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153
Normal.
Those who were considered to be in satisfactory health and required
no form of medical assistance.
This entry was made 38 times.
Summary.
The number of women thus found to be ailing from one cause or
another is disquieting when it is remembered how important to successful
lactation is a woman's quick and complete recovery from her confinement,
and how great an asset is good health in her task of bringing up young
children.
With the exception of two who were taking iron for anaemia, and two
who had been told a repairing operation would be needed, none of our
patients were under medical supervision at their first attendance. Three
had been advised by their midwives to report themselves at the clinic.
All others had passed from the care of their hospital, medical attendant or
midwife, and no instructions that further after-care was needed could be
traced. Attendance at the clinic had been asked for by the physicians
at the infant welfare consultations, or by the health visitors. The
usual report that the patients' condition had been "excellent" or
"satisfactory" ten days or so after delivery has thus often to be revised
when they are seen a few weeks later, and it suggests that the temporary
rest in bed, especially when combined with regular meals and freedom
from responsibilities, may produce a deceptive impression of recovery.
Two months or longer after confinement many are found with uterine
involution far from complete. Cervicitis and erosion have often reached
a chronic stage when cure is difficult to achieve. There were six cases of
breast abscess in 200 patients, but this does not fully represent its
frequency, for others are referred direct to hospital from the infant
consultations and the out-patient department. Most cases of mastitis
are seen too late for conservative measures to have any chance of preventing
abscess formation. Cases with severe dental sepsis are frequent, though
its removal before labour can only be a benefit, and its treatment afterwards
sometimes offers great difficulty (see report on the Out-patient
Department). The fact that the obstetric attendant disregards extensive
dental disease or sanctions a policy of inaction with regard to it, tends
to make the task of those who follow more, rather than less, difficult.