"The great King of kings Hath in the table of His law commanded That thou shall do no murder. Wilt thou, then, Spurn at His edict, and fulfill a man's?

Take heed, for He holds vengeance in His hand To hurl upon their heads that break his law."

--RICHARD III., _Act I._

[Ill.u.s.tration: The Embryo In Sixty Days.]

HOW TO CALCULATE THE TIME OF EXPECTED LABOR.

1. The table on the opposite page has been very accurately compiled, and will be very helpful to those who desire the exact time.

2. The duration of pregnancy is from 278 to 280 days, or nearly forty weeks. The count should be made from the beginning of the last menstruation, and add eight days on account of the possibility of it occurring within that period. The heavier the child the longer is the duration; the younger the woman the longer time it often requires. The duration is longer in married than in unmarried women; the duration is liable to be longer if the child is a female.

3. MOVEMENT.--The first movement is generally felt on the 135th day after impregnation.

4. GROWTH OF THE EMBRYO.--About the twentieth day the embryo resembles the appearance of an ant or lettuce seed; the 30th day the embryo is as large as a common horse fly; the 40th day the form resembles that of a person; in sixty days the limbs begin to form, and in four months the embryo takes the name of foetus.

5. Children born after seven or eight months can survive and develop to maturity.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DURATION OF PREGNANCY.]

DIRECTIONS.--Find in the upper horizontal line the date on which the last menstruation ceased; the figure beneath gives the date of expected confinement (280 days).

Jan. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Oct. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Jan. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Oct. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Nov.

Feb. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Nov. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Feb. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Nov. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dec.

Mar. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Dec. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Mar. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Dec. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 Jan.

Apr. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Jan. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Apr. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Jan. 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 Feb.

May 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Feb. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

May 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Feb. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Mar.

June 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Mar. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

June 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Mar. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 Apr.

July 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Apr. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

July 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Apr. 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 May

Aug. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 May 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Aug. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 May 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 June

Sep. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 June 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Sep. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 June 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 July

Oct. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 July 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Oct. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 July 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Aug.

Nov. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Aug. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Nov. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Aug. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sep.

Dec. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Sep. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Dec. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Sep. 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Oct.

[Ill.u.s.tration: If menstruation ceased Oct. 31, the confinement will take place July 18.]

THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF LABOR.

1. Although the majority of patients, a day or two before the labor comes on, are more bright and cheerful, some few are more anxious, fanciful, fidgety and reckless.

2. A few days, sometimes a few hours, before labor commences, the child "falls" as it is called; that is to say, there is a subsidence--a dropping--of the womb lower down the abdomen. This is the reason why she feels lighter and more comfortable, and more inclined to take exercise, and why she can breathe more freely.

3. The only inconvenience of the dropping of the womb is, that the womb presses more on the bladder, and sometimes causes an irritability of that organ, inducing a frequent desire to make water. The wearing the obstetric belt, as so particularly enjoined in previous pages, will greatly mitigate this inconvenience.

4. The subsidence--the dropping--of the womb may then be considered one of the earliest of the precursory symptoms of child-birth, and as the herald of the coming event.

5. She has, at this time, an increased moisture of the v.a.g.i.n.a--the pa.s.sage leading to the womb--and of the external parts. She has, at length, slight pains, and then she has a "show," as it is called; which is the coming away of a mucous plug which, during pregnancy, had hermetically sealed up the mouth of the womb. The "show" is generally tinged with a little blood. When a "show" takes place, she may rest a.s.sured that labor has actually commenced. One of the early symptoms of labor is a frequent desire to relieve the bladder.

6. She ought not, on any account, unless it be ordered by the medical man, to take any stimulant as a remedy for the shivering. In case of shivering or chills, a cup either of hot lea or of hot gruel will be the best remedy for the shivering; and an extra blanket or two should be thrown over her, and be well tucked around her, in order to thoroughly exclude the air from the body. The extra clothing, as soon as she is warm and perspiring, should be gradually removed, as she ought not to be kept very hot, or it will weaken her, and will thus r.e.t.a.r.d her labor.

7. She must not, on any account, force down--as her female friends or as a "pottering" old nurse may advise--to "grinding pains"; if sue does, it will rather r.e.t.a.r.d than forward her labor. 8. During this stage, she had better walk about or sit down, and not confine herself to bed; indeed, there is no necessity for her, unless she particularly desire it, to remain in her chamber.

9. After an uncertain length of time, the pains alter in character.

From being "grinding" they become "bearing down," and more regular and frequent, and the skin becomes both hot and perspiring. These may be considered the true labor-pains. The patient ought to bear in mind then that "true labor-pains" are situated in the back, and loins; they come on at regular intervals, rise gradually up to a certain pitch of intensity, and abate as gradually; it is a dull, heavy, deep sort of pain, producing occasionally a low moan from the patient; not sharp or twinging, which would elicit a very different expression of suffering from her.

10. Labor--and truly it maybe called, "labor." The fiat has gone forth that in "sorrow thou shalt bring forth children." Young, in his "Night Thoughts," beautifully expresses the common lot of women to suffer: