and went into the House and found the Babe with Mary his Mother and fell down and worshipp'd him and presented to him Gifts Gold Frankincense and Myrrh And being warn'd of God in a Dream that they should not return to Herod they returned into their own Country another way After their departure behold the Angel of the Lord appeareth to Ioseph in a Dream saying Arise and take the Babe and his Mother and flee into Egypt and be there till I bring thee word for Herod will seek the Young Child to destroy him So he arose and took the Babe and his Mother by Night and departed into Egypt and was there until the Death of Herod that it might be fulfill'd what was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet saying out of Egypt have I call'd my Son Then Herod seeing that he was mock'd of the Wisemen was exceeding worth and sent forth and slew all the Male Children that were in Bethlehem and all the Coasts thereof from two Years Old and Under according to the time which he had diligently inquir'd of the Wisemen So in Rama was a Voice heard Rachel weeping for her Children and would not be Comforted because they were not c. Were our Midwifes more acquainted with the Scriptures and the Duties enjoyn'd them relating to their Office they would take more care to inform their Judgments and improve their Knowledge and not venture so rashly upon a business of such Consequence without being better provided with Skill and Experience This would teach 'em to wait with Patience for a timely Birth not to anticipate or hasten the labour for their own Ends and to neglect nothing in its season that may contribute to the safety of Mother and Child Therefore I have not only given plain and familiar directions how she is to behave her self in the whole course of her attendance but have endeavour'd to press her to her Duty with such Moral Considerations as no true Christians ought to slight I doubt not but such as are over confident of their scanty Knowledge or Guilty of the Crimes I lay to their charge will frowardly decry my undertaking and endeavour to stifle so plain a discovery of the Crimes they have no mind to part with But I shall gain my design if I can but prove serviceable to those that are desirous to know and propose nothing to themselves but the safety and wellfare of Mother and Child ROBERT BARRET Remov'd from my House in Charterhouse-street London to Greenwich in Kent at the Surgeons Arms over-against the Church Where you may have the Elixir Rha. Indicum or Indian Counter-poyson It is a most admirable Cordial expelling sharp Gripings Clammy and Tartarous humours from the Stomach and Bowels It strengthens the Liver and Cures all sorts of Fluxes Melancholy Green Sickness and Rickets in Children there is not a better specifick given to Women which are apt to miscarry and may be taken all the time she is with Child from one spoonful to three at a time upon any illness Prepared by him from one Shilling to Five each Bottle of a pleasant taste He prepares a Restorative Pill for Consumptions Asthma's it eases all manner of pain 't is an excellent Pectoral he cures most Distempers of the Womb and freely gives advice The Contents Section I. COntaining the Character of a Midwife with Directions how to perform her Office towards Mother and Child as well in the time of Labour as before and after Delivery with a full and brief Description of the various sorts of Unnatural Labours and the more Dangerous Symptoms of Women in Child bed with the most approved Methods of Relief Chap. I. Containing the Character of a Midwife with some short Remarks on her Humor manners and conduct in performing her duty Chap. II What preparatory Offices are incumbent on a Midwife when the Woman is near the time of her Delivery Chap. III. Explaining a Midwife's Duty in time of Travel Chap. IV. Containing directions to a Midwife what to do when the Child is just come into the World Chap. V. How to Manage the Woman when delivered Chap. VI. How to know whether the Child in the Womb be dead or alive if dead how to perform her Office with directions in case of a Mola or false Conception Chap. VII Of the different sorts of Vnatural Labours with the best Methods of assistance on such extraordinary occasions Chap. VIII Of the Cesarean Section or cutting the Child out of the Mothers Womb. Chap. IX Of the various Symptoms happening to Women in Child bed and the most successfull Methods of cure Section II. OF the Instruments of Generation in Women the Membranes that enfold the Child in the Womb The manner of its Generation Encrease and Nourishment in the Womb The Causes of Barrenness and the means to prevent it The Conduct of a Woman going with Child the signs of Conception and the Prevention of Miscarriage Chap. I. Of the Parts serving for Generation in Women Chap. II. Of the Membranes enfolding the Child in the Womb. Chap. III. Of the manner of generating the Infant in the Womb and its gradual Nourishment and Encrease from the first Minute of Conception to the hour of Birth Chap. IIII. Of the Causes of Barrenness and Means to prevent it Chap. V. Directions how a Woman shall know when she has conceiv'd and what Conduct she ought to observe during the time of her being with Child so as to prevent Miscarriage Sect. III. EXplaining the Duty of a Nurse with reference to the Child from the â—ime of its Birth to its removal â—rom heâ— conduct Together with an Essay endeavouring to shew what Influence Moral abuses may have upon its health SECTION I. Containing the Character of a Midwife with Directions how to perform her Office towards Mother and Child as well in the time of Labour as before and after Delivery with a full and brief description of the various sorts of unnatural Labours and the more dangerous Symptoms of Women in Childbed with the most approv'd methods of Relief CHAP. I. Containing the Character of a Midwife with some short Remarks on her Humour Manners and Conduct in performing her Duty IN these Days there are many Women that take upon 'em the knowledge and practice of Midwifry barely upon the priviledge of their Age. As if a Woman were more expert in that Art for her Dottage or Old-Age or as if the mystery of it were obvious to any that has but liv'd some scores of Years But by their favour I must be allow'd to acquaint 'em that the knowledge and dexterity of a good Midwife is not to be come at so cheap and easily as they imagine the sacred Shrines of Knowledge are not so accessible as to be Patent to every lazy Adventurer no the Understanding must be peculiarly instructed in that Affair and then succeeding Experience and Practice must qualifie the Hand for performing its Office I 've endeavour'd in this small Treatise to assist 'em in
humours that undigested Milk must needs produce They 'll take occasion when the child is disorder'd to squeeze a drop or two out of their Breasts and cry Look ye the Child cares not for sucking A careful and observing Mother ought to pry into these Abuses which are by so much of the deeper dye as they are committed against an innocent Babe It looks so brutish and unchristian like to be slack in a duty of this Nature that 't is highly unsufferable if not unpardonable 'T is the Duty of Nurses to read the Holy Scriptures for their instruction in what they ought to do either in reference to God or their Neighbour the Family they live in or the Child they have in charge They ought to keep good hours and be of an even unmuddied temper otherwise they corrupt and pervert their Milk by the boyling and ferment of any passion they 're liable to A froward Woman is the worst qualified Woman in the World for a Nurse she is generally ill inclin'd never easy but after mischief like the foaming of the Sea in a storm never at rest till a wrack appear Such as can govern and bridle their own passions and move with an equal steddy temper are justly entitled to a preference upon this score and seem to be much allied to Heaven it self whilst Pride Envy Malice and Vexation of Spirit are natural and fit Guests for Hell The Apostle observes that such as will not be govern'd nor controul their undutiful envious and spiteful humours the Spirit of the Air watches for their Souls and then what revenge have they when humbled into the Pit of Sorrow or what satisfaction for their Lustful raving desires Whereas the Complaisant easy temper entails Joy and Satisfaction to its owner both in the Conversation of this World and in the well grounded hopes of a future Felicity May we never be at rest till we conquer and overcome all our confus'd and impious passions that murder the Education of Children both in the Persons of Parents and Nurses The Savagest of Beasts are never hurried with such Passion as to relent in their care and tenderness towards their young which may serve to reproach and condemn all Parents or Nurses that are at any time liable to such unnatural excesses as to forget their Infants And while I am speaking of the Duty of Nurses I may be allow'd to include Parents since they are the Nurses nature at first design'd before our hireling Hackney method obtain'd Nor do I think my self much mistaken when I affirm that no Passion Desire nor any other irregular humour ought to Anticipate the Duty of Parents to their Children How far short many Women come of this Rule in denying to nourish and suckle their own Children I leave ' emselves to Judge Indeed the case is alter'd when Sickness Weakness or any natural Impediment lies in the way for nature ought to be obey'd and follow'd not forc'd But if her Health abundance of Milk and other favourable Circumstances do all Counsel her to suckle her own Child Methinks she neither weighs the Dictates of her own Conscience nor the infinite advantages would redound to her poor child that would be guilty of such an omission 'T is both unjustifiable and horrid that Christians should make the good and benefit of their children truckle to their own sloth and niceness Doubtless if Nature had not oblig'd 'em with stronger Tyes such Women would have declin'd carrying and nourishing their Children in their Wombs I think I do not stretch the Parallel a bit when I account it as unnatural for a woman fit for suckling to deny her Milk for nourishment to her child till it be able to digest other Food as it would be to decline nourishing it in the Womb supposing Nature had left a Possibility of avoiding it The child is by Nature equally entitled to both Solomon when speaking of his brother he does not say He that lay in the same Womb with me but he that suck'd the Breasts of my Mother Had he liv'd in this Age he had been oblig'd to forge another Character for a Brother Besides this early care of nourishing their bodies in a discreet cleanly regular manner there is yet another Duty incumbent upon Nurses or rather Parents if ye will which requires almost as early a Commencement as t'other viz. The care of their Souls The first step of it is to initiate them in the Religion of their Fathers by the Sacrament of Baptism a Duty now a days too much neglected and slighted The Life of so tender a Creature is but a blast and in danger of being gone every moment by reason of the infinite dangers it is obnoxious to which adult People are not troubled with Doubtless therefore 't is a superlative Crime either in Minister or Parent to be backward in so necessary a thing not that I think we are to despair of Gods Mercy to poor Children that dye without Baptism but that I esteem it a considerable advantage which Parents unjustly deny them Baptism is the Lavre of Regeneration which contributes to the washing away and cleansing us from the innate Affections and Propensions to do Evil that have stuck to our Race ever since our Common Mother's Converse with the Serpent and 't were well for us all that we were more sensible of the use and obligation of our Baptismal Vows The just sense of that would make us more active in reforming our own Lives and in forming those of our children They ought to be early acquainted with the Principles of our Religion and while they are not capable to understand they come under obligations by their Baptism tho they are not sensible of it And 't is the Parents Duty to see them put their Baptismal Vows in Practice As soon as they are capable to know they ought to be well and carefully instructed in their Religion A child ought to be train'd up when young in the way he should go according to the Wise Mans advice that he may not be carried away with every pretended new Religion which is like a gay Ribbon fine in its Colours till the Air have made it fade The Propagaters of new Doctrines use all possible Intrigues to duckoy a child into their Communion they have Publick Shops of Envy and Interest where they decry all the World but themselves and rail against Monarchy and Magistracy which is a very agreeable sound to unruly Tempers that hate to be Curb'd They are like a Jaded Horse that shews his Teeth and kicks and spurns and frets at the spurs of his Rider They 're daily firing Granado's against the Catholick Church of England under the pretence of greater Purity of Doctrine and Sanctity of Life They gnaw at her Pillars till their Teeth look black bursting with Envy and Malice that sully's and imbitters their very Countenances just like a Confectioners Boy not half out of his time that by idly devouring his Masters Sugar comes to have
that wants all the Advantages he enjoy'd and is obnoxious to all the Inconveniences that his State could not admit of must needs think that the necessity and fitness of having a Helpmeet for him is greater on his side than on Adam â—s To return to the Education of Children when very young they ought to be fed I say with simple and easie Fare such as wou'd not burthen their Stomachs Varieties hurt 'em and do but cloy 'T would not be amiss if they were brought up a little hardily An over delicate Nurse makes a tender puny Child and froward and disorderly to boot He who of all Men living was the most wisely brought up was inur'd from his very Birth to Cold and all the occasional Variations of the Air His first Bed was cold Earth his Apparel Coarse and Scanty and a few days after he was carried to Egypt a place very hot His Meat was very offensive as the Prophet Isaiah saith He shall eat Butter and Honey that he may know to eschew Evil and choose the Good Though he was very God yet being also Man he omitted not such natural Remedies as are and ought to be used by the rest of the Sons of Men. Where he left the ordinary course of Nature and made use of a supernatural Power the Scripture is particular in distinguishing that from his natural Actions As in the Case of his miraculous Conception Isaiah 7.14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give a sign behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his Name Emmanuel And Moses acquainted the World with the same under the Notion of a Miracle And Luke 5. All things are possible to God as the Angel told the Virgin For lo as soon as the Voice of thy Salutation sounded in my Ears the Babe leap'd in my Womb for joy And Mary said My Soul doth magnifie the Lord. Now his supernatural Conception did not exempt him from such natural Infirmities as we are liable to which were wisely provided against in such a manner as ought to serve us for an Example Rom. 1. v. 3. Equal with God made of the Seed of David according to the Flesh Phil 2. He was found in fashion as a Man Heb. 2.16 For verily he took not on him the Nature of Angels but he took on him the Seed of Abraham And his Birth it self was in every thing Parallel to that of an ordinary Mans. His Mother was not exempted from the general Punishment Gen 3.16 I will greatly multiply thy Sorrow in Sorrow thou shalt bring forth Children And David his Type and Personater says Psal. 139. For thou hast possess'd my Veins thou hast covered me in my Mothers Womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made Marvellous are thy Works and that my Soul knoweth right well My Substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the Earth All these Expressions are equally applicable to David that personates our Saviour or to Christ himself the Antitype I should not have mention'd the Birth of our Saviour but that I lately met with a lewd Man that kept Libertin and Atheistical Company he was a Nurses Husband who would needs deny that our Saviour's Education and manner of Living was any convenient Subject of Imitation for us in regulating the Diet and Nourishment of our Children 'T is incredible what Wickedness Nurses are guilty of in pampering and stuffing Children to make 'em look full and bloated which not only fills and loads the Child with noxious Humours the natural Source of Chronical Distempers but overwhelms the Spirits keeps the more active Principle at under fixes such heavy Loads and Weights upon the Wheels of Understanding that they move but slowly and are unfit for any thing that is subtle or fine or requires poring and penetration they are fit for nothing but what 's as gross and material as their own tough Humours Nor does their Understanding only suffer but the Will also the Affections Passions and Humours of the Mind They become as stiff and obstinate in their Wills as the thick slimy Humours within 'em are unpliable They are not capable of any Inclinations but what are Sensual and Gross 't is as impossible for them to soar after a lofty and Noble Object as for a stone to move upwards yet put them out of their Element when ye lay before them any thing spiritual and abstracted that they cannot away with it grates disagreeably upon their lazy senses They only Love and Covet what is low mean and Earthy and all of a peice with their own coarse constitution 'T were better for our Nurses therefore to imitate the Education of our Blessed Saviour to inure their Children to endure Cold Wet or other inconveniences that they may damage 'em less when they grow older How many Men and Women dye by having been exposd to Cold or Wet which could not have been of any great consequence had they been acquainted with the like in their Younger Years Or by the sudden changes of Cold and Heat which we see was Wisely prevented in the Conduct of our Saviour's Infancy In like manner their Fare ought to be simple easy and moderate both to prevent the inconveniencies already mentioned and to secure 'em from danger of Death if ever they should happen to be stinted to short Commons or be oblig'd to eat sorry Food Who accustom not their Children to this manner of Restraint in their natural Demands will never be able to confine 'em to Vertue and Goodness in other things Their Minds that are accustom'd to have all their Natural sway in Eating and Drinking will be expecting the same in every thing else and so will not be easily controul'd by Parents or perswaded to curb their Natural Vicious Inclinations Nurses do not think that they are the Causes of all the Curses entail'd upon disobedient stubborn Children Prov. 24. Hearken to thy Father that begat thee and despise not thy Mother when she is old This was the Exhortation of the same Wise Man as threatens Prov. 3.17 The Eye that mocketh his Father and despiseth to obey his Mother the Ravens of the Valley shall pick it out and the Young Eagles shall eat it Exod. 21.17 He that curses Father or Mother let him die the Death Numb 30 5. The Maid that had made a Vow was not suffered to perform it without the consent of her Parents If our Nurses were more careful in feeding the Children then we should have 'em more obedient pliable and sweet temper'd than now they are more inclinable to Love their Neighbours which is one half of all their duty more easy and manageable in their Moral and Religious concerns But while they continue in their heavy dull phlegmatick course we are to expect nothing but sowr unactive ill temper'd Children I shall only recommend to them the saying of a Wise Man Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go to fear the Lord and keep his Commandments FINIS
her Pains come quick and strong beginning at the Reins and sliding down forwards to the Navel and then to the Groins and also inwardly at the bottom of the Belly down to the Neck of the Womb 't is a certain Sign that the Woman is in Labour or will miscarry But for more Satisfaction the midwife may put up her Hand after having annointed it with fine Oil Lard ot Butter and if she perceive the Inner Neck of the Womb to dilate it self she ought to look for the Delivery for that puts it beyond all doubt that Nature is pushing the Child forwards Therefore if she see the Birth come naturally and the Pains grow thicker and faster and feel the Womb opening its Orifice to make way for the Child endeavouring its Exit she ought to assist Nature and withal encourage the Mother to strain and press with her Lower Parts but with all possible Caution so as not to over-act her part or anticipate Nature for if she be so hasty as to widen the Passage with her Fingers or to break the Membranes before the Birth be advanced she creates a great deal of Mischief in making the Waters to break and spend themselves before the Child be come up to be benefited by it The just consideration of such a Consequence ought to oblige all