treatment are to be kept in mind in the management of
miscarriage:

The first, to prevent it, if possible, by rest, opiates, etc.

The second, to allay pain, moderate the discharge of blood, and to
save and support the strength of the patient.

The third, when abortion must take place, to expedite the separation
of the ovum and free the contents of the womb. This is generally done
by simply occasionally drinking cold water, and in difficult cases, if
necessary, by the administration of spurred rye. The dose is a strong
infusion or tea given every twenty or thirty minutes until the desired
effect is produced, as long as the stomach will bear it.

The health of pregnant females should at all times be an object of
great care and interest; and they should be impressed with the
conviction that while

BEARING THE FIRST CHILD

they may, by proper care and attention, lay the foundation for their
future health and that of their offspring; while by neglect and
imprudence in this matter, they may not only enfeeble their
constitution, but entail upon their children an inheritance of
infirmity and disease.

Miscarriage, or abortion, which includes all cases in which delivery
takes place before the sixth month, seldom occurs without being
preceded, or accompanied, or followed, by a morbid discharge of blood
from the womb, which is commonly known by the name of _flooding_.
Abortion, or miscarriage, takes place with the first pregnancy, and
during the first two months; therefore, great care should be observed
during this period, as any cause which either destroys the life of the
child in the womb or brings on morbid or premature contractions in
that organ may induce miscarriage. Coughing severely, or vomiting, a
blow or fall, or a misstep leading to an effort to prevent falling,
may, and does frequently, result in miscarriage; and this having once
occurred, it is, without proper care, exceedingly liable to be the
case again at the same period of a subsequent pregnancy. The same
result may follow any vivid moral impression; for fright, or mental
excitement by passion, or witnessing any accident, will be found often
to end in miscarriage. In some healthy females, however, it occurs
without any other cause than mere fullness of blood. A bleeding from
the womb is often in such cases a first symptom of abortion, and
should be attended to as early as possible before it goes to any
considerable extent. The a