It is exactly the same way with every little boy and girl. We are put into this world for a certain purpose, and we must all work. Now parents know this, and they know just how to prepare little girls and boys for this work. They therefore ask them to do many things that are not pleasant or agreeable but which must be done in order to prepare them for the work ahead.

WHAT A MOTHER SHOULD TELL HER DAUGHTER

Your daughter is now about fourteen years of age. She is about to pa.s.s from girlhood to womanhood and she should know more of life's story. The mother will now tell her the complete story in the form of little talks, based upon the following facts as texts. Each mother will doubtless add to the story as conditions justify and as the education of the mother and daughter may dictate. A mult.i.tude of little side talks can be wisely indulged in to make clear any uncertain or doubtful explanation, and every one of these incidental excursions can be made exceedingly interesting if wisely and opportunely chosen. Always remember, however, to emphasize the sacredness of the story. Do not permit your daughter to get the impression that you are telling her something that simply has to be told, just as you told her the correct way to boil an egg. Let her realize and get the impression that this is the most serious and most wonderfully interesting story in existence, the most important story she will ever hear. Let her understand that motherhood, for which she is now preparing, is the duty G.o.d a.s.signed her in this world: that that duty must be carried out, and that she must do nothing, nor leave anything undone, to interfere with its accomplishment. Do not only impress her with the story itself, but let your own explanation be so emphatically serious, that she will deeply appreciate its momentous significance--an occasion to be remembered all her life.

If she gets the proper impression from you at this time she will never treat the subject lightly, or permit it to be promiscuously discussed within her hearing.

Begin by telling her that she is about to enter the most important period of her life. Explain why this is so in the following way, in your own words. If we admit every female child to be a future mother, and motherhood the highest function possible to the s.e.x, then the awakening of the s.e.x organs and the mother instinct, must be the most important developmental episode in the life story of every woman. If this is so, then it follows that every girl should enter this period in the very best physical health possible, in order to reap the best results incident to this evolutionary period. We impress and warn her, therefore, that, as her system is about to undergo important changes, she must be particularly careful of her health. A little mistake at this time may be followed by more serious consequences than if made at any other time in her life. If a girl is to become a mother, certain changes must occur in her body before the nest, of which we previously wrote, can be made ready. G.o.d did not overlook anything when He peopled the earth; He therefore wisely planned that these changes in the female should occur at a time when the girl is strong and healthy.

THE PERIOD OF p.u.b.eRTY IN THE FEMALE. SYMPTOMS OF BEGINNING MENSTRUATION.--At about the age of fourteen these changes begin to give evidence of existence. They affect the girl's whole system and the mother must be especially patient and sympathetic. Her disposition may change, she may want to be alone, and she may be more or less melancholy. She will be dissatisfied with the things that previously interested her. She will tire easily, and she may have many spasmodic pains from time to time. The wise mother will tactfully see that she takes plenty of nourishing food and systematic exercise, and that she gets enough sleep in a well-aired room. There are other physical changes which are observable at this age. The girl grows taller, the figure broadens out, the hips widen, the bust enlarges, and the waist line increases in size. These are all part of the great change from girlhood to womanhood.

CHANGES IN THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS.--The princ.i.p.al change takes place in the reproductive organs themselves, and it is very essential that she should have a clear mental picture of just what is meant by "reproductive" organs and their location in her body. We mean by this term the group of organs which are concerned in creating and nourishing a child until it is old enough to be born into the world.

THE FEMALE GENERATIVE ORGANS.--These organs are the womb or uterus, two ovaries, two fallopian tubes and the v.a.g.i.n.a. The womb or uterus is the "nest." It is about the size of and is shaped like a pear. It is hollow, however, though its walls are quite thick. The ovaries are about the size of a peach stone and lie at the side of the womb,--one on either side. The fallopian tubes connect the ovaries with the womb. The v.a.g.i.n.a connects the womb with the outside world,--it is sometimes known as the birth ca.n.a.l. In the very lowest part of the abdomen, or belly, in front, is the bladder, which collects the urine until it is necessary to pa.s.s it out. In the back part of this region is the r.e.c.t.u.m; it collects all the undigested food, etc., from the intestinal ca.n.a.l. Between these two,--the bladder and r.e.c.t.u.m,--we find the reproductive organs, the womb, ovaries and v.a.g.i.n.a, described above.

