CHAPTER XIII.OfTWINS.
T
HE Case ofTwinsmay, in many Country Places, be esteemed beyond the Skill of WomenpracticingMidwifry; but as they are not alike ignorant, and this Delivery, with a right Management, is attended with no great Difficulty, I shall describe it as plainly as I can.
If a Child comes naturally by the Force of theMother’s Pains, and theAfter-birthdoes not easily follow, the Midwife, by passing her Hand to separate its Adhesion as directed in the sixth Chapter, will readily find whetheranotherChild still remains to be born, by the Appearance of otherMembranes, includingWaters, &c. And as where more than one is to be born, they are generally proportionably smaller, and tho’ the first Child comes naturally, the second may not, she need not wait for theBirthof the other, by the meer Force of Nature, for this would greatly hazard the Life of the Child, and sometimes of the Mother, by a Flooding; but ought to break theMembranes, and search for theFeet, carefully preventing their being intangled with theNavel-string; and having got both in her Hand, draw them into thePassage; if the Child’sToespoint to theMother’s Back, there will be no Danger of theChinorNosebeing hung on theBonesbefore, and she may draw theFeetforth with the rest of theBody, without delaying to bring down theArms, encouraging the Mother to assist in the mean Time, bybearing down with or without Pains.
In Case theChild’s Toesshould point to theMother’s Belly, the Midwife, in drawing the Child forth from theHips forward, must graduallyturntheBellyof the Child towards theMother’s Back, by the Assistance of the other Hand in the proceeding.
If the Woman be straiter, or the Child larger, than ordinary, when she has brought the Infant into thePassagesomewhat short of theArm-pits, she must, by introducing her Fingers, first over oneShoulder, cautiously bring down oneArm, and then in like Manner theother, and drawing the Child forward, she must make Use of both Hands to extricate theHead; theFingersof one Hand between theMother’s BackandChild’s Jaws, bearing and drawing them from theBack-bone, and with the Fingers of the other Hand over theShoulders, and theflatagainst theChild’s Back, draw it forth, the Mother as aforesaid assisting all the while.
Writers advise putting two Fingers into theChild’s Mouth; but as great Injury has often been done that Way, it is much safer to bring the Child bybearingwith the Fingers against itsJaws. If anArmshould be broke inbringing down, let it be spliced with thin Paste-board, and bound at its full Extent to preserve its right Shape.
In fetching an Infant byturning, ’tis necessary to draw itsFeetinto thePassage, with theToes situatetowards theInfant’s Belly, for it may be extreamly difficult, if not impossible, to draw it backwards, contrary to the naturalBentof itsThighsandBack; and aLimbmay sometimes as easily be pull’d off, as the Child brought to theBirththis Way; the Midwife must therefore make Use of theright, orleftHand in doing it, which happens to be most convenient, to the naturalbendingof the Infant’s Body.
ITHINKit cannot be safe for a Woman toturna Child upon ether Occasions requiring it; their Strength, as well as Skill being frequently inferior to the Task; besides, there may be great Danger of injuring the Vitals of the Mother in other Cases, especially after the Operation is unseasonably delay’d.
As each Child has a Navel-string, as well as After-birth belonging to it (tho’ bothPlacenta’s are sometimes so joined aseasilyto be distinguished) the Care respecting theNavel-string, already related in the Sixth Chapter, must of Course be taken for the First-born, and itsSecundinesleft, ’till after the Birth of the Second, when both, if necessary, must be separated and brought away, as there advis’d, with Regard to one alone, and theNavel-stringof the last Infant tied after the same Manner as in the Birth of one Infant.