hysician is satisfied
that the patient is well enough to be left in care of the nurse or
attendant, every effort should be made to favor a long, refreshing sleep.
Nothing will contribute to the patient's well-being so much as a quiet,
restful sleep after labor. The nurse will therefore take the baby into
another room, fix the mother comfortably, and give her a glass of warm
milk,--draw the shades or lower the light and tell the tired-out mother to
go to sleep. As a rule she will sleep easily, as she is sore and exhausted.

AFTER-PAINS.--In women who have had children the womb does not as a rule
contract down as firmly as after the first confinement. This condition
permits of slight relaxation of the muscular wall, at which times there is
a slight oozing of blood. This blood collects and forms clots in the
uterine cavity which acts as irritants, exciting contractions in the effort
to expel them. These contractions cause what are commonly known as
"after-pains." These pains last until the womb is free from blood-clots.
They may be severe the first twenty-four hours and then gradually die out
during the following two or three days. Ordinarily in uncomplicated
confinements they rarely annoy the patient longer than a few hours. It is a
rare exception to observe them after the first confinement.

REST AND QUIET AFTER LABOR.--Sometimes the birth chamber is the rendezvous
for all the inquisitive ladies in the neighborhood. No one should be
permitted in the lying-in chamber until the patient is sitting up, except
the husband and the mother. This should be made an absolute rule in every
confinement. This is a period that demands the maximum of uninterrupted
rest and repose. The world and all its concerns should remain a blank to a
woman during the whole period of her confinement. This is the only
successful means of obtaining mental rest. The husband and mother [104]
should be instructed to present themselves just often enough to demonstrate
their interest in the welfare of the patient and the baby.

POSITION OF THE PATIENT AFTER LABOR.--After delivery a woman should be
instructed to lie on her back, without a pillow, for the first night. On
the following morning she may have a pillow, but she must remain on her
back for the first week. Sometimes an exception may be made to this rule by
letting the patient move around on the side, with a pillow supporting the
back, on the fourth day. These exceptional cases are those whose wo