that of her child, and what does not, and when
an aperient becomes necessary for herself, unless she desire that the
infant's bowels be moved, to avoid the latter; if otherwise, she may
take the former with good effect.
Again; the return of the monthly periods whilst the mother is a nurse
always affects the properties of the milk, more or less, deranging the
stomach and bowels of the infant. It will thus frequently happen, that
a few days before the mother is going to be unwell, the infant will
become fretful and uneasy; its stomach will throw up the milk, and its
motions will be frequent, watery, and greenish. And then, when the
period is fully over, the milk will cease to purge. It is principally
in the early months, however, that the infant seems to be affected by
this circumstance; for it will be generally found that although the
milk is certainly impaired by it, being less abundant and nutritious,
still, after the third or fourth month it ceases to affect the infant.
Is then a mother, because her monthly periods return after her
delivery, to give up nursing? Certainly not, unless the infant's health
is seriously affected by it; for she will generally find that, as the
periods come round, by keeping the infant pretty much from the breast,
during its continuance, and feeding him upon artificial food, she will
prevent disorder of the child's health, and be able in the intervals to
nurse her infant with advantage. It must be added, however, that a wet-
nurse is to be resorted to rather than any risk incurred of injuring
the child's health; and that, in every case, partial feeding will be
necessary at a much earlier period than when a mother is not thus
affected.
The milk may also be rendered less nutritive, and diminished in
quantity, by the mother again becoming pregnant. In this case,
however, the parent's health will chiefly suffer, if she persevere in
nursing; this, however, will again act prejudicially to the child. It
will be wise, therefore, if pregnancy should occur, and the milk
disagree with the infant, to resign the duties of a nurse, and to put
the child upon a suitable artificial diet;--if, however, pregnancy
should take place before the infant is six month's old, a wet-nurse
ought to be procured.
FROM IRREGULAR NURSING.--This is one of the most frequent sources of
derangement of the stomach and bowels of the child. The infant that is
constantly at the breast will always be suffering, more or less,
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