Duration of the Lying-in.—­ This lasts for six weeks.  During this time the organs of generation are returning to their normal size and condition.  In order that the woman may be in the best condition possible at the end of this time, it is essential that for the first two weeks she should remain in bed; and so long as there is any blood in the discharge the woman should not be allowed to sit up.  The first sitting up should be in bed, the patient being supported by a bed-rest.  During the second two weeks the patient may be allowed to divide her time between the bed and the couch; in the latter part of this time she may be allowed to go around her room a very little; and for two weeks more she should remain on the same floor.  The first sitting up should not last more than half an hour.  Getting up and going around too soon after the confinement, “being too smart,” is one of the most prolific sources of falling of the womb, and all manner of uterine trouble, by which the general health of the woman is greatly impaired.

Lactation.—­ If it is at all possible, every mother should nurse her own child; in the interests of both the mother and the child.  So far as the mother is concerned, the process of lactation is beneficial because it hastens the return of the uterus to its normal size.  Wet-nurses are known tyrants, and if the quality of the milk has anything to do with the disposition of the child, as is believed to be the case, the idea is distasteful of having a woman who belongs to the lower classes provide nourishment for your child; and artificial feeding is one unmitigated trouble.

A deficiency of the quantity or the quality of the mother’s milk can generally be remedied by the diet and attention to the health of the mother; if the deficiency in quantity persists, the mother’s milk can be supplemented by artificial feeding.

There may exist certain conditions of the mother in which nursing her own infant would be inadvisable or even impossible.  Syphilis contracted late in the pregnancy, and tuberculosis, are contraindications, owing to the danger of the mother infecting the child.  Inversion of the nipples, their excoriation, or persistent sensitiveness may make it impossible.  In marked general debility of the mother from any cause whatever, it would be injurious to the mother and the child.

After the mother and the new-born infant have had some hours of rest and sleep, it is advisable to apply the child to the breast, to receive by this first effort the small quantity of milk which is an especial provision to act as a natural purge and to start the bowels of the child into a healthy activity; this also excites the milk glands to secretion.  The mother’s milk in full supply may be expected in from forty to sixty hours after delivery.

Nursing.—­ When the mother’s nipples are of the normal size and well formed, the healthy infant instinctively suckles at once when placed at the breast, but sometimes it has to be taught; by squeezing out a few drops of milk to wet the nipple, the child will usually take hold, or a little sugar and water may be put on the nipple; a little patience and tact are all that is necessary to insure success.  But the infant must be taught to nurse at once before the breasts become engorged with milk.