ON THE MANAGEMENT OF INFANTS, YOUNG CHILDREN, AND THE SICK.
835. In a previous work—"Mrs. Hale's New Cook Book,"—I gave many receipts for preparing food for invalids and children; but something more is needed. Young mothers and nurses, who are often inexperienced, will, I am sure, thank me for taking pains to procure, from the most eminent authorities, the best directions and recipes to aid them in the discharge of their arduous and most important duties. The preservation of life, and the formation of the physical constitution, as well as the moral development of the young beings committed by Divine Providence to the especial care of woman, render it one of the best accomplishments of our sex, to learn all we can respecting the high vocation whereunto we are called, viz., that of conservators of humanity.
836. Of young Infants.—Immediately on the birth of the child, it should be received into soft fine flannel, sufficient completely to envelop or wrap round the body, in which, with the mouth and nose scarcely exposed, it should repose at least an hour. The child may then be washed with tepid water, tenderly and cautiously, yet speedily made dry with soft linen cloth. Afterwards let it be expeditiously dressed, and put into a warm, bed, and, during the first week or fortnight, exposed as little as possible to cold air: how long this caution may be necessary, will depend on the season of the year, or the temperature of the atmosphere. By strictly adhering to this mode of managing a new-born infant, it will not suffer from catarrh, cough, difficulty of breathing, diarrhea, sore eyes, or stoppage in the head.
Children are frequently placed under the care of a nurse, who, from her experience, is supposed qualified for the important trust; but it often happens, either from her obstinacy or self-importance, that the most judicious plan of treatment recommended by the attending physician, is defeated.
At this period the mother is called on, by religious and moral obligation, as well as by the ties of natural affection, to suckle her infant: no doubt could be entertained of her immediate assent to so powerful an impulse, if uninfluenced by her friends or relatives. It cannot be denied, that she may be disqualified for the office by various maladies, by an incipient phthisis, by a scorbutic or scrofulous taint, by hysterical or nervous affections, &c. However, the fitness or unfitness of the mother for this endearing office, should be determined by the attending physician. There are many instances recorded of women who had been extremely delicate and sickly previous to their first confinement, becoming afterwards healthy and robust. On the contrary, there are several histories of other women, who previously had enjoyed good health, suffering from counteracting the regular process of nature. The flow of the milk being checked, undue determinations have taken place to the chest or head, and in some cases proved fatal.
In the bowels of children at the time of their birth, there is an accumulation of what is called "the meconium." For whatever purpose it was intended before the birth of the child, it would become injurious were it afterwards suffered to remain. Nature has provided the means for its removal, by giving to the new milk an aperient quality. Therefore it is advisable to wait, even to the third day, for the appearance of the milk, rather than attempt to remove the meconium by castor oil, or any other mild aperient medicine. The coats of the child's stomach and bowels are so extremely tender and irritable, that the mildest purgative will give pain, and disorder the health of the infant. By waiting for the milk, relief is obtained by the means nature has provided, without the slightest inconvenience.