Advice to a wife and mother in two parts

by Pye Henry Chavasse

647. A moderate quantity—say a tumblerful—either of fresh mild ale or of porter will generally be found the best beverage both for dinner and for supper. There is much more nourishment in either ale—home-brewed—or in porter, than in wine; therefore, for a nursing mother, either ale or porter is far preferable to wine. Wine, if taken at all, ought to be used very sparingly, and then not at the same meal with the porter or ale. In the higher ranks of life, where a lady is in the habit of drinking wine, it is necessary to continue it, although the quantity should not be increased, and ought never to exceed a couple of glasses—dry sherry being the best wine for the purpose.

648. A nursing mother is subject to thirst. When such be the case, she ought not to fly either to beer or to wine to quench it; this will only add fuel to the fire. The best beverages will be either toast and water, milk and water, barley-water, barley-water and new milk (in equal proportions), or black tea, either hot or cold. Cold black tea is a good quencher of thirst.

649. A lady who is nursing is at times liable to fits of depression. Let me strongly urge the importance of her abstaining from wine and from all other stimulants as a remedy; they would only raise for a time her spirits, and then would depress them in an increased ratio. Either a drive in the country, or a short walk, or a cup of tea, or a chat with a friend, would be the best medicine. The diet should be good and nourishing; plenty of bread and plenty of meat should be her staple food, in addition to which Du Barry’s Arabica Revalenta, made either with fresh milk or with cream and water, is, in these cases, most useful and sustaining. The best time for taking it is either for luncheon or for supper. A lady subject to depression should bear in mind that she requires nourishment, not stimulants,—that much wine and spirits might cheer her for the moment, but will assuredly depress her afterward. Depression always follows overstimulation; wine and spirits therefore, in such a case, if taken largely, are false and hollow friends. It is necessary to bear the above facts in mind, as there are many advocates who strongly recommend, in a case of this kind, a large consumption of wine and brandy. Such men are, at the present moment, doing an immense deal of mischief; they are, in point of fact, inducing and encouraging drunkenness.

650. Spirits—brandy, rum, gin, and whisky—are, during suckling, injurious; I may even say that they are insidious poisons to the parent, and, indirectly, to the child.

651. When an infant is laboring under an inflammatory complaint, a nursing mother ought not to take stimulants, such as either ale or wine. In a case of this kind, toast and water will, for her dinner, be the best beverage, gruel for her supper, and black tea—not coffee, as it would be too stimulating—both for her breakfast and tea.

FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE.

652. Out-door exercise during suckling cannot be too strongly insisted upon; it is the finest medicine both for babe and mother. Whenever the weather will admit, it must be taken. It is utterly impossible for a nursing mother to make good milk, unless she do take an abundance of exercise and breathe plenty of fresh air.

653. Whatever improves the health of the mother, of course at the same time benefits the child: there is nothing more conducive to health than an abundance of out-door exercise. It often happens that a mother who is nursing seldom leaves her house; she is a regular fixture; the consequence is, both she and her babe are usually delicate and prone to sickness.

654. A mother ought not, immediately after taking exercise, to nurse her infant, but wait for half an hour. Nor should she take violent exercise, as it would be likely to disorder the milk.

655. Carriage exercise, if the weather be hot and sultry, is preferable to walking; if that be not practicable, she ought to have the windows thrown wide open, and should walk about the hall, the landings, and the rooms, as she would by such means avoid the intense heat of the sun. Although carriage exercise during intensely hot weather is preferable to walking exercise, yet, notwithstanding, walking must, during some portion of the day, be practiced. There is no substitute, as far as health is concerned, for walking. Many ailments that ladies now labor under could be walked away; and really it would be a pleasant physic—far more agreeable than pills and potions!