world with safety both to the mother and the infant, as
the whole time of a woman's pregnancy may be termed a kind of labour;
for, from the time of the conception to the time of her delivery, she
labours under many difficulties, is subject to many distempers, and in
continual danger, from one affection or other, till the time of birth
comes; and when that comes, the greatest labour and travail come along
with it, insomuch that then all the other labours are forgotten, and
that only is called the time of her labours, and to deliver her safely
is the principal business of the midwife; and to assist therein, shall
be the chief design of this chapter. The time of the child's being ready
for its birth, when nature endeavours to cast it forth, is that which is
properly the time of a woman's labour; nature then labouring to be eased
of its burden. And since many child-bearing women, (especially the first
child) are often mistaken in their reckoning and so, when they draw near
their time take every pain they meet with for their labour, which often
proves prejudicial and troublesome to them, when it is not so, I will in
the first section of this chapter, set down some signs, by which a woman
may know when the true time of her labour is come.

SECTION I.--_The Signs of the true Time of a Woman's Labour._

When women with child, especially of their first, perceive any
extraordinary pains in the belly, they immediately send for their
midwife, as taking it for their labour; and then if the midwife be not a
skilful and experienced woman, to know the time of labour, but takes it
for granted without further inquiry (for some such there are), and so
goes about to put her into labour before nature is prepared for it, she
may endanger the life of both mother and child, by breaking the amnios
and chorion. These pains, which are often mistaken for labour, are
removed by warm clothes laid to the belly, and the application of a
clyster or two, by which those pains which precede a true labour, are
rather furthered than hindered. There are also other pains incident to a
woman in that condition from the flux of the belly, which are easily
known by the frequent stools that follow them.

The signs, therefore, of labour, some few days before, are that the
woman's belly, which before lay high, sinks down, and hinders her from
walking so easily as she used to do; also there flow from the womb slimy
humours, which nature has appointed to moisten