My friend Mary loaned me her mother's nursing school text books. She graduated in the last class from Lakeview Memorial Hospital, Stillwater, MN in 1930. I just parused a text on Obstetric Nursing printed in 1914, revised 1930. While giving birth has not changed through the ages, medical care has. In 1930 Morphine was injected to control pain. Horror. Morphine depresses the respirator rate of the fetus or newborn, not a good thing. Mom were kept on bedrest ten days after delivering. They probably fainted when they got up the first time after that interval. My favorite section of the book is on assisting nursing moms. Put the babe to breast every four hours between 6:00 am and 10:30 pm. No night feeding. Interesting. This is a hungry newborn. I don't think I will pass along this advice to my daughter who is especting. With twins, I don't think she will be sleeping through the night for a few days.
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