THE FUNCTION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS.--It will be difficult, even for mothers, to acquire a clear understanding of the function of the reproductive or generative organs. It is an exceedingly interesting process, however, and it is well worth a patient, attentive study to clearly understand the brief description we give of it. If you acquire a distinct mental picture of the problem you will be able to tell your daughter a story that will be of intense interest to her, and a tale that is interesting is impressive and is productive of thought and reflection. That is the condition of mind we want daughters to be in when they hear this story.

The human ovaries begin to prepare themselves for their life work when the girl is about eight years of age. When they are ripe, or ready to perform this duty, the girl menstruates for the first time. This is known as the age of "p.u.b.erty," which implies that she has developed, pa.s.sed from girlhood into womanhood. After having reached the age of p.u.b.erty it is possible to become a mother.

THE AGE OF p.u.b.eRTY.--There is no fixed age at which the first menstruation takes place. Some girls develop quicker than others,--a condition that depends upon the health and type of girl. A strong, robust, full-blooded girl will menstruate at an earlier age, than will a sickly anemic girl. The average age is fourteen years, though there is no reason to worry if a girl does not menstruate for a number of years later. In warm climates the age of p.u.b.erty is from two to four years earlier than in more temperate climates.

THE FUNCTION OF THE OVARY.--Just what takes place in each ovary when it is ripe is best explained by likening an ovary to an orange,--though of course the ovary is very much smaller than an orange, as was previously noted. If you make a cut in an orange and squeeze it, you express some of its juice and most likely you will also express one or more seeds.

The seeds of the ovaries are called "ovules," and the process by which it expresses them is called "ovulation." Of course there is no actual squeezing of the ovary,--the ovules grow in the ovary, and as they ripen they come to the surface, and when actually ripe, the part of the surface of the ovary to which they come, opens up (like a flower unfolding when in bloom), and they fall out. The ovule we may regard as the human female egg, and one ripens and falls out every twenty-eight days.

When the egg falls out of the ovary it falls into the tube which carries it into the womb. This tube you will remember is called the fallopian tube. The ovule or egg is now in the cavity of the womb where we will leave it for the present.

THE FUNCTION OF THE WOMB.--While these changes are going on in the ovary, the womb is also preparing itself for its share of the work. The lining or internal surface of the womb is composed of mucous membrane, much the same as the interior lining of the mouth and throat. This lining becomes congested with blood, and is so intensely swollen at the time when the ovule or egg reaches the womb, that it is ready to rupture and bleed all over its surface. Just whether it will rupture and bleed, depends upon whether the egg is going to grow into a child or not. If it is not going to grow into a child, it immediately bleeds freely, and continues to bleed, until the whole lining of the womb and egg is pa.s.sed out into the outer world. This takes four or five days and const.i.tutes "menstruation." After menstruation is over, the womb begins again to prepare itself for the coming of the next ovule or egg, and as this occurs every twenty-eight days, menstruation is commonly termed the "monthly periods."

WHY MENSTRUATION OCCURS EVERY TWENTY-EIGHT DAYS.--The reason why the womb does this every twenty-eight days is because it is impossible to tell just when the womb will be called upon to nourish and support a child. If it did not get rid of the old blood, it would not be in a healthy condition to nourish and take care of a baby, nor would its interior be ready to supply new fresh blood for the growth of the infant. Hence nature constructs and builds a new "nest" in the interior of the womb each month. It very much resembles the new home into which the bride and groom, go to begin housekeeping.

When you told your little girl the story of life, you particularly drew her attention to the important fact that every living thing is created by the union of a male and female principle, and, therefore, has a mamma and papa. This applies to trees, flowers, vegetables, fish, animals, birds, insects,--every living thing, including human beings. We have seen that the ovule from the ovary is the female egg, or principle. It is the part the female contributes toward the future child. Before a child is possible, however, the ovule must meet the egg from the male.

THE MALE OR PAPA EGG.--The male or papa egg is called a "spermatozoa."

It reaches the interior of the womb through the lower opening, which you will remember opens into the v.a.g.i.n.a. Emphasize to your daughter that the female ovule or egg, and the male egg, or spermatozoa, are minute objects, so microscopically small that a hundred million of them could comfortably lie upon a ten-cent piece.

THE FUNCTION OF THE SPERMATOZOA.--G.o.d gave the male spermatozoa the power to move. To watch them under the microscope you would imagine you were looking into a bowl of water, in which there were hundreds of little fish all squirming around. But the most wonderful thing about them is, they can only move in an upward direction,--they seemingly cannot move downward, or sideways. If you think for a moment you will understand why G.o.d gave them this marvelous property. When the male s.e.m.e.n is deposited in the female v.a.g.i.n.a, there are thousands of these minute, living, moving spermatozoa in it. The womb is above the v.a.g.i.n.a, and the female egg is in the womb, consequently, to reach this egg, the spermatozoa must travel upward. To travel in any other direction would be fruitless energy. There is only one female egg, but there are thousands of male eggs, or spermatozoa; it is easy, therefore, to comprehend how one of these spermatozoa should exactly be in line with the female egg in its upward path, since there are so many of them. It is only necessary that one should meet the female egg in order to impregnate it.

The shape of the male principle, or spermatozoa, is exactly like a little tadpole, and you no doubt recall that a tadpole has a minute tail, the movement of which enables it to swim around. So has the spermatozoa, and by the incessant movement of this microscopic tail they all move upward as soon as discharged by the male. I told you that G.o.d gave the male-germ life. It is necessary now to explain the character of this life. It is very brief; it is estimated that they are active for two hours, and then become inactive, or die. The best way to explain the brief activity to your daughter, is to liken the spermatozoa, to a mechanical toy, which is wound up to go for a certain time. After it runs out it becomes inactive; this is exactly what happens to the little human tadpole. If during this brief life none of them has happened to reach the female egg, pregnancy does not take place and menstruation occurs. On the other hand, if this were not so,--if these spermatozoa were active for a longer period, pregnancy would almost be certain to take place every time the womb was not already occupied with a pregnancy.

TELL THE WHOLE STORY.--When a mother reaches this stage of the wondrous tale she will be asked by an innocent girl,--"How do these spermatozoa get there?" or, "You have not told me where these tadpoles came from"

or, "I don't understand how these spermatozoa got into the v.a.g.i.n.a" or, "I don't know why you call these the male egg when they are in mamma."

It does not matter how it is expressed, the intent is plain enough. I have said, that an innocent girl will ask this question, the implication being that one who is not innocent will refrain from asking this question. A girl who knows the answer will not ask, because, if she is familiar with this subject before her mother thinks it wise and proper to tell her, she obtained her information from a source which, most likely, insinuated a suggestive, or evil, meaning into the explanation, consequently she would be afraid, or ashamed, to ask the question. An innocent girl, on the other hand, would rightly ask for information which is obviously kept back, and which she has a right to know, since a complete, and intelligent understanding of the story depends upon the elucidation asked. If it is proper to tell part of the story, it is essential to tell all of it. Tell it in your own words in this way:

When G.o.d conceived the human race He ensured its perpetuation by designing a method whereby this would be rendered possible: He did more; He wisely decided that the function, involving the very existence of the human race, should be attended with a sentient gratification. He further instilled into the fundamental economy of mankind, s.e.x attraction, which is involuntary, undeniable, and unquenchable. If G.o.d conceived the means and the method, no human mind in possession of its faculties should see evil where it does not exist. It was by Him designed that the male organ of reproduction should deposit its germinating fluid in the v.a.g.i.n.a of the female, and this is accomplished by a union of species.

