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Cui Shi's treatment for newborns: Immediately wrap a finger with cotton and wipe the blue mud and evil blood from the infant's mouth and tongue. This is called "Yu Xian" (Jade Restraint). It is also written as "Heng". If not wiped promptly, once the infant cries, these impurities will enter the abdomen and cause various diseases.

Another prescription for infants who do not make a sound upon landing after birth:
Pour a vessel of warm water into the infant's mouth; within a short while, the infant will naturally cry.

For infants who do not cry at birth, this is due to Qi deficiency caused by difficult labor. One may grasp the umbilical cord and stroke it towards the body to guide Qi into the abdomen, then blow air onto the infant one hundred times, and the crying sound will spontaneously emerge.

Another prescription:
Gently beat the infant with green onion whites, and the infant will cry.

Another prescription:
When a newborn is born, they should be lifted immediately. Delaying this may cause cold pathogen invasion into the abdomen, resulting in borborygmus (rumbling sounds in the abdomen). The infant should first be bathed, and then the umbilical cord should be cut quickly. Do not use a knife; instead, have someone bite through the cord through a single layer of clothing. Simultaneously, breathe warm air onto the stump seven times before tying it off. The remaining umbilical cord should be long enough to reach the infant's foot dorsum. If too short, it leads to cold invasion, causing abdominal dysfunction and frequent diarrhea. If the cord is cut before bathing, water may enter the umbilicus, leading to abdominal pain...

If the infant's umbilicus suffers from water entry and cold invasion, it causes severe abdominal colic, frantic crying, and cyanotic-black complexion. This is due to water entering the umbilicus; the infant's urine may be clear (or stool green).
Moxibustion and warming with powