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.

Of the common opinion, that a Woman seven moneths gone ought to walk very much; and of the accidents that happen thereby.

IT is a common error among Midwives vvhich is not to be passed by, that a Woman vvith child vvhen she hath gone seven months of her time, is to vvalk much; upon a conceit that exercise is very proper for her; for that they say doth loosen the child from the reins, and facilitates the birth; I confess as to facili∣tating of the birth it may something avail; on∣ly I must add this also, that it is better to dravv avvay the child then to break it; and moreover it is better to be something longer in Travail then to incur 2. or 3. evils vvhich ordinarily happen; the first is, that the Child in the end of the eleventh moneth doth make certain in∣deavours to free it self from the belly of the Mother; and vvithout doubt his first indeavour is to turn himself in the belly of the Mother; for the Infant turns himself a good vvhile be∣fore the time of Labour; and therefore I say exercise is very dangerous: the first reason is, because by pushing dovvnvvard the belly is di∣lated, and especially in such as carry their chil∣dren lovv; and besides, oft-times the head drags dovvn all the body of the Womb, and loosens the ligaments in such a sort, that after Delivery it can hardly be put into its place again. Besides

the children having their heads between the bones of the Mother, by much walking of the Mother they come to be bruised, so that the In∣fants do many times dye, and no man is able to give a cause why; for the branches of veins which are for the nourishment of the brain open in an instant, letting out the blood which is contained in them; and when the cor∣ruption is ingendred, there follows immediat∣ly Fevers, and corruption of the Infant: At other times Women coming to sit upon a hard seat do bruise the head of the Infant, which causes like accidents; and in all these acci∣dents none but the Midwife is to blame, unless the belly it self be spoiled. This they say is the fault of the Nurse who did not apply Reme∣dies fit to restore the fault. I must confess that Remedies do much avail to the recovery of the fore-said malady, and do much avail to the healing of that disease, & marring of the belly; but to restore it to such an estate as it was in before, I say it is a thing impossible for Mede∣cines to perform; for the skin which is once se∣parated cannot be closed again without a scar; I would now not only blame those that assist them, but by putting the actions of people be∣fore them, shew them where lies the fault, and what reason I have so to do: I must confesse that false accusations have made the most able Midwives timorous, for they lye liable to so many causes of detraction, that all that are ei∣ther but indifferent good, or else not good, are

all accused alike, if any thing fall out amiss with the Patient, as if they were the absolute causes of the evil, or that it lay absolutely in their power to hinder it: it happens also many times that a Midwife worthy of that name doth deliver a Woman from death, and yet in the place of much praise she incurs many times much blame; so that they are oftentimes con∣strained (to avoid the scandal) to advertise the of their ill procedures, and to give place to those that know not how to do things with that sweetness and judgement. The fault is no where but in the ignorance, scandal, and in∣gratitude of Women toward those of this Cal∣ling. Besides, there are a company of young Women that because they have had one child, do give themselves a great deal of liberty to talk of these things. Cries one, I like not these Midwives that handle me; I wil change mine cries another for that trick also; so that many out of a kind of fear have a greater desire and wil to be complacent then to do wel; and so ••it∣ting with their hands before them entertaine their Patients with discourse, who for all that feeling their paines, are constrained to thrust forward, upon which the head of the Infant coming first, for the most part the womb serves for a Head-band, which comes forth before it: whereas might the Midwife be permitted to touch the Patient, they might put back the womb, and prevent many accidents that hap∣pen in lyings in, which happens sometimes to

be a total relaxation of the Matrix; of which when the Women complain to their complacent and flattering Midwives, They reply, why Mistress you know I did not touch; and besides I am not in fault if you have been touched; this is the fruit of their reproa∣ches: You will say there are abundance of Country Women that the Midwife never tou∣cheth at all, and they do not know scarcely whether a Woman lye in or no, unless they see the Infant appear; but they are not free from the disease whereof I speak; for I have seen so great a company of them that I have been a∣fraid to behold them. This comes say the Midwives because they touched them not, and that it is occasioned either because the Infant is too bigg; or they say it is a burstness, or the co∣ming down of the great gut; the most subtile put up a clew of thread, the others a ball of wax, which easeth a little while, but comes out again every hour.