he
infant by allowing it, without control, to imbibe to distension a fluid
sluggishly secreted and deficient in those vital principles which the
want of mental energy, and of the sympathetic appeals of the child on
the mother, so powerfully produce on the secreted nutriment, while the
mother wakes in a state of clammy exhaustion, with giddiness, dimness of
sight, nausea, loss of appetite, and a dull aching pain through the back
and between the shoulders. In fact, she wakes languid and unrefreshed
from her sleep, with febrile symptoms and hectic flushes, caused by her
baby vampire, who, while dragging from her her health and strength, has
excited in itself a set of symptoms directly opposite, but fraught with
the same injurious consequences--"functional derangement."

THE MILK.

2472. As Nature has placed in the bosom of the mother the natural food
of her offspring, it must be self-evident to every reflecting woman,
that it becomes her duty to study, as far as lies in her power, to keep
that reservoir of nourishment in as pure and invigorating a condition as
possible; for she must remember that the _quantity_ is no proof of the
_quality_ of this aliment.

2473. The mother, while suckling, as a general rule, should avoid all
sedentary occupations, take regular exercise, keep her mind as lively
and pleasingly occupied as possible, especially by music and singing.
Her diet should be light and nutritious, with a proper sufficiency of
animal food, and of that kind which yields the largest amount of
nourishment; and, unless the digestion is naturally strong, vegetables
and fruit should form a very small proportion of the general dietary,
and such preparations as broths, gruels, arrowroot, &c., still less.
Tapioca, or ground-rice pudding, made with several eggs, may be taken
freely; but all slops and thin potations, such as that delusion called
chicken-broth, should be avoided, as yielding a very small amount of
nutriment, and a large proportion of flatulence. All purely stimulants
should be avoided as much as possible, especially spirits, unless taken
for some special object, and that medicinally; but as a part of the
dietary they should be carefully shunned. Lactation is always an
exhausting process, and as the child increases in size and strength, the
drain upon the mother becomes great and depressing. Then something more
even than an abundant diet is required to keep the mind and body up to a
standard sufficiently heal