545. In the mean time let the following directions be followed: Supposing a child to be born before the medical man arrives, the nurse ought then to ascertain whether a coil of navel-string be around the neck of the infant; if it be, it must be instantly liberated, or he might be strangled. Care should be taken that he has sufficient room to breathe, that there be not a “membrane” over his mouth;[[100]] and that his face be not buried in the clothes. Any mucus about the mouth of the babe ought, with a soft napkin, to be wiped away, or it might impede the breathing.
546. Every infant, the moment he comes into the world, ought to cry; if he does not naturally, he should be made to do so by smacking his buttocks until he does cry. He will then be safe:
“We came crying hither.
Thou know’st, the first time we smell the air
We waul and cry.”[[101]]
547. If the doctor has not arrived, cheerfulness, quietness, and presence of mind must be observed by all around; otherwise, the patient may become excited and alarmed, and dangerous consequences might ensue.
548. If the infant should be born apparently dead, a few smart blows must be given on the buttocks and on the back; a smelling-bottle ought to be applied to the nostrils, or rag should be singed under the nose, taking care that the burning tinder does not touch the skin; and cold water must be freely sprinkled on the face. The navel-string, as long as there is pulsation in it, ought not to be tied.
549. The limbs, the back, and the chest of the child ought to be well rubbed with the warm hand. The face should not be smothered up in the clothes. If pulsation has ceased in the navel-string (the above rules having been strictly followed, and having failed), let the navel-string be tied and divided,[[102]] and then let the child be plunged into warm water—98° Fahr. If the sudden plunge does not rouse respiration into action, let him be taken out of the warm bath, as the keeping him for any length of time in the water will be of no avail.
550. If these simple means should not quickly succeed, although they generally will, Dr. Marshall Hall’s Ready Method ought in the following manner to be tried: “Place the infant on his face; turn the body gently but completely on the side and a little beyond, and then on the face, alternately; repeating these measures deliberately, efficiently, and perseveringly, fifteen times in the minute only.”
551. Another plan of restoring suspended animation is by artificial respiration, which should be employed in the following manner: Let the nurse (in the absence of the doctor) squeeze, with her left hand, the child’s nose, to prevent any passage of air through the nostrils; then let her apply her mouth to the child’s mouth, and breathe into it, in order to inflate the lungs; as soon as they are inflated, the air ought, with the right hand, to be pressed out again, so as to imitate natural breathing. Again and again, for several minutes, and for about fifteen times a minute, should the above process be repeated; and the operator will frequently be rewarded by hearing a convulsive sob, which will be the harbinger of renewed life.