The Daughters of Eden Trilogy: The Shadow Catcher, Fever Hill & the Serpent's Tooth by Michelle Paver Page A
Authors: Michelle Paver
Tags: Romance
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mess), with dressing, feeding, and making it sleep coming somewhere in between.
Dressing was the easiest because there were lots of baby-clothes, and it was very like dressing a doll. A flannel binder about the abdomen, a napkin or sanitary towel, a flannel shirt, two substantial petticoats, a muslin dress, bootees and a cap. Nothing tight. It wasn’t absolutely the same as dressing a doll because the baby wriggled so much, but that became easier as the layers went on, for they made the baby’s arms and legs stick out, which slowed it down.
Bathing was easy too, because the baby liked it. And by now the geyser had become Madeleine’s friend. Its trusty blue light burned constantly and never failed to belch into life, although she wondered how long the gas would last.
After washing, Dr Philpott said that the baby must be dusted with wheat-starch or violet powder to prevent chafing . To begin with that had been a problem, for there was neither starch nor violet powder in the pantry, so she’d had to brave her mother’s room and fetch the rice powder from the dressing-table. But the baby liked being powdered, and generally stopped wriggling – although sometimes it sneezed when she did its face.
To begin with, feeding had been impossible. Dr Philpott said that If the mother is unable to suckle, the baby should have a few dessert-spoonsful of warm water and loaf sugar every two hours. On the second day, good cow’s milk may be added to the sugar-water, or tinned or Swiss milk. There was plenty of loaf sugar and Nestlé’s Condensed Milk in the pantry, but the problem was getting it into the baby.
If a baby is brought up by hand, the feeding bottle must be kept very clean. The first bottle Madeleine chose was a pretty blue glass one which she emptied of syrup of figs and thoroughly washed, then filled with sugar-water. The baby howled and batted it away with both fists. Madeleine tried other bottles, but none of them worked. She tried pouring sugar-water into the baby’s mouth from a teaspoon, but it only spluttered and coughed it back again. She was on the point of giving up and dosing it with a sleeping powder from her father’s secret drawer when she chanced across Dr Philpott at his most severe: On NO ACCOUNT should the baby be given anything OTHER than milk or sugar-water. In particular, sleeping draughts or quieting syrups MUST NEVER BE GIVEN.
Finally she had the idea of soaking a corner of her best handkerchief in the sugar-water. The baby’s mouth fastened on it like a magnet. From then on feeding was easy, although it always took an extremely long time.
The section on changing puzzled Madeleine at first, but she quickly realized why it came straight after feeding . She also learned the truth of the statement that no-one likes a smelling baby . This meant another dash into her mother’s room to fetch the Barnett’s Wood Wool Diapers for Ladies, which she cut into pieces and strapped in place with her father’s handkerchiefs. They worked fairly well, although they had a tendency to leak.
The final challenge was to find somewhere for the baby to sleep. Dr Philpott said in a cot beside the mother’s bed , which wasn’t possible, so instead Madeleine dragged the cot from the nursery into the spare room. She slept in the spare room too. She preferred it to her own room.
All this left her with little time for herself, but she didn’t mind that. She was safe inside her shell; she didn’t need much looking after. There was bread in the pantry and seed cake and a ham, so when she felt dizzy she chewed a piece of ham, or toasted bread on the spare-room fire and dipped it in treacle. She kept the gaslight low for the sake of the geyser, went to bed early to save on candles, and apart from splashing her face and hands she neither washed nor changed her clothes. She began to smell like the Reverend McAllister’s retriever, but she didn’t care. She found her own smell vaguely comforting.
Sometimes, when the
Dressing was the easiest because there were lots of baby-clothes, and it was very like dressing a doll. A flannel binder about the abdomen, a napkin or sanitary towel, a flannel shirt, two substantial petticoats, a muslin dress, bootees and a cap. Nothing tight. It wasn’t absolutely the same as dressing a doll because the baby wriggled so much, but that became easier as the layers went on, for they made the baby’s arms and legs stick out, which slowed it down.
Bathing was easy too, because the baby liked it. And by now the geyser had become Madeleine’s friend. Its trusty blue light burned constantly and never failed to belch into life, although she wondered how long the gas would last.
After washing, Dr Philpott said that the baby must be dusted with wheat-starch or violet powder to prevent chafing . To begin with that had been a problem, for there was neither starch nor violet powder in the pantry, so she’d had to brave her mother’s room and fetch the rice powder from the dressing-table. But the baby liked being powdered, and generally stopped wriggling – although sometimes it sneezed when she did its face.
To begin with, feeding had been impossible. Dr Philpott said that If the mother is unable to suckle, the baby should have a few dessert-spoonsful of warm water and loaf sugar every two hours. On the second day, good cow’s milk may be added to the sugar-water, or tinned or Swiss milk. There was plenty of loaf sugar and Nestlé’s Condensed Milk in the pantry, but the problem was getting it into the baby.
If a baby is brought up by hand, the feeding bottle must be kept very clean. The first bottle Madeleine chose was a pretty blue glass one which she emptied of syrup of figs and thoroughly washed, then filled with sugar-water. The baby howled and batted it away with both fists. Madeleine tried other bottles, but none of them worked. She tried pouring sugar-water into the baby’s mouth from a teaspoon, but it only spluttered and coughed it back again. She was on the point of giving up and dosing it with a sleeping powder from her father’s secret drawer when she chanced across Dr Philpott at his most severe: On NO ACCOUNT should the baby be given anything OTHER than milk or sugar-water. In particular, sleeping draughts or quieting syrups MUST NEVER BE GIVEN.
Finally she had the idea of soaking a corner of her best handkerchief in the sugar-water. The baby’s mouth fastened on it like a magnet. From then on feeding was easy, although it always took an extremely long time.
The section on changing puzzled Madeleine at first, but she quickly realized why it came straight after feeding . She also learned the truth of the statement that no-one likes a smelling baby . This meant another dash into her mother’s room to fetch the Barnett’s Wood Wool Diapers for Ladies, which she cut into pieces and strapped in place with her father’s handkerchiefs. They worked fairly well, although they had a tendency to leak.
The final challenge was to find somewhere for the baby to sleep. Dr Philpott said in a cot beside the mother’s bed , which wasn’t possible, so instead Madeleine dragged the cot from the nursery into the spare room. She slept in the spare room too. She preferred it to her own room.
All this left her with little time for herself, but she didn’t mind that. She was safe inside her shell; she didn’t need much looking after. There was bread in the pantry and seed cake and a ham, so when she felt dizzy she chewed a piece of ham, or toasted bread on the spare-room fire and dipped it in treacle. She kept the gaslight low for the sake of the geyser, went to bed early to save on candles, and apart from splashing her face and hands she neither washed nor changed her clothes. She began to smell like the Reverend McAllister’s retriever, but she didn’t care. She found her own smell vaguely comforting.
Sometimes, when the
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