7.  ANOTHER CAUSE.—­Another cause of gathered breasts arises from a mother sitting up in bed to suckle her babe.  He ought to be accustomed to take the bosom while she is lying down; if this habit is not at first instituted, it will be difficult to adopt it afterwards.  Good habits may be taught a child from earliest babyhood.

8.  FAINTNESS.—­When a nursing mother feels faint, she ought immediately to lie down and take a little nourishment; a cup of tea with the yolk of an egg beaten up in it, or a cup of warm milk, or some beef-tea, any of which will answer the purpose extremely well.  Brandy, or any other spirit we would not recommend, as it would only cause, as soon as the immediate effects of the stimulant had gone off, a greater depression to ensue; not only so, but the frequent taking of brandy might become a habit a necessity which would be a calamity deeply to be deplored!

9.  STRONG PURGATIVES.—­Strong purgatives during this period are highly improper, as they are apt to give pain to the infant, as well as to injure the mother.  If it be absolutely necessary to give physic, the mildest, such as a dose of castor oil, should be chosen.

10.  HABITUALLY COSTIVE.—­When a lady who is nursing is habitually costive, she ought to eat brown instead of white bread.  This will, in the majority of cases, enable her to do without an aperient.  The brown bread may be made with flour finely ground all one way; or by mixing one part of bran and three parts of fine wheaten flour together, and then making it in the usual way into bread.  Treacle instead of butter, on the brown bread increases its efficacy as an aperient; and raw should be substituted for lump sugar in her tea.

11.  TO PREVENT CONSTIPATION.—­Stewed prunes, or stewed French plums, or stewed Normandy pippins, are excellent remedies to prevent constipation.  The patient ought to eat, every morning, a dozen or fifteen of them.  The best way to stew either prunes or French plums, is the following:  Put a pound of either prunes or French plums, and two tablespoonfuls of raw sugar, into a brown jar; cover them with water; put them into a slow oven, and stew them for three or four hours.  Both stewed rhubarb and stewed pears often act as mild and gentle aperients.  Muscatel raisins, eaten at dessert, will oftentimes without medicine relieve the bowels.

12.  COLD WATER—­A tumblerful of cold water, taken early every morning, sometimes effectually relieves the bowels; indeed, few people know the value of cold water as an aperient it is one of the best we possess, and, unlike drug aperients, can never by any possibility do any harm.  An injection of warm water is one of the best ways to relieve the bowels.

13.  WELL-COOKED VEGETABLES.—­Although a nursing mother ought, more especially if she be costive, to take a variety of well-cooked vegetables, such as potatoes, asparagus, cauliflower, French beans, spinach, stewed celery and turnips; she should avoid eating greens, cabbages, and pickles, as they would be likely to affect the babe, and might cause him to suffer from gripings, from pain, and “looseness” of the bowels.