Obstetrics for nurses / by Joseph B. De Lee.

  • De Lee, Joseph B. (Joseph Bolivar), 1869-1942.
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Obstetrics for nurses / by Joseph B. De Lee. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    become sore or chafed. The nurse should insist on hav- ing washed diapers for the infant. If the urine is allowed to dry on them, the salts concentrate and irritate the tender skin. If the child passes the reddish brick-dust sediment de- scribed before and known as uric acid, this should be noted; it calls attention to the fact that the child needs more water. If the child does not urinate within a few hours after birth, the nurse should carefully inspect the parts to determine the existence of any abnormality of structure. If she suspects such, the physician should be notified. In order to get the infant to urinate, it should be given water freely ; then it should be held sitting in a bowl of warm water for five minutes ; a warm fomentation over the kidneys, a prolonged saline solution colonic flushing —all these may be used to stimulate the flow of urine. The condition may go thirty-six hours without danger. In one case the infant passed no urine for three days and did not suffer. Catheterization is necessary only in rarest cases. It must be remembered that the child may urinate, unobserved, in its bath, or the urine, being color- less, leaves no stain on the diaper and evaporates before the nurse notices the latter. If the condition is obstinate, the physician will usually order a diuretic, of which the sweet spirits of niter is a favorite. Nursing.—The child should be put to the breast after the mother has rested, which is usually about eight hours after birth, then every four hours until the milk comes in, then eveiy two hours during the day, and four hours at night. The odd hours should be chosen—5, 7, 9, II, I, 3, 5, 7, 9, at night II and 3 being omitted. Before and after each nursing, if necessary, the