two most important points demanding attention.
The key to both the mother will find in her own heart, and the knowledge
of her success in the comfort and smile of her infant. We have two
reasons--both strong ones--for urging on mothers the imperative
necessity of early making themselves acquainted with the nature and
wants of their child: the first, that when left to the entire,
responsibility of the baby, after the departure of the nurse, she may be
able to undertake her new duties with more confidence than if left to
her own resources and mother's instinct, without a clue to guide her
through the mysteries of those calls that vibrate through every nerve of
her nature; and, secondly, that she may be able to guard her child from
the nefarious practices of unprincipled nurses, who, while calming the
mother's mind with false statements as to the character of the baby's
cries, rather than lose their rest, or devote that time which would
remove the cause of suffering, administer, behind the curtains, those
deadly narcotics which, while stupefying Nature into sleep, insure for
herself a night of many unbroken hours. Such nurses as have not the
hardihood to dose their infant charges, are often full of other schemes
to still that constant and reproachful cry. The most frequent means
employed for this purpose is giving it something to suck,--something
easily hid from the mother,--or, when that is impossible, under the plea
of keeping it warm, the nurse covers it in her lap with a shawl, and,
under this blind, surreptitiously inserts a finger between the parched
lips, which possibly moan for drink; and, under this inhuman cheat and
delusion, the infant is pacified, till Nature, balked of its desires,
drops into a troubled sleep. These are two of our reasons for impressing
upon mothers the early, the immediate necessity of putting themselves
sympathetically in communication with their child, by at once learning
its hidden language as a delightful task.

2469. We must strenuously warn all mothers on no account to allow the
nurse to sleep with the baby, never herself to lay down with it by her
side for a night's rest, never to let it sleep in the parents' bed, and
on no account keep it, longer than absolutely necessary, confined in on
atmosphere loaded with the breath of many adults.

2470. The amount of _oxygen_ required by an infant is so large, and the
quantity consumed by mid-life and age, and the proportion of carbonic
acid t