A N ACCOUNT OF THE LYING-IN CHARITY FOR delivering POOR MARRIED WOMEN AT THEIR OWN HABITATIONS. Inst ITUTID 1757. LONDON: Printed in the Year MDCCLXXIL ACCOUNT OF THE LYING-IN CHARITY, INSTITUTED 1757. INTRODUCTION, was the Appointment of God, in confequence of the Firft ITTranfgreffion, that in * Sorrow Woman fhould bring forth Children. Accordingly, Terrors, Pains, and Dangers are the inleparable Attend- ants of Labor. A Child is not bom * Genesis iii, 16, into the World, but at the Hazard of that very Life, to which, under God, it is indebted for its own. Such being the Lot of Child- bearing ; not to fhew the utmoft Compaffion, not to adminifter pro- per Relief, to Women under thefe Circumftances muft argue a moft unfeeling Difpofitiom To be capa- ble of it, we muft reiift the generous Propenftty of our Nature, which feems particularly inclined to Emo- tions ol Tendernefs for Perfons in that diftrefsful and dangerous Skua- tiom And who can fay, whether God (who in the midfl of fudgment thinketh upon Mercy) did not, at the very Time that he decreed Woman to * multiply her Sorrow and her Con- ception, defign, in order to mitigate that Sorrow, to imprefs upon the hu- man Heart a ftrong Commiferation of her fad Condition. But, without attempting nicely to account for that particular Regard, which is ufually fhewn to Women in Labor, it is cer- tainly well founded, does Honor to our Species, and ought to be care- fully cherifhed and indulged. For thefe Reafons, and with thefe Views, this Charity was firft in- ftituted, and now lolicits the Coun- tenance and Beneficence of the Public. The Objects of it are the Poor the fober and induftrious Poor- in One of the moft perilous Circum- * Genesis iii. 16. fiances of human Life -“Poor Mar- ried Women, deftitute of in Time of Labor. The Contributors to this Charity will foothe the An- guifli of many a tender Hufband, by relieving the Wife of his Bofom in her Extremity, will alleviate the ago- nizing Pains, prevent the Sicknefi and Death, of many a valuable Wo- man, preferve the Life of many an helplefs Infant. Surely, a Defign conceived for fuch amiable Purpofes as thefe, can never want Encourage- ment, while Sentiments of Tender- nefs are fuffered to animate and in- fluence the human Heart. OF THE Nature and Advantages 0 F THIS CHARITY. the fmgular Honor of this Age TOand Nation many and very cxpenfivc Deligns, calculated for the excellent Pur- pofe of relieving the Afflidted, have been generoufly fet on foot, and fupported by the prevaling Spirit of public Benevolence. Among the loud Cries of various Diftrefs, which have reached the Ears of the Com- paffionate. Attention has been given to the Voice of indigent Women laboring with Child, The Extremity of their Situation has been generally acknowledged, and fc- veral Expedients have been propofed for their Affidance. Hofpitals have been opened to receive them in common with the Sick; nay, Hofpitals have been built and main- tained intirely for their Benefit. With a View fingly to this Species of Diflrefs was inftituted, in the Year 1757, THE CHARITY FOR DELIVERING POOR MARRIED WOMEN AT THEIR OWN HABITATIONS, A Concurrence of Caufes operated in Favor of this Defign. The humane and public-fpirited Gentlemen, who were firft concerned in it, having a juft Senfe of the diftrefsful Situation of very poor Women in the Time of Travail, were defirous of relieving them in a Way more convenient and effectual, than any hitherto adopted by the Public. They faw with Concern, that only a fmall Part of that great Mul- titude, which wanted Help in this large City, could poflibly have it by the Means; of Hofpitalsj and that, with refpeCt to thefe Hofpitals, the taking Women in La- bor from their Hufbands and Families was liable to ftrong Objections was incon- venient to the Patients themfelves difagreeable and hurtful to many poor married People -and withal very ex- penfive to the Public. They therefore agreed in a new Scheme for relieving the Diftrefs in queflion clear of the above Objections. At the fame Time they had the Pleafure of perceiving, that their new Defign would, incidentally, be productive of general Good, by increafing the Num- ber of fkilful and honed: Midwives $ who, inftruCled in their Art at the Charge of this Charity, and placed in various Parts of the Town, would be ready to adminifter their Aid to any Perfons that might want it. Whether this Defign is well adapted to thefe feveral Purpofes, is here fubmitted to the Confideration of the Public. I. This Charity comprehends a much greater Number of Women, than any other inftituted for the fame general Purpofe of helping indigentWomen in theirLyings-in. The Sum expended by this Society in the Courfe of the laft Year was One thoufand One hundred Seventy-three Pounds and upwards, which Sum was found fufficient to relieve Four thoufand One hundred and one Women. How impracticable were the Attempt to ere£t and endow Hofpitals for fuch a Multitude ? And yet a much larger Number would rejoice to partake of this Charity. In proportion to its having been more known, it has increafed in the Favor of the Public. Honoured with the Patro- nage of his Royal Highnefs the Prince of WALES, it afpires to univerfal Notice and Efteem. Should the Subfcriptions ftill greatly increafe, to how large a Circle of poor People may it communicate Affijft- ance; and, with the Bleffing of Providence, how many Lives of Women and Children may it preferve ! It has been obje&ed to this Charity, that the Afiiflancc it affords at prefent is too Jiender; that the {applying the Poor with Midwives and Medicines is but a fmall and ineffectual Relief. But, let it be duly weighed, that if the Affiftance were greater, only few Perfons in comparifon could be benefited. And it will hardly be denied, but that it is better to impart even a fcanty Supply to many, in equal Want, than a larger one to few, in Exclufion of the Reff. Thofc, who have had the Welfare of this Charity moll at Heart, and labored indefatigably in its Service, have earneftly wifhed to enlarge the Allowance ; but the Subfcriptions have hitherto been too fmall to admit of it, without breaking in upon an effential Part of the original Plan, the affording Help to a large Number. When- ever the Subfcriptions will permit, the Governors will be glad, confidently with this Principle, to extend the Aid as far as the mod Generous and Compaflionate can defire. But after all, is the prefent Help fo very inconfiderable as is prefumed ? In all com- mon Cafes, the Patients are iupplied with honed, fkilful, and humane Midwives, and with necefiary Medicines: in all difficult or dangerous Cafes they are attended by Two able and approved Phyficians and Men- midwives; who are to deliver them if ne- ceffiary, to preferibe for them, and to vifit them regularly, both before and after De- livery, till they are perfectly recovered; and in extraordinary Cafes a confulting Phyfician and Man-midwife, whofe Abi- lities this Charity has long experienced, is engaged to give his additional Advice and AiTidance. It cannot be denied, but that the Provifion, which is hereby made for jEmergencies, is very valuable ; and in or- dinary Cafes, the Relief is of confiderable Service. Men of very low Condition can hardly purchafe the Neceffaries of Life ; and if they have a family of Children, or a fickly Wife, it will be found very diffi- cult for them (who, befides, are very rarely Patterns of Oeconomy) to defray the Charges of a common Lying-in : Thofe, who are moil experienced in this Matter, well know the Hardfhips Women undergo, the long, dangerous, and, frequently fatal lllnefles they contract from the Want of able Mid- wives and proper Medicines. So trifling as fome may think the Help afforded by this Charity, the Pains with which the Poor folicit it, the Joy they difeover upon re- ceiving it, and the Gratitude they demon- ftrate afterwards, are incontcflable Proofs of the Value they fet upon it; and they fhould be no incompetent Judges of its Merit. It has been further fuggeflied to the Dif- paragement of this Charity, that Women in their Lyings-in Hand but in little Need of Medicines, and that when Medicines are abfolutely requiflte, they can be pro- cured at a very fmall Expence. But are thefe Affertions agreeable to Truth? Women in general want Medi- cines at thofe Times; and the Poor, who have only very coarfe and indifferent Food, and nothing to fupply the Place of Medi- cines, have more particular Occafion for them. The very indigent, who cannot purchafe them, muff do without them: But they too frequently feel the fad Con- fequences of it in their future Health. Neither is their Cod inconliderable; as may appear from the Expence incurred by this Charity upon account of Drugs only, though purchafed at a much cheaper Rate than they can poffible be by the Poor, and difpenfed with the ffridleft Fruga- lity. 11. The Circumftance of relieving the Women at their own Habitations has a ftriking Propriety in it. Whatever Sentiments fome Perfons are induced to entertain of poor Married People ; many of them have as ftrong At- tachments to each other, as thole who have been educated in higher Life, and with greater Advantages: They will do as much, fuffer as much, and deny themfeives as much for each other, as People of fu- perior Condition.