Midwives to wait till the Membranes burst of their own accord Some I warrant you are in haste and want to be gone to another Womans Labour and if the Membranes linger in bursting of their own accord they 'll tear 'em with their Nails rather than dance Attendance upon one Woman Thus these unchristian Women endanger both the Life of Mother and Child which is not half so much in their View as the Money The preserving the Passages slippery and moist facilitates the Birth and lessens the poor Womans Pain which cannot but receive Encrease when the Waters design'd for moistning the passage are unseasonably let out If the Child present naturally the Head comes first then the Midwife must take it gently between her two Hands and when the Pains return slip down her Hands under the Arm-holes and gently draw the Infant forth by degrees but she must observe always to stay her Hand when the Pains begin to relent This must be perform'd by a delicate tender Hand lest the Child by any rough or harsh handling should receive a deform'd shape of Body CHAP. IV Containing Directions to a midwife what to do when the Child is just come into the World WHen the Child is come into the World which is commonly with his Face downward it must be suddenly turned upon its back to prevent its being stifled for want of Air. Then let the Midwife pull out the Navel-string leaving the length of Four Fingers and tye it with a silk Thread as near the Belly as may be laid aside while this is a doing all Care must be had that the Head and Stomach be well cover'd and that nothing come upon the Face The Midwife's next task is gently to draw forth the After-birth If the Navel-string be not broken it will easily conduct the Hand by following it to the place where the After-birth lies which is generally between the Navel and Small of the Woman's Belly And indeed 't is a great Conveniency to have this guide upon which account I would advise all Midwives to be very cautious in handling the Navel-string for fear they break it As soon then as you have introduc'd your Hand into the Womb towards its Fund or Bottom you will find the Burthen which you may know by a great number of little unequal Risings which are always made there by the Roots of the Umbilical Vessels on the one side where they terminate which makes it to be easily distinguishable from the Womb. If it still adhere to the Womb you must put some of your Fingers between it and the Womb endeavouring by little and little to squeeze 'em in till ye find it quite loose and then draw it forth very carefully But in all this Operation you must carefully take notice not to scratch or scrape the least part of the Womb for fear of creating a Flooding Inflammation Gangrene or Ulcers which generally prove very fatal As likewise not to draw it out till it be wholly or most part of it separated for fear of drawing forth the Womb along with it Besides the Company is generally curious to see it and if it be whole not torn or rent it redounds to the credit and reputation of the Midwife Therefore I would advise all Midwives never to extract the Burthen without putting up their Hand to separate it cleanly from the Womb. This done the Child may be held in a good Mothers Lap and kept warm whilst the Midwife is busied in taking Care of the Woman to get her into Bed and her Skirt ready and her Closures putting five double up to the Womb to prevent the cold Air 's entring in Then she must lay her Legs a-cross and so be left to fall asleep by degrees If she be very Faintish she may take a Dram of Confection Alkermes in Cinnamon-water or Wine or fine Oyl and Sugar-Candy or Nutmeg and Sugar or Oyl of Sweet Almonds and Syrup of Maidenhair or a little Gruel or Cawdel The Woman being thus taken Care of she must turn next to the Child and having tyed up the Navel-string she ought in the next place to cleanse the Infant not only in the Face but over the whole Body then anoint the Groins Hips Buttocks Thighs and Joints with Oyl of sweet Almonds or fresh Butter and Beer or Water and Lard warm'd This makes the Skin more firm shuts up its Pores securing 'em from the offence of the Circumambient Air. After the Child is thus well anointed dried and wrapt up she may give it in a Spoon a little fine Oyl and Sugar with a little Cinnamon-water or Sack and Sugar and Oyl or Mithridate taking the quantity of a Pease in Wine with a little Spirit of Lavender After that let it rest half an hour then let it go to the Breast or if you please you may first give a Pap Spoonful of Gruel or Cawdel to make the Mouth slippery It many times happens that the Mother having two Children in her Belly the one comes forth very well and the other with a great deal of Difficulty in which case that which comes first is the strongest The Midwife's Duty upon such Occasions is when the first is brought forth to Cut the Navel-String as was above directed and tye it fast to the Womans Thigh with Tape or Filleting and then set about drawing forth the other Infant which must be gone about very Cautiously observing all the Rules already mentioned CHAP. V. How to manage the Woman when Delivered Having now conducted you through the different Circumstances of Labour and Delivery my next Business is to shew how you are to treat the Woman when laid in the Straw You must apply a