The compleat midwifes practice, in the most weighty and high concernments of the birth of man. Containing perfect rules for midwifes and nurses, as also for women in their conception, bearing, and nursing of children: from the experience not onely of our English, but also the most accomplisht and absolute practicers among the French, Spanish, Italian, and other nations. A work so plain, that the weakest capacity may easily attain the knowledge of the whole art. With instructions of the midwife to the Queen of France (given to her daughter a little before her death) touching the practice of the said art. / Published with the approbation and good liking of sundry the most knowing professors of midwifery now living in the city of London, and other places. Illustrated with severall cuts in brass. By T.C. I.D. M.S. T.B. practitioners.

CHAP. XI. What is to be done to a woman, presently after her delivery.

PResently after a woman is delivered if she have had a sore travail, they ought to cast her into the skin of a sheep flead alive, and put about her reins as hot as may be; Upon her belly also lay the skin of a Hare flead alive, ha∣ving cut the throat of it afterwards, and rub∣bed the skin with the bloud, which is to be clapt as warm as may be to her belly.

This closes up the dilatations made by the birth, and chases from those parts the ill and melancholly bloud. These remedies are to be kept on two hours in Winter, and one hour in Summer.

After this swath the woman with a napkin about a quarter of a yard large, having before chafed the belly with oyl of St John's wort. Then raise up the Matrix with a linen cloth many times folded, then with a little pillow about a quarter of a yard long, cover her flanks, then use the swath, beginning a little above the hanches, yet rather higher then lower, wind∣ing it pretty tight. Lay also warm cloaths upon

the nipples, letting alone those remedies which are proper for the driving back of the milk, which are not so soon to be applied, for the bo∣dy is now all in a commotion, and there is nei∣ther vein, nor artery which doth not beat, wher∣fore those remedies that chase away the milk, being all dissolving, therefore it is not proper to put such medicines upon the breast during that commotion, for sear that those medicines, should make a stop of any thing hurtful in those parts, and therefore it is better to give ten, or twelve hours for the bloud to settle in; as also for that which was cast upon the Lungs by the agitation of travail, to distil down again into its place.

You may also make a restrictive of the white and yellow of an egg beaten togeiher, with an ounce of oyl of St John's wort, and an ounce of oyl of roses, an ounce of rose water, and an ounce of plantine water, beat all these together very well; in this you may dip a linen cloath folded double, and apply it without warming of it to the breasts, this comforts and eases the pains of that part.

She must not sleep presently, but a matter of four hours after her delivery, you may give her some nourishing broth or candle, and then if she will she may sleep.