A System of Midwifery Part 13

So long as the os uteri is not fully dilated, the patient is not involuntarily compelled to strain and bear down: hence it is important to caution patients, more especially primiparae, not to be induced by an ignorant nurse or friend to exert themselves improperly during the first stage of labour, for not only is the process of dilatation considerably impeded, and much exhaustion produced, but frequently severe febrile or inflammatory action excited, which may lead to serious results after labour. All attempts to accelerate the course of a natural labour, especially the first stage, either on the part of the patient by premature straining, or on the part of the pract.i.tioner by attempts to dilate the os uteri and pa.s.sages, or by giving her stimuli, &c. cannot be too strictly forbidden. It is a mode of practice which has long since been strongly condemned by the highest authorities in midwifery, except in Scotland, and which may very easily lead to most mischievous results. Quick rapid labours are by no means desirable, for they are seldom safe; nor is it possible to limit this or that stage (especially the first) to any given duration of time.

No conscientious pract.i.tioner, who has clear and enlarged views of the process and mechanism of natural labour, would feel himself justified in interfering with its course, merely because some portion of it has extended beyond a certain fixed period; but would rather guide his conduct by the habit and strength of the individual, and by the effects which the labour has upon her. We have before stated, that no two labours are alike; we may also add, that no two individuals are similarly affected by the same degree and duration of labour, nor indeed are any two labours exactly alike in the same person: hence it will be evident, that what to one patient would prove a protracted and exhausting labour, to another would be nothing more than a perfectly regular labour, natural both in its character and progress. Among other injurious effects which premature efforts on the part of the patient will have, is, that the membranes are liable to give way too soon--this is by all means to be avoided, for nothing is so likely to render the first stage protracted as the occurrence of this accident; the course of the labour frequently undergoes an immediate change; the pains lose their regular and effective character; the os uteri remains thin, tense, and unyielding, and the process of dilatation is greatly r.e.t.a.r.ded.

_Prognosis as to the duration of labour._ There are few subjects upon which an accoucheur is so frequently importuned, or about which it is so difficult to give a decided opinion, as the probable duration of labour.

It is natural enough that both she and her friends should be anxious to know how long this process of suffering is likely to last: nothing, however, is more hazardous than a prognosis in these cases; and we would warn our junior brethren to be cautious how they commit themselves by venturing an opinion, which the result of the labour may prove to have been founded upon guess-work or ignorance. The character of the labour during the second stage, is frequently very different to that of the first, so that the mode in which the labour commences is by no means a criterion for its latter part. A labour which has commenced briskly and regularly, and with every promise of a rapid progress and termination, frequently becomes exceedingly lingering during the second stage, so that the expelling powers may, perhaps, even fail altogether in making the head pa.s.s through the os externum; whereas, on the other hand, a labour, the first stage of which has been slow and protracted, frequently experiences a complete alteration of character, and advances with a degree of quickness and energy, which could scarcely have been antic.i.p.ated from the manner in which it commenced. In primiparae, especially, it is particularly difficult to foretell, with any thing like certainty, the duration of labour: hence it is, that unguarded a.s.sertions in this respect are not only liable to disappoint the patient, but destroy her confidence in the pract.i.tioner.

_Wigand's views._ The celebrated Wigand of Hamburgh considered that the form of the v.a.g.i.n.a would frequently furnish the means of a pretty certain prognosis, as to the duration of labour: thus, if it were wide and yielding throughout its whole length, the labour would be quick, both at its beginning and termination; if, on the other hand, it were small, rigid, and contracted throughout, the labour might be expected to be of a very opposite character. If on examination the v.a.g.i.n.a is found roomy and well dilated at its upper part, but contracted and rigid near the os externum, the labour will be probably quick and easy during the first half, but slow and difficult afterwards; on the contrary, where the os externum is yielding and wide, but the upper portion of the v.a.g.i.n.a narrow, the labour may be expected to be slow at first, but to be brisk and active afterwards. We have already stated, that the course of labour varies in every possible way; in some cases the same peculiar character of labour shows itself through two or three successive generations: hence it has been observed, that very tedious or very violent and rapid labours sometimes seems to be hereditary; the mother, daughters, and grand-daughters, being all remarkable for their lingering or rapid labours.

_Diet during labour._ The diet of the patient during labour should be simple and unirritating; if every thing is going on naturally and briskly, some gruel or tea, with or without a little biscuit or bread and b.u.t.ter, will be quite sufficient; but if the process is becoming tedious and exhausting, some beef-tea, broth, or any other mild nourishment of this sort will be required to support the strength.

During the first stage of labour there is no need for the pract.i.tioner to be constantly in the room, nor even during the early part of the second, unless the pains are very violent and protrusive; for, by taking frequent opportunities of quitting the patient for a few minutes, she is left more free from restraint, and the presence of the pract.i.tioner becomes less irksome when it is really necessary; whereas, if he continues at the bed-side, she is justified in expecting that the labour must be advancing rapidly to demand so unremitting an attendance, and, therefore, becomes disappointed and impatient to find that his presence has been of so little use to her. The conversation should be light and cheerful, and every means taken to encourage her and keep up her spirits.

_Supporting the perineum._ As the head approaches the os externum our attention must be directed to giving the perineum such a degree of support, as shall secure it from any serious degree of laceration during its pa.s.sage. The greatest danger of ruptured perineum is in primiparae, for the soft parts never having been subjected to such a degree of dilatation before, do not yield so readily as in multiparae. The anterior margin of the perineum, called _fraenulum_, is, we believe almost invariably ruptured in every first case; but the laceration ought not to extend farther. The more gradual the advance of the head is through the os externum, the better will be the dilatation of the soft parts: hence therefore, when the pains are violent, and the head is thrust with great force against the perineum, it will be desirable to restrain it in some degree, until the parts shall have had sufficient time to yield; on the other hand, where the pains are more gradual, the perineum and os externum may receive the whole dilating force of the head, and every succeeding pain will show that a progressive advance is taking place.

