ertain time, during the
second stage of labor, a willful, unreasonable woman, can work against
nature and save herself a little pain by prolonging the issue; but there
will come a time when, the head having reached a certain position, the
expulsive pains will be so great that she won't be able to control them and
nature then seems to take her revenge. So if a woman holds back, and begins
to cry, and scream, when she feels a pain coming, she renders the pain to a
large degree negative, she prolongs her labor, adds to the total number of
pains, exhausts herself, and endangers the life of her child. It must,
however, be remembered in all justice that this is a time when it is much
easier to preach than to practice.

Every confinement is a new experience; no matter how many a physician may
have seen, there are no two alike. It is one of the interesting [98]
psychological problems in medicine to observe the conduct of women during
their first confinement.

Some are calm, exhibiting a degree of self-control that is admirable. They
are willing to be instructed, and they recognize that the advice is given
for their benefit. They conscientiously try to obey suggestions, and they
make praiseworthy efforts to keep themselves under control. They are
stoics.

Others collapse at once; they go to pieces under the slightest excuse, and
frequently without as much as an excuse. As soon as the pain begins, they
willfully ignore all the instructions given and desperately and foolishly
try to escape what they cannot escape. In this unreasonable selfishness
they resent advice, and at the same time they implore you to "do something"
for them. There is absolutely no excuse for this kind of conduct; and any
prospective mother who, because of a willful trait in her disposition,
refuses to profit by the kindly professional advice of her physician or
nurse, should at least have some consideration for her unborn babe. It may
seem unkind to criticise the conduct of any woman at such a time. It is not
prompted by a lack of patience or justice however. These women permit, in
spite of every assurance to the contrary, an unreasonable fear to overwhelm
them; and because of this fear they refuse to be guided into a path of
conduct that will save them suffering and shorten the pains which they
complain of. It is our conviction that if a woman would try to follow the
advice of the physician at this time, at least half of all the seeming
suffering w