The one set of reproductive organs is a complement of the other, and essential to the other. It is by this act that the male spermatozoa is enabled to complete the function of fecundation.

If now we a.s.sume the male and female element to have met and united, menstruation does not take place. The egg or embryo (the future child) begins to grow, and it remains in the womb for two hundred and eighty days from the day when the male and female egg met. It is quite natural for an intelligent girl to ask her mother to explain, "How a baby can live in there for such a long time," or "What makes it grow if it does not get anything to eat or drink."

HOW THE BABY GETS ITS NOURISHMENT IN THE WOMB.--These questions can be answered in this way. While the baby is in its little comfortable home it gets everything it needs. You are in your home now. If you wanted a drink, what would you do? Wouldn't you go to the water faucet and draw a gla.s.s of water? The water comes to you through a pipe, right into your home, you don't have to go out of the house to get it. And if you wanted light when it is dark you would turn on the gas and light it. It, too, comes into your home through a pipe. Now baby gets its air; and food, and all it needs to drink in just that way. There are two little pipes which go into its nest or home, and then into the baby's body at the navel, and through these pipes fresh blood runs in and out. When mother breathes, her blood sucks up oxygen from the air in her lungs, and the blood carries oxygen to every part of her body. In this way, all parts are supplied with the proper quant.i.ty of air. Now the baby is simply a new part of mamma as long as it is in its nest in her body, so it too gets air in this way. When mother eats, the food is taken into her stomach and it is there changed into liquid and so prepared, that when it pa.s.ses into the intestines, the part of the food that is good for her, is sucked up into the blood, and the blood carries it to every part of her body. It distributes whatever is needed to all parts, and as the baby is a part, it gets its share. The other pipe carries the blood back again, out of the baby for new supplies, and as this is going on all the time, there is no danger of the baby starving in any way, or at any time.

When your daughter understands this, show her how important it is that mothers should be in good health, otherwise the baby will not get good food, it will not be properly nourished and will be born a poor, little sickly child. Little girls, consequently, should try to eat properly, exercise regularly, and do everything their mothers tell them, so that when they become mothers, they will be able to nourish their babies and not bring into the world poor little starved infants.

GIRLS MUST NOT BECOME MOTHERS.--We have previously stated that girls can become mothers when they have reached the age of p.u.b.erty. G.o.d did not intend, however, that girls at the age of twelve or fourteen should become mothers, because their bodies are not strong enough, nor are they fully grown, nor have they the experience, to undertake the physical task and responsibility of bringing a baby into the world. We know this from experience, because we have seen the sickly babies such girls have, and we have seen how much these girl mothers suffer, and how they ruin their health, by trying to do what G.o.d did not intend they should do.

Even the trees teach us this lesson. An orange tree will bring out buds, which would develop into oranges, when it is two years old. The experienced farmer, however, will pluck these buds off, and will do so every year, till the tree is five years old. If he allowed the tree to bear fruit during its young years, the oranges would not be good, or sweet, or large; so he waits until the tree has grown and is strong and healthy, when its fruit will be large and sweet. An orange tree of this type will have better fruit, and will continue to produce this good variety for many years. A tree allowed to bear fruit when two years old will never have first cla.s.s oranges, nor will it continue to have, even poor oranges, as long as the other.

CHAPTER XV

PREPARING FOR MOTHERHOOD

Menstruation--Irregular Menstruation--Changes in the Quant.i.ty of the Flow--How the Womb is Held in Place--Symptoms of Menstruation--Menstruation Should Not be Accompanied with Pain--Don't Give Your Daughters Patent Medicines or "Female Regulators"--Take Your Daughter to the Doctor--Leucorrhea in Girls--Bathing when Menstruating--Constipation and Displaced Wombs--Dress and Menstruation--Absence of Menstruation, or Amenorrhea--Treatment of Amenorrhea--Painful Menstruation, or Dysmenorrhea--Causes of Dysmenorrhea--Treatment of Dysmenorrhea--Sterility in the Female--Conditions Which Affect the Fertility of Women--Climate--Station in Life--Season of the Year--Age--The Tendency to Miscarry--Causes of Sterility in the Female--Displacement of Womb--Diseases of Womb, Ovaries, or Tubes--Malformations--Lacerations--Tumors--Leucorrhea--Physical Debility--Obesity--Special Poisons--"Knack of Miscarrying"--Miscarriage--Cause of Miscarriage--The Course and Symptoms of Miscarriage--What to do when a Miscarriage is Threatened--Treatment of Threatened Miscarriage--Treatment of Inevitable Miscarriage--After Treatment of Miscarriage--The Tendency to Miscarriage.

MENSTRUATION

We have explained in the previous chapter what menstruation is, its frequency, its significance and its origin. There are a number of its common characteristics with which the mother and daughter should be acquainted.

IRREGULAR MENSTRUATION.--Menstruation may occur once (the first time) and fail to recur the following month or for a number of months. This need cause no alarm as long as the general health remains good. It will come again in its own time. Nervousness may cause a suspension of menstruation. This is quite common in school girls who are driven too hard at school, whose sleep is interfered with, whose appet.i.te is poor and who are allowed too many social indiscretions, as parties, dances, etc., where late hours are observed, all of which should be put aside until school life is over. Sometimes menstruation will temporarily stop if the girl goes away from home on a visit.

Sometimes the quant.i.ty will be greater than at other times, and a very scant flow, after it has been free and regular may cause apprehension.

Various causes may be responsible for a decrease, catching cold, sitting on cold steps or cold ground, wearing damp clothes, nervousness, mental worry, physical exhaustion, insufficient food and exercise, and anemia, may cause it. For these reasons a girl should be exceedingly careful of her health, she should guard against catching cold. Do not change the underwear until certain that the weather is far enough advanced in season to justify such a change. She should not become exhausted or worry. In all cases of suppression, or of increased flow, a physician should be consulted at once, and girls should be instructed to tell their mothers of any change in the character of the "periods," as soon as it occurs. Mothers should instruct their daughters to rest the first day of their monthly flow, and all during the menstruation they should refrain from any unusual activity. Even play should be moderated and abstained from entirely if there is any pain. In order that the girl fully appreciates why these rules are laid down, it is advisable to explain just how the womb is held in place in her body.

This appears to the writer as being a particular important point. A girl must not be expected to give these matters the serious consideration they merit unless she thoroughly understands the reasons why. An explanation, in the form of even an intelligent talk, will soon be forgotten. If, however, a definite, concrete picture, is impressed upon her; if she actually sees in her mind the process that is going on, she will understand why it is necessary to do as she is told. If the mother will therefore a.s.sure herself that the daughter actually knows what is being accomplished in her womb at the menstrual period, she will carry out the instructions more faithfully.

HOW THE WOMB IS HELD IN PLACE.--The human uterus, or womb, is held in its proper place in much the same way as a clothes pin sits on a clothes line. The heavier part is the upper part, and that part is held in place partly by resting on the r.e.c.t.u.m behind, and the bladder in front. When menstruation occurs, the body of the womb becomes much heavier because of the increased amount of blood in its interior. This added weight increases its liability to tip over, and if any extra strain or effort is made at this time it will become tipped, or as the physician calls it, displaced. If a womb becomes displaced, every menstruation afterward will be painful and prolonged,--sometimes excessively so. A displaced womb becomes congested and unhealthy. It causes leucorrhea or a chronic discharge, makes a nervous wreck of the woman, results in sterility and frequently in a dangerous operation. There are, therefore, ample reasons for watchfulness and care on the part of the growing girl.

SYMPTOMS OF MENSTRUATION.--After menstruation is established there should be no actual pain at each period. There are, however, certain undefined feelings,--premonitory symptoms,--which may be explained in the following terms:--A day or two before the date on which the menstruation is expected, the girl will appreciate that "her sickness"

is coming. She will not, or should not, complain of pain, but will state that she has a bearing down feeling, is a little more nervous than usual, has no desire to go into company, and wants to be more or less her own entertainer. The "sick" period usually lasts four or five days.

The second day is the most important.

MENSTRUATION SHOULD NOT BE ACCOMPANIED WITH PAIN.--If any actual pain accompanies menstruation, either before or after it is established, the mother should at once take the daughter to the family physician.

Menstruation is a natural, physiological act and should not be accompanied with actual distress or pain. It is astonishing how many mothers will allow their daughters to suffer needlessly, for months and years, because of the mistaken idea that "since the pain is there, it must be," or because she--the mother--suffered, so also must the daughter suffer. There is no more unfortunate mistake, and many a girl's health and happiness has been blasted because of this misbelief. The cause of the pain is, in a vast majority of the cases, a very simple one, and can be removed in a very brief time.

Should the menstrual period last too long, be too frequent, or be in any way not what it should be, consult your physician. If you are not sure of "what it should be," or if you have any doubt, ask your doctor. Don't let any false pride or feeling of modesty on your part, or on the part of your daughter, dictate your policy under such circ.u.mstances. Don't take the advice of your friends or neighbors in a matter so vital. It is too important, and they are not qualified to "guess" any more than you are. Don't, if you have any respect for yourself, or love for your child, begin dosing her with the advertised patent medicines and "Female Regulators" for which so much is claimed, and which seem to "just suit"

your daughter's case at this particular time. Take her to the doctor, whose advice you value (or you should not have him as a family physician), who has no interest at stake except to help you and your child, and whose fee is no more than the price of one of these bottles of advertised poison. He is the only one qualified to speak with authority on such a momentous subject, and you will never spend a dollar to better advantage. Warn your daughter not to speak about "her sickness" to other girls.

Especial attention should be paid to cleanliness during this period. The mistaken idea that bathing of any kind at this time may have disastrous consequences is responsible for much of this neglect. If proper care is taken warm sponge baths, in a warm room, will not cause any trouble.

Unpleasant odors can be avoided by sponging the parts with a warm solution, into which a mild antiseptic is put, upon changing the cloths.

LEUCORRHEA IN GIRLS.--It has been stated above that a displaced womb may cause leucorrhea or a discharge. It must be remembered that leucorrhea, or "whites," may occur in girls as well as in married women. It can also result from catching cold during the menstrual period. Another mistaken idea is that girls should not take douches for fear of injuring the hymen. This is erroneous, and while they are entirely unnecessary in a vast majority of cases it is sometimes absolutely essential to douche in order to cure leucorrhea. When they are given, it is advisable to use the small nozzle that comes with every douche bag set.

CONSTIPATION AND DISPLACED WOMBS.--When the picture is fresh in the mind of the girl, of how the womb is held upright in her body, the mother should speak to her about the serious results that may occur from constipation. If the r.e.c.t.u.m is full of hardened feces the womb will be pushed out of place, and if under these circ.u.mstances straining is necessary to empty the bowel, and if this condition is habitual, constipation may be the actual cause of displacement of the womb.

DRESS AND MENSTRUATION.--It is also an opportune time to demonstrate to what extent serious results may follow mistakes in dressing. The habit of permitting growing girls to constrict the waist, to bind and pull the abdomen by too tight garters, or too tight corset, is wrong, and no mother should permit it. In another part of the book, this matter is taken up more fully, but if it is explained to the girl while she is considering the subject of menstruation, she may more quickly and more fully appreciate its significance.