much as she can at the time when they take her; and let the midwife from time to time touch the inward orifice with her finger, to know whether the waters are ready to break, and whether the birth will follow soon after. Let her also anoint the woman’s privities with emollient oil, hog’s grease, and fresh butter, if she find they are hard to be dilated. Let the midwife likewise be all the time near the labouring woman, and diligently observe her gestures, complaints, and pains; for by this she may guess pretty well how her labour advanceth, because when she changes her ordinary groans into loud cries, it is a sign the child is very near the birth; for at that time her pains are greater and more frequent. Let the woman, likewise, by intervals rest herself on the bed, to regain her strength, but not too long, especially if she be little, short, and thick; for such women have always worse labour, if they lie long on their beds in their travail. It is better, therefore, that she walk about her chamber as much as she can, the woman supporting her under the arms, if it be necessary; for by this means, the weight of the child causeth the inward orifice of the womb to dilate the sooner than in bed; and if her pains be stronger and more frequent, her labour will not be near so long.
Let not the labouring women be concerned at those qualms and vomitings which perhaps she may find come upon her, for they will be much for her advantage in the issue, however uneasy she may be for the time, as they further her throes and pains by provoking downwards.
When the waters of the child are ready and gathered (which may be perceived through the membranes to present themselves to the inward orifice) to the bigness of the whole dilation, the midwife ought to let them break of themselves, and not, like some hasty midwives, who being impatient of the woman’s long labour, break them, intending thereby to hasten their business, when instead thereof they retard it; for, by the too hasty breaking of these waters (which nature designed to cause the infant to slide forth more easy) the passage remains dry, by which means the pains and throes of the labouring woman are less efficacious to bring forth than they would otherwise have been. It is therefore much the better way to let the waters break of themselves; after which the midwife may with ease feel the child by that part which first presents, and thereby discerns whether it comes right, that is, with the head foremost, for that is the most proper and natural way of its birth. If the head comes right, she will find it round, big, hard, and equal; but if it be any other part, she will find it unequal, rugged, and soft or hard, according to the nature of the part it is. And this being the true time when a woman ought to be delivered, if nature be not wanting to perform its office; therefore, when the midwife finds the birth thus coming forward, let her hasten to assist and deliver it, for it ordinarily happens soon after, if it be natural.
But if it happens, as sometimes it may, that the waters break away too long before the birth, in such a case those things that hasten nature may be safely administered. For which purpose, make use of pennyroyal, dittany, juniper-berries, betony, and feverfew, boiled in white wine, and give a draught of it; or it would be much better to take the juice of it when it is in its prime, which is in May, and having clarified it, make it into syrup, with double its weight of sugar, and keep it all the year, to use when occasion calls for it: mugwort used in the same manner, is also good in this case; also, a drachm of cinnamon powder, given inwardly, profits much in this case; and so does tansey, boiled, and applied to the privities; or an oil of it, so made and used, as you were taught before. The following prescriptions are very good to speedy deliverance to women in travail.
1. A decoction of white wine made in savory, and drank.
2. Take wild tansey, or silver weed, bruise it, and apply it to the woman’s nostrils.
3. Take date stones, and beat them to powder, and let her take half a drachm of them in white wine at a time.
4. Take parsley and bruise it, and press out the juice, and dip a linen cloth in it, and put it up so dipped into the mouth of the womb: it will presently cause the child to come away, though it be dead, and will bring away the after-burden. Also, the juice of parsley is a thing of so great virtue (especially stone parsley) that being drunk by a pregnant woman it cleanseth not only the womb, but also the child in the womb, of all gross humours.
5. A scruple of castorum in powder, in any convenient liquor, is very good to be taken in such a case; and so also is two or three drops of spirit of castorum in any convenient liquor; also eight or nine drops of spirit of myrrh, given in any convenient liquor, gives speedy deliverance.
6. Give a woman in such a case another woman’s milk to drink: it will cause speedy delivery, and almost without pain.