The increasing thinness of the perineum itself, and the fraenulum becoming tense during the height of a pain, may be looked upon as warnings that the expulsion of the head is not far distant, and now the support of the hand will be needed to prevent laceration; for this purpose the position on the left side is peculiarly convenient, besides having the additional advantage of relaxing the external parts more completely. If the pains be violent, and the impulse to strain very considerable, we must desire the patient to lie as pa.s.sive as she can, and do her best not to bear down, for otherwise the head is sometimes driven through the os externum with a single effort, and the mischief done in spite of all our care.

The support of the perineum has been variously directed by different authors; we prefer using the left hand, because then we have the right at liberty for any manipulations which may be necessary, such as examining if the cord be round the child's neck, &c. &c. It is awkward at first, because it requires the hand to be considerably twisted, and makes the wrist ache a good deal; but a very little practice soon conquers this slight difficulty, and the superiority of the mode will then be apparent.

As our object is not merely to support the perineum, but to direct the head as much forwards under the pubic arch as possible, in order that the anterior portions of the os externum should undergo their share of dilatation, and thus in some measure spare the perineum, the chief pressure should be applied near to the sphincter ani, gradually diminishing it up to the fraenulum perinei in front: for this purpose the left hand protected by a napkin (partly for the sake of cleanliness and partly for the purpose of having a firmer hold upon the parts, and preventing it slipping) should now be applied with the palm in the vicinity of the sphincter ani, so that the tips of the fingers should project somewhat beyond the fraenulum; the whole should be laid as flat and close to the part as possible. In order that we may be sure of the hand being applied exactly along the raphe of the perineum, we should guide it by the examining finger of the right hand, bearing in mind, that when we place this against the posterior margin of the os externum, and bring the middle finger of the left hand in contact with it, we shall hold the left hand in the desired direction.

It is desirable also to hold the examining finger of the right hand against the fraenulum perinei when a pain comes on, because then we know exactly when the tension of the perineum is becoming such as to endanger its integrity, and when the head is about to pa.s.s out. Until this moment the fraenulum is seldom on the stretch, although the rest of the perineum is: hence we need not apply our support until now, and thus give the parts the full benefit of the dilating force, which the head exerts upon them, until the very last instant. To relax them still farther, the patient's knees ought not to be separated by a pillow or cushion placed between them, as is usually done, although it must be confessed that in some cases she is relieved by it.

In applying the left hand to support the perineum, it should be placed somewhat more backward than the spot which we intend to support: for by this means we are enabled to push the soft parts somewhat forwards, and thus relax them. By this means, also, we not only direct the head against the other parts of the os externum but avoid the danger of its perforating the perineum. When the moment of greatest distension arrives, the process cannot be too slow; we must therefore desire the patient not to bear down, and endeavour, if possible, to make the head remain in the state of _crowning_ until the next pain comes on: the os externum having been held for some moments at its utmost dilatation, permits the head to pa.s.s with greater ease and safety. As the globe of the head pa.s.ses forwards and emerges through the os externum, we feel the posterior portions of the perineum become soft and lax, while the forehead, followed by the face, and lastly the chin glide over the anterior margin of it.

The pa.s.sage of the head is not the only moment of danger to the perineum, for laceration is even still more liable to be produced during the expulsion of the shoulders; any slight rupture of the anterior edge is now apt to be converted into a considerable laceration, unless the support be continued until the thorax be expelled. We have already stated that the fraenulum perinei is generally torn through in the first labour; but the laceration ought not, if possible, to extend farther, because serious injury may be produced either to the v.a.g.i.n.a, or even to the sphincter r.e.c.t.u.m. To say, however, that laceration of the perineum need never happen, would be preposterous; because cases every now and then occur, where, from the contracted and unyielding state of the os externum, and from the size of the child, it is nearly impossible that the perineum can escape without injury; fortunately, although considerable lacerations are by no means uncommon, they are seldom observed to extend into the sphincter ani, the direction of the rent being usually to one side. Under the ordinary circ.u.mstances of perineal laceration, little more than mere attention to cleanliness is required; for the parts contract so astonishingly after labour, that what was a wide rent of an inch and a half long, in a couple of days will be scarcely more than two or three lines in length. Rest, great cleanliness, and gentle-relaxed bowels, const.i.tute the chief treatment.

_Treatment of perineal laceration._ Where, however, the laceration extends into the r.e.c.t.u.m, the case becomes exceedingly troublesome and difficult to cure, and the patient is liable to be rendered a miserable object for life; for the action of the sphincter being entirely destroyed, she is unable to retain faeces or flatus in the r.e.c.t.u.m; besides which, from the injury to the posterior wall of the v.a.g.i.n.a, prolapsus uteri is an almost certain consequence. In these cases the slightest movement of the thighs upon each other alters the position of the lips of the wound, and thus tears it open afresh, so that at length the edges of the wound become callous and refuse to heal. A great deal in these cases depends upon the patience and good conduct of the patient herself; for if she have the resolution to lie perfectly still for at least a week, she will have every chance of a perfect cure. If there be much swelling of the edges, and a disposition to slough, a warm poultice of chamomile flowers should be applied, and the bowels kept in a nearly liquid state by gentle and repeated doses of salines, in order to prevent distension of the r.e.c.t.u.m when the evacuation is pa.s.sing; she should preserve the supine posture, and have her knees confined together by a piece of tape, as is done with patients after the operation of lithotomy. Straps of adhesive plaster are seldom or never of any use, but if the rent be very severe a suture or two may be required. The great fault in applying these means for bringing the edges of the wound together is the attempting to unite them throughout their whole length; for by so doing the tension of the parts is increased, and therefore there is less disposition to unite; and even if we succeed in effecting complete union of the whole wound, the perineum is so contracted and unyielding from the cicatrisation, that it can scarcely escape a repet.i.tion of the injury in succeeding labours. It is, therefore, much better that we should content ourselves with uniting merely the posterior half of the laceration; the parts heal much more readily, and the os externum is left of a sufficient size to escape all danger of laceration on future occasions.

Where the edges have become callous and refused to unite, they require to be pared and brought together again; this, however, does not always succeed, and the case becomes very difficult and protracted: under these circ.u.mstances, the treatment adopted by Dr. Dieffenbach, of Berlin, is well worthy of attention. Having pared off the callous edges of the wound, he brings them into the closest opposition by transfixing them with needles in several places, as is done for the operation of hare-lip; and in order to isolate the wound as much as possible from the surrounding parts, and prevent any tension, he makes a free incision through the integuments, parallel with the wound, at a little distance from it, and nearly of the same length; by this means, every cause which might tend to separate the edges is removed; whilst the parallel cuts, being fresh incised wounds, soon close by granulation.[68]

It sometimes, although rarely, happens that the perineum, instead of being torn from before backwards, is perforated through its centre by the head, so that the child is not born through the os externum, but through a lacerated opening in the body of the perineum. This accident may arise from a variety of circ.u.mstances: the direction of the pelvic outlet may be faulty, or the inclined plane formed by the lower part of the sacrum, by the sacro-sciatic ligaments, &c. may be insufficient to guide the head forwards under the pubic arch; or the perineum may be unusually broad; in which cases the power of the uterus being directed against the centre of it, the head becomes enveloped in a bag of protruded perineum; and if the pains are violent, and the head not properly supported, it at length bursts its way through the centre without even injuring the fraenulum. The treatment of this form of ruptured perineum is the same as that of the more common species; the bowels must be kept open, and a fomentation of chamomile flowers applied to the wound, which, from the gradual contraction of the surrounding parts after labour, diminishes remarkably, so that in the course of a short time it will have entirely or nearly closed.[69]

Besides the above-mentioned advantages in supporting the perineum, we may mention another which is not generally noticed, and which is sometimes of considerable service. In cases where the head has completely descended upon the perineum, and begins to protrude somewhat through the os externum, the pains occasionally fail at this moment, the labour becomes very lingering, while the advance of the head and state of the parts show that two or three active pains would bring the child into the world; firm pressure applied at the lower end of the sacrum, in a direction forwards, materially adds to the effect of each pain in bringing the head through the os externum, and seems also to excite the patient to make a more powerful effort with the abdominal muscles. On several occasions we have thus a.s.sisted the expulsion of the head, when otherwise the labour would have been very protracted, or would have even required the forceps to disengage it. Madame La Chappelle is the only authority in midwifery, as far as we know, that has noticed this fact.

_Cord round the child's neck._ As soon as the head is born, we must examine whether the cord be twisted round the child's neck; and here the advantage of supporting the perineum with the left hand becomes evident: it is ready to support the shoulders when they begin to pa.s.s, while the right hand is at liberty to perform any manipulations which may be necessary. If it be important to support the head during its pa.s.sage over the perineum, still more so will it be to support the shoulders; for if a small laceration has already been produced, it is invariably converted into a wide rent at this moment, if great care be not taken: indeed, we are justified in saying that most of the cases of severe perineal rupture are produced by the shoulders, not by the head.

_Pa.s.sage of the shoulders._ If the pains cease for a time, or the child be large, the shoulders do not pa.s.s immediately: in this position the face swells and grows purple from the pressure upon the neck, although it does not necessarily result from the cord being round it; if, however, we find that this is the case, we can in most instances loosen it somewhat by the finger, and as the shoulders advance, slip it first over one and then the other: we must recollect that the shoulder, which is forwards, pa.s.ses out first, and that, therefore, we must slip the cord over it first.

It is seldom necessary to a.s.sist the shoulders by applying any extractive force to the head, for in the course of a minute or two the uterus generally resumes its activity and expels it: on the other hand, when the shoulders pa.s.s through the os externum, the right hand should be in readiness to prevent the body of the child from being born too rapidly: the uterus can scarcely be emptied of its contents too gradually, for by this means it contracts equably, powerfully, and permanently, and throws off the placenta without difficulty; whereas, if suddenly evacuated, it frequently becomes powerless for a time, or if contraction does take place, it is so irregular and incomplete as to endanger partial separation, retention of the placenta, and haemorrhage.[70] If, however, the cord be twisted exceedingly tight round the child's neck, and imbedded so deeply into the skin, as to render it impossible to push the coil over the shoulder, it may become necessary to divide it in order to let the child pa.s.s, in which case the pract.i.tioner must seize the divided ends as well as he can, and apply a ligature the instant the child is born. We believe that this is rarely, if ever, necessary; for in proportion as the child advances, so does the fundus descend, and thus relieves, in some measure, the tension to which the cord is exposed. This subject, however, belongs rather to the third species of dystocia, to which we must therefore refer.

_Birth of the child and ligature of the cord._ As soon as the child is born, we must place it in such a position as will enable it to breathe with ease. The sudden exposure to the external air is generally sufficient to excite respiration; if not, a gentle pat on the nates, or blowing suddenly in the face, will usually succeed: if, however, the child still remains insensible, recourse must be had to those means which are recommended under the head of _Asphyxia neonatorum_. The cord should not be tied until it has ceased to beat, for unless the circulation be well established in its new course, the breathing is apt to stop, and the child relapse into insensibility: the cord should be tied about three inches distant from the umbilicus; it should be applied tightly, because otherwise it is apt to become loose, as the cord grows flaccid. In tying the ligature, one hand should be supported against the other to prevent giving the cord any jerk in case the ligature breaks; we are able also by this means to tie it more firmly.

The cord should be divided at some little distance from the ligature, so as to prevent all chance of its slipping off, and it should be done with a pair of blunt scissors, by which means the vessels of the cord are so bruised as to be rendered nearly impervious. There is no need to apply two ligatures; in fact it is better not, for, as Dr. Dewees justly observes, "the evacuation from the open extremity of the cord will yield two or three ounces of blood, which favours the contraction of the uterus and expulsion of the placenta." It has been recommended, in case of twins, to apply a second ligature, to prevent all chance of the second child bleeding through the cord of the first. There is, however, no connexion between the two placentae, although they usually form what appears to be one ma.s.s. We only know of one case where the umbilical arteries of one cord anastomosed with those of the other, an anormality of very rare occurrence: still, however, it is better to apply a second ligature upon the cord, where we find that twins are present, as a precaution: and also to prevent it being said, in case the second child is still-born, that it had died from no ligature having been applied upon the placental extremity of the cord. It has been questioned whether it was really necessary to tie the cord before separating the child from the mother, from the well known fact that nothing of the sort is required in animals; and that, in cases of rapid labour, where the child has been unexpectedly dashed upon the floor and the cord broken, no haemorrhage has resulted. This arises from the bruised and lacerated condition of the cord under these circ.u.mstances: animals not only bite the cord, but also draw it through their teeth several times, so as to contuse the vessels for a considerable extent; whereas, if it was merely divided with a sharp instrument, there is no doubt but that the new-born animal would quickly bleed to death.[71]

_Importance of ascertaining that the uterus is contracted._ As soon as the child is separated from its mother and removed, or even sooner, if this process has gone on slowly, we ascertain if the uterus has contracted: this we shall know by its feeling like a large hard ball behind the symphysis pubis: if there be one rule more important than another, it is this, for without it we cannot be certain of the patient's safety for a single minute: so long as we feel the fundus to be hard, we know that the uterus is contracting, and that it will expel the placenta quickly, and ensure the patient against haemorrhage; but if it be soft and relaxed, she cannot be considered safe even if their be no haemorrhage; for the placenta may have been separated, and may be lying across the os uteri, or the os uteri itself may be contracted, or blocked up with coagula, so as to prevent the blood from escaping; it therefore collects in the cavity of the uterus in large quant.i.ties, to the imminent danger of the patient.

Even where the uterus has contracted, the patient is not permanently safe, for it may again relax and grow soft, and haemorrhage come on.

_Management of the placenta._ The placenta sometimes follows the child immediately, and occasionally is expelled by the same pain; usually, however, a few minutes intervene, during which time the uterus remains more or less in a state of inaction; it then begins to contract, and the dull and peculiar pains which characterize the separation of the placenta are now felt. The interval after the birth of the child varies considerably, and depends in many cases on the degree of rapidity with which the uterus has been emptied: hence in some cases we feel the fundus hard almost immediately, whereas, in others some considerable period elapses before it resumes its state of activity, a period which, if any separation of the placenta has already taken place, will be attended with the greatest danger. The occurrence of pains indicates fresh contractions, and therefore we should now examine to ascertain if the placenta has been detached. As a general rule it may be stated, that if we can reach the insertion of the cord with our finger we may presume that the placenta is ready to be expelled; if not, that it is still partially or wholly attached to the uterus. So long as this latter is the case, the less we meddle with the cord the better, for by pulling at it we only excite the os uteri to contract, and thus seriously impede its removal.

Where some time has elapsed without any symptoms of contraction coming on, we may excite the uterus by circular friction of the abdomen, fanning the face, or by sprinkling a little water upon it, &c.: if, however, the uterus is hard and yet the placenta not within reach, we may pull slightly at the cord, pressing it at the same time back with the fore-finger into the hollow of the sacrum; we thus bring it down in the direction of the pelvic axis, and generally succeed in moving it into the v.a.g.i.n.a. No violent effort should be made, as this would probably tear it off from its insertion into the placenta, but, by keeping a gentle pressure upon it, the placenta will slowly pa.s.s through the os uteri, and then come away without farther difficulty. Following the axis of the v.a.g.i.n.a, we now guide it downwards and forwards; and when it approaches the os externum, it should be seized with the finger and thumb, and rotated several times: the membranes are thus twisted into a rope, and are less liable to be torn in separating from the uterus. The uterus being now completely emptied, contracts into a hard ball of about the size of a child's head. If, however (whether before or after the expulsion of the placenta) the uterus grows soft and swells, if the patient becomes pale and restless, and complains of faintness, sickness, load at the praecordia, darkness before the eyes, &c. we may be sure that haemorrhage is going on. We refer to the chapter upon uterine haemorrhage for the measures to be adopted.

_Twins._ Where there are twins, the above rules for ensuring the safe expulsion of the placenta require to be still more strictly observed: the uterus has been more distended, the ma.s.s of placenta is larger, and is attached to a much greater extent of surface than where there has been only one child: hence there is not only a greater liability to haemorrhage, but if it does take place, will probably be much more dangerous. We cannot be too cautious how we extract the placentae of twins: from the size of the ma.s.s, the uterus remains larger, and therefore less contracted: hence, if we venture to pull at the cord before being able to reach the placenta with our finger, we shall feel it yield; but this is not from the placentae being detached and coming away, but from the fundus itself being pulled down with it--a state which would rapidly pa.s.s into inversion if the force were continued. In order to detach the ma.s.s more equally, we should twist the two cords together; by so doing there is less danger of their giving way. The same rotating movement should be used when the placentae approach the os externum; the two bags of membranes are thus twisted together, and come away entire: if this be not attended to, the membranes are torn, portions of them are left adherent to the uterus, and come away some days afterwards in a half putrid state producing a fetid discharge, and sometimes considerable fever.

_Treatment after labour._ As soon as the placenta is expelled, the soiled and wetted sheet should be removed and a warm napkin applied to the external parts: the patient should remain thus for half an hour or more, and enjoy a little rest, or even a short sleep: by this time the nurse will have washed and dressed the child, and be ready to attend to the mother. The external parts should be sponged with warm water, her linen changed, and a broad bandage pinned firmly round the abdomen to give it the necessary degree of support. Where there has been great abdominal distension and more than one child, it is sometimes advisable to apply the bandage immediately after the birth of the first, in order to a.s.sist the uterus in expelling the second, and in contracting afterwards. The bandage, therefore, should be gradually tightened as the abdomen diminishes in size: without this precaution the removal of so much pressure from the abdominal circulation will be sometimes attended with alarming faintings. A similar effect may be produced by the patient incautiously sitting up in bed to take any refreshment which may be offered to her at this moment; she should be warned, more especially if she be a primipara, not to raise herself from the horizontal posture for a few hours after labour; at any rate, not until the bandage has been properly applied: from inattention to this point, cases have occurred where, on the patient's sitting up immediately after labour, she has fallen back in a faint from which she never recovered; in other cases it has been attended by profuse haemorrhage, which has instantly proved fatal.

"The influence of position," says Dr. Meigs, "in determining the momentum of blood in the vessels is well known to the Profession, but there are few cases where it is of more consequence to pay a profound regard to this influence than in the parturient woman. A uterus may be a good deal relaxed or atonic, and yet not bleed, if the woman lie still with the head low; whereas, upon sitting up suddenly, such is the rush of blood down the column of the aorta, the hypogastric and the uterine and spermatic arteries, that the resistance afforded by a feeble contraction is instantly overthrown, and volumes of blood escape with an almost unrestrained impetuosity: the vessels of the brain under such circ.u.mstances become rapidly drained, and the patient falls back in a state of syncope, which now and then proves immediately fatal."

(_Philadelphia Practice of Midwifery_, by Charles D. Meigs, M. D. p. 192.) Even if all these directions have been strictly obeyed, if every thing has gone well, and the uterus is firmly contracted, we are not sure of its remaining so: after the lapse of many hours it may again relax, and flooding come on, its power of contraction being impaired either by the exhaustion of the previous labour, the warmth of the bed, &c. It will, therefore, be desirable to adopt such measures, as will ensure the patient against this occurrence: in most cases it will be sufficient to keep the room moderately cool, and ensure a due degree of ventilation; but where the uterus has shown a disposition to relax, we know of nothing which guards the patient so effectually against haemorrhage after labour, and enables us to leave her with so much confidence, as putting the child to her breast. The sympathetic connexion between the breast and the uterus is now well known; nor are there any means so certain of producing permanent uterine contraction as this natural act: it is a duty which nature instinctively prompts the mother to perform, not only for the preservation of her child, but for the safety of herself. We, therefore, make it a rule, whenever the patient intends to suckle her child (a duty which is performed more frequently now than it was a few years ago,) to have it put to the breast before quitting the house: the first excitement of the mother's feelings towards her offspring is a favourable moment for the performance of this act, the erectile tissue of the nipple becomes turgid, the child takes the breast with ease, and the effect upon the uterus is not less certain than complete; even if the child sucks fairly well for only five minutes we feel satisfied, for we cannot call to mind a single case of haemorrhage after the effects of this operation.

_Lactation._ When the wet clothing has been removed, and fresh linen subst.i.tuted, the patient should be left to enjoy perfect quiet both of body and mind, in order that she may have some sleep, for "the refreshment of sleep seems to be the most powerful natural means of inducing full contraction of the uterus."[72] After this, the child should be placed at her side, in order that it may enjoy the warmth of her body, and make another trial of taking the breast. That new-born animals are not able to maintain a sufficient degree of warmth, is seen by the care with which a bird shelters her young beneath her wings, and by the manner in which kittens, puppies, &c. crawl close to the mother's abdomen to enjoy that degree of heat which of themselves they are unable to produce. Dr. Edwards has shown that the animal heat of a new-born infant is several degrees below that of the adult: the mother's breast is, therefore, the natural place for it, where it can not only enjoy the necessary warmth, but take that nourishment which has been destined for its support at this early period. A child is capable of sucking the moment it is born; indeed, we would say, better at this moment than later, for the power of instinct in it is fully as great as in other animals; whereas, if not put to the breast soon after birth, but fed instead, it quickly loses it. A vigorous healthy child immediately seeks its mother's breast, and if it does not find it, sucks at every thing which touches its mouth, even its own little hand or finger when presented to it: so strong is this instinct, that, on more than one occasion, we have known the child suck at the finger of the medical attendant when the head had only just cleared the os externum.

It has been, and even still is, a very general practice not to apply the child to the breast until the second or third day, upon the plea that there is no milk: a more erroneous and mischievous plan of treatment could not be devised, for it is a fruitful source of much injury as well of suffering both to the mother and her child. The child should be put to the breast, "whether there be signs of milk or not." (White, _on Lying-in Women_.) There is always more or less thin watery fluid called _colostrum_ which is admirably adapted to form the first nourishment of the infant; it is slightly purgative, and, therefore, well fitted to unload the bowels of the viscid green mucus, called _meconium_, which fills them. The colostrum has been variously described by authors; some speak of it as a thin watery fluid, others as a thick creamy milk: this difference depends in great measure upon the interval between the birth of the child and its application to the breast: where this has taken place early, as we have just recommended, the colostrum has almost always the thin watery appearance above mentioned; whereas, if some period of time has been allowed to pa.s.s before the child is applied, the breast begins to secrete a fluid containing a larger proportion of caseous matter, or, in other words a more perfect milk, which not being drawn off, the watery part of it is absorbed, leaving the thicker portion to be removed by the process of sucking. Instead of giving the child this bland and natural fluid when in a state best fitted for its delicate digestive organs, it is but too frequently the practice to make it swallow some soft sugar, or a tea-spoonful of castor oil, and follow this up with a little gruel. The effects of such treatment upon a stomach which has never yet received food may be easily imagined; the digestive function becomes deranged, pain is excited, acid is secreted, gas is disengaged, flatulence, diarrhoea, &c.

are the result, with all those manifestations of gastric irritation, such as strophulus, aphthae, colic, &c. from which new-born children are made to suffer so severely.

Besides the above advantages in applying the child thus early to the breast, there are others of even greater importance which require to be mentioned. The breast is not yet distended; it is soft and conical, and therefore in a most favourable condition for being drawn; the child can seize the nipple and draw it out with ease, and by thus straightening the lactiferous tubes it commands a ready flow of their contents. By the gentle irritation of sucking, an earlier secretion of milk is excited, and being drawn off as fast as it is formed, the breast is never distended by an acc.u.mulation of milk. On the other hand, where some time has elapsed before putting the child to the breast, it will have in great measure lost the instinctive desire to suck; the b.r.e.a.s.t.s have become distended and painful; instead of being soft and conical, they are now hard and flattened, the nipple is shortened, or even sunken in; and if the child does succeed in drawing it out, it is at the expense of severe suffering to the mother. The process of sucking in this state of the breast is very difficult; a considerable effort is required to elongate the nipple, and the thin delicate skin which covers it is abraded; excoriations and deep fissures round the base of it are produced, and each application of the child is one of absolute torture. In many cases, partly from having been fed, and partly from the difficulty it meets with, the child refuses the breast altogether; in others, the suffering is so severe as to oblige the mother to discontinue the attempt. The b.r.e.a.s.t.s now increase in size and hardness, producing great pain from their weight and tension; hard painful knots from the distended tubes and vessels are felt in different parts, and the pain and dragging extends to the axillae, the glands of which are also swollen and painful.

_Milk fever and abscess._ By this time, or even earlier, the patient will in all probability have been attacked with a smart shivering fit followed by a hot and then a sweating stage, and accompanied with headach and febrile excitement of the circulation. This is the _febris lactea_, or _milk fever_, an affection which, at one time, was very generally supposed to be necessary for establishing the secretion of milk: experience, however, has shown that it chiefly results from neglect in not putting the child to the breast sufficiently early; the secreted milk has been in part absorbed into the system, fever has been induced, and the patient has been relieved by the natural crisis of a sweating stage. The febrile excitement will be considerably moderated, and the tension of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s relieved, by the action of saline laxatives: the shoulders which are usually kept warm for the purpose of promoting the secretion of milk, should now be clothed more lightly; the relief, however, is but too frequently partial, the b.r.e.a.s.t.s still remain large and painful; the process of suckling is just as difficult as before, and the indurated spots increase in hardness, sensibility, and extent; throbbing and darting pain is felt in the part, the skin over it becomes hot and red, and at length presents that shining glazy look which but too surely indicates the formation of matter beneath, a circ.u.mstance which is still farther proved by the oedematous feel of the part, or by the presence of actual fluctuation.[73]

Where the breast is capable of being drawn, whether by the child or by artificial means, the application of a cold evaporating lotion, and the frequent exhibition of saline laxatives, will generally suffice to check the determination of blood to the breast, and diminish the secretion of milk; but where these means fail to reduce its size and hardness, it should be frequently rubbed with volatile liniment, and then enveloped in a hot linseed-meal poultice: this may be advantageously made with Goulard, and changed every two or three hours, keeping up a brisk action upon the bowels, as before-mentioned.[74]

If there be much febrile excitement of the circulation, bleeding may be sometimes required: we have rarely, however, found it necessary, having been almost always able to exert a sufficient effect by means of nitre with small doses of Vin. Antimonii and Sp. aeth. Nitr. Leeches seldom give more that temporary relief, and that only when applied in large quant.i.ties; in which case so much irritation and inflammation is produced by their bites as not unfrequently to counteract the benefit arising from the loss of blood. The patient should preserve the horizontal posture, or at least have the breast well supported by a soft handkerchief, as otherwise its weight will produce much painful dragging. It is not always easy to detect the fluctuation, particularly when it is seated deep beneath the fascia, which invests the mammary gland; but wherever it is tolerably distinct, especially in the upper parts of the gland, the abscess should be let out early, otherwise it will burrow through a large extent of the breast, and destroy a considerable portion of the gland; whereas, if it be felt below the nipple, it may be allowed to approach nearer to the surface and point, by which means it will not be necessary to make the incision so large or so deep, a point which is worthy of attention, as otherwise considerable-sized milk tubes and even blood-vessels may be divided. Dr. Burns has mentioned a case of fatal haemorrhage from this cause. In either case, whether the opening has been made artificially or spontaneously, the breast should be constantly enveloped in a hot poultice of linseed meal: if this be made with boiling water it forms a gelatinous ma.s.s, which retains its heat for a very considerable time, and not only acts as a fomentation, but gives great relief by softening the indurated portions and diminishing the tension. If the patient can bear it, the breast ought to be drawn by a gla.s.s for that purpose: this is much better than the breast-pump, being simple and easy of application. Where little or no milk comes, it is useless to persevere, as we should only expose the patient to much unnecessary pain, and the breast to a good deal of irritation.

It rarely happens that the breast recovers so far as to enable the mother to nurse with it, and she will therefore be obliged to nourish the child entirely from the other, which generally bears the double duty without inconvenience: in some cases, however, there has been so much fever, and the process of inflammation and its consequences has been so long, that it is neither possible nor advisable to keep up or recall the secretions. In succeeding labours great attention must be paid to a breast which has been thus injured, and every disposition to distension and acc.u.mulation of milk carefully watched.

By the time a mammary abscess has been fairly opened, the strength of the patient is considerably lowered, not only from the quant.i.ty of discharge, but also from the nature of the previous symptoms and treatment; her food should now be more nutritious, she should take a little wine or porter; and if the appet.i.te be delicate, two pills, consisting of equal parts of Extr. Gentianae and Extr. Hyoscyami should be given night and morning; she will thus be enabled to sleep better, and the general irritability arising from her state of weakness will be relieved. If, however, the appet.i.te fail entirely, and she has a pale flabby tongue, or if it is brown and dry in the centre; if the bowels are deranged, and she has a disposition to profuse perspiration, with much pain in the front or summit of the head, and other signs of debility, the Hydr. c. Creta and Dover's powder should be given at night followed by a rhubarb and manna draught the next morning, and if these have acted sufficiently, she may be put upon the use of quinine and sulphuric acid with Tinct. of Hyoscyamus two or three times during the day.

_Excoriated nipples._ When the nipples are merely excoriated, or there are fissures in them, they should be bathed with tepid Lotio Plumbi or a solution of Zinci Sulph. in rose water, which must be carefully washed off before applying the child to them. If they are too tender to permit being drawn by the child, they should be covered by the shield, to which is attached a cow's udder or some form of artificial nipple, through which the child can draw the milk without pain to the mother; the udder should be kept very clean, and there should be one or two spare ones soaking in water, in order that they may be changed from time to time. Excoriation of the nipples frequently arise from the extreme thinness of the skin which covers them, and from their unnatural softness. Whatever renders the nipples soft and tender, makes the operation of sucking difficult, because the child can draw them out too easily: we should rather be careful to have them firm, and less sensitive of irritation, just as they would be if they had not always been covered by the dress from the earliest childhood, and thus rendered perfectly unfit to perform the office designed them by nature. The best means of attaining this end is to expose them frequently to the air during the latter months of pregnancy, and by dabbing them occasionally with cold water mixed with a little lavender water or eau de Cologne. (_Boer._)[75]

It is important that the child should be suckled at regular intervals of about three hours during the day; and if this be done the last thing at night, and the first thing in the morning, there will be no need of giving it the breast during the night. With a little perseverance on the part of the mother, the child soon learns not to require the breast at this time, which ensures her a good night, and spares her much trouble and annoyance.

Those mothers who are obliged to suckle their children at all hours of the night to pacify their screaming, have brought the trouble upon their own heads, for if, instead of dosing the children with castor oil, and feeding them for the first day or two after birth, they had put them to the breast at once, the derangement of stomach and bowels which is the cause of this restlessness would have been avoided.

_Diet during lactation._ Attention should be also paid to the diet of the mother, for upon this subject much erroneous opinion prevails. If she be strong and healthy, her food should be entirely farinaceous for the first three or four days, using gruel, tapioca, farinaceous powder, arrow root, &c. with a due admixture of milk; if there are no symptoms to forbid it, an egg may now be taken in the morning, and she may gradually proceed from chicken, &c. to the stronger meats, as her general condition and appet.i.te point out. Where she is naturally delicate, or has been weakened by a sickly pregnancy, &c. it will be advisable to allow her chicken broth, and weak beef-tea from an earlier period.

"Serious mischief is frequently done by the mother attempting to remedy every temporary diminution of milk, by increasing the quant.i.ty of her food, or by imagining that some stimulating drink will answer this valuable end. Owing to some trifling disturbance in the system of a temporary kind, the secretion of milk may be for the moment suspended or diminished. An attempt is made to recall it by an increase of food, by which a slight inconvenience is converted into a permanent derangement of the system, or a fever of even a dangerous character may be generated; or owing to a false theory, or imperfect observation, it has been supposed that certain liquors have a control over the secretion of milk, and hence the too free use of certain combinations, into which ardent or fermented spirits too largely enter. We must not, however, be supposed to deny the influence of certain solid as well as fluid substances upon the secretion of milk, for we well know, that unless the body be properly supported, there must soon be a diminution of milk. We only mean to insist that it is the nutritious, and not the stimulating part of the diet, which is subservient to the plentiful and healthful formation of this fluid. In proof of this we need only observe, that we have often been consulted upon the subject of the failure of milk, where an anxious mother herself, or a hireling nurse, was concerned, and had been informed by them that they had tried every thing with a hope of improving it, such as rich food, porter, ale, beer, &c. without success, or it was followed, perhaps, by a diminution of it. In such cases we have often succeeded in producing a plentiful supply of milk, by adopting the opposite plan of treatment, for it must be borne in mind, as an important truth, that this failure proceeds more frequently from an over, than from an under, quant.i.ty of food or of drink. It is a fact well-known to all who have paid attention to the consequences of arterial excitement, that when it amounts to even moderate fever, the milk almost immediately diminishes in quant.i.ty; and also when this action is diminished by suitable remedies (provided it has not continued too long,) that the secretion of milk again becomes more abundant. Upon this principle we have frequently prescribed evacuants and abstinence to promote the secretion of milk." (Dewees, _on Children_.)

Where the mother does not intend to nurse her child, a different plan of treatment must be adopted: the shoulders should be lightly covered, cold evaporating lotions applied to the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and the bowels freely opened by saline laxatives, her diet must be abstemious until the fulness of the b.r.e.a.s.t.s subsides, and she ought not to take much fluid: where there is a disposition to febrile action, an antimonial may be advantageously combined with the salines. In most instances the milk is thus checked without any inconvenience, but every now and then much illness and suffering is produced before this can be effected. Wherever, therefore, it is possible for the patient to suckle, the pract.i.tioner should urge the importance of it in the strongest terms.

"A very serious evil from a woman neglecting this imperious duty is the probability of her becoming more frequently pregnant than the const.i.tution of most females can sustain without permanent injury. A woman who suckles her children has generally an interval of a year and a half or two years between each confinement; but she who without an adequate cause for the omission does not nurse, must expect to bear a child every twelve months, and must reconcile her mind to a shattered const.i.tution and early old age." (Conquest's _Outlines_.)

_Management of the lochia._ The management of the lochia const.i.tutes also an important part of the treatment of a natural labour, for the patient's health will be materially affected by any alteration either in its quant.i.ty or quality. The lochia usually continues to be a sanguineous discharge for about three days, becoming paler, thin, watery, and of a brownish hue, and gradually disappears: a free lochial discharge for the first forty-eight hours, at least, is one of the greatest safeguards against the different forms of puerperal fever and inflammation which are so justly dreaded by the pract.i.tioner, and nothing tends to ensure this desirable object so much as the early application of the child to the breast. It may seem paradoxical to a.s.sert, that what prevents haemorrhage after labour should promote the lochial discharge: we do not attempt to explain why such is the case, but merely mention it as a fact repeatedly observed. As the lochia is secreted from the internal surface of the uterus, it will continue to acc.u.mulate in this cavity and that of the v.a.g.i.n.a so long as the patient remains in the horizontal posture, the direction of the v.a.g.i.n.a preventing its spontaneous escape: it will, therefore, be desirable to favour its discharge by occasionally altering the position of the patient, and thus prevent its becoming offensive, which it would readily do from the temperature at which it is kept by the surrounding parts, from being in contact with the external air, and from its muco-sanguineous character. In the same way it frequently happens that small coagula of blood lodge in the uterus and rapidly grow putrid. In either case much irritation and fever are produced by their presence in the pa.s.sages, and serious symptoms would soon result if they were allowed to continue there. Hence we make it a rule, that whenever the patient requires to evacuate the bladder, she should do it by kneeling: by this means the position of the v.a.g.i.n.a is altered, and the acc.u.mulated discharges and coagula readily drain away and produce the greatest relief.

Wherever the patient complains of abdominal pain, and the lochia has become scanty and somewhat offensive, it will be advisable to wash out the v.a.g.i.n.a with a warm water injection: for the farther treatment of these symptoms, we must refer the reader to the chapter on PUERPERAL FEVER.

_After-pains._ When coagula have remained or formed in the uterus after labour, these irritate it by their presence, and excite it to contract: pains therefore of a crampy spasmodic character are produced, which have received the name of _after-pains_. Women who have already borne children are more liable to them than primiparae. They vary considerably in degree: in some cases they are scarcely sufficient to excite attention; in others they rise to great intensity, and may even be mistaken for inflammation; indeed, they occasionally pa.s.s into this condition. During these pains the uterus is evidently in a state of contraction, for the fundus feels hard, and for the moment it is more or less painful to the touch: the patient has also pain in the back like a labour pain.

After-pains do not only arise from coagula in the cavity of the uterus irritating it to contraction, but also from little plugs of coagulated blood, which fill the sinuses opening upon the internal surface of the uterus. After awhile they excite contractions, by which they are squeezed out and come away in the discharges: this fact was first pointed out by Dr. Burton in 1751. Having to introduce his hand into the uterus for the purpose of removing a portion of the placenta, he felt several of these little oblong fibrinous ma.s.ses exuding from the orifices of the uterine sinuses, whenever he at all stretched the uterus by opening his hand; these proved to be so many fibrinous casts of the above vessels, the blood having been retained and coagulated in them, when the uterus contracted after the birth of the child. When the uterus has been slowly emptied during labour, it contracts gradually and uniformly, and forces the blood from its numerous sinuses into the rest of the circulation; but where its contents have been suddenly removed, the contraction is unequal, and a portion of the blood is retained, which coagulates as described. This fact affords an additional argument in favour of putting the child early to the breast: the active contraction of the uterus, which is thereby induced, effectually expels the coagula from its sinuses: hence we see that where a patient suckles shortly after labour, she seldom (_caeteris paribus_) has severe after-pains; but where this has been delayed until the second or third day, the first application of the child to the breast is sure to induce a sharp attack; the truth of the old adage, that "the child brings after-pains," is thus verified.

After-pains must be looked upon as an important agent in preventing those attacks of inflammation and fever which arise from the retention of putrid coagula and lochia: they ought not therefore to be checked, unless their severity is such as really demands it: hence the custom of giving an opiate after _every_ labour cannot be too strongly reprobated, for by this means those uterine contractions are suspended, by which nature would have rid herself of the offending cause: nor do we consider ourselves justified in giving an opiate where after-pains are severe, until by change of posture, &c. we are satisfied that no acc.u.mulation exists in the pa.s.sages.

"Wherefore," says Burton, "we must not be too forward in giving strong opiates and other internal medicines, which may take them off while this grumous blood is lodged within these sinuses. I doubt not but those patients who die from the eighth to the fourteenth day, whose uterus has been inflamed with the symptoms above-mentioned, have been injured by the too free use of opiates." (_Essay towards a complete new System of Midwifery_, by J. Burton, M. D. p. 342.) We do not deny that a mild sedative is frequently of great benefit after labour: it calms the irritability of the system and procures sleep: these effects will be much better obtained by a little extract of hyoscyamus, lettuce, or hop. Where an opiate is really necessary, twenty minims of Liq. Opii Sed. in any aromatic water will be as good a form as any.[76]