Advice to a wife and mother in two parts

by Pye Henry Chavasse

668. Occupation, then—bustling occupation, real downright work, either in the form of out-door exercise, or of attending to her household duties—a lady, if she desire to have a good breast of milk, ought to take; if, in point of fact, she wishes to have healthy children. For the Almighty is no respecter of persons. And he has ordained that work shall be the lot of man and of woman too! It is a blessed thing to be obliged to work. If we do not work, we have all to pay a heavy penalty, in the form of loss of both health and happiness. “For work is the grand cure of all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind—honest work, which you intend getting done.”[^[121]]

669. A mother who is listless and idle, lolling either the greater part of every day in an easy-chair, or reclining on a sofa in a room where a breath of air is not allowed to enter, usually makes a miserable and a wretched nurse. She is nervous, dyspeptic, and emaciated; having but little milk, and that little of a bad quality, her baby is puny, pallid, and unhealthy, and frequently drops into an untimely grave. Occupation, then, with fresh air and exercise, is indispensable to a mother who is suckling.

AILMENTS, Etc.

670. The Nipple.—A good nipple is important both to the comfort of the mother and to the well-doing of the child.

671. One, among many, of the ill effects of stays and of corsets is the pushing-in of the nipples; sore nipples, and consequent suffering, are the result. Moreover, a mother thus circumstanced may be quite unable to suckle her infant; and then she will be severely punished for her ignorance and folly; she will be compelled to forego the pleasure of nursing her own children, and she will be obliged to delegate to hirelings her greatest privilege! Ladies who never wear stays have much better nipples, and more fully-developed bosoms; hence such mothers are more likely to make better nurses to their babies. There is no doubt that the pressure of the stays on the bosom tends both to waste away the gland of the breast (where the milk is secreted), and to cause the nipple either to dwindle or to be pushed in, and thus to sadly interfere with its functions. I should strongly advise every mother who has daughters old enough to profit by it, to bear this fact in mind, and thus to prevent mischief when mischief might be prevented, by not allowing them, when young, to wear stays.

672. Treatment of very small and drawn-in nipples.—The baby ought to suck through the intervention of an india-rubber teat fastened on a boxwood shield, or through an india-rubber teat and shield, made entirely of india-rubber.[^[122]] The india-rubber teat must, before it is used, be softened by dipping it in warm but not in hot water. I have known many mothers able to suckle their children with this contrivance who otherwise would have been obliged either to have weaned them, or to have procured the assistance of a wet-nurse. The above aid, in the generality of instances, will enable the infant to suck with ease. After this has for a time been used, the nipples will be so improved as to render the continuance of it unnecessary. Of course I do not advise the use of an india-rubber teat until a fair trial has been given by applying the babe at once to the nipple; but if he cannot draw out the nipple, then, rather than wean him, or than employ a wet-nurse, let the teat be tried.

673. Remember, as soon as the nipple be sufficiently drawn out, which in all probability it will in a few days, the teat ought to be dispensed with. In such a case, when the infant is not at the breast, Dr. Wansbrough’s Metallic Nipple Shields should be worn. Small and bad nipples have, by the wearing of these shields, frequently been drawn out and made good ones; the dress will suffice to keep them in their places.

674. Sore nipples.—If a lady, during the latter few months of her pregnancy, were to adopt the plan recommended at page [162], paragraph 353, sore nipples, during the period of suckling, would not be so prevalent as they now are.

675. A sore nipple is frequently produced by the injudicious custom of allowing the child to have the nipple almost constantly in his mouth. Stated periods for suckling, as recommended at paragraph 631, ought to be strictly adopted. Another frequent cause of a sore nipple is from the babe having the thrush. It is a folly to attempt to cure the nipple without at the same time curing the mouth of the infant.

676. Treatment.—One of the best remedies for a sore nipple is the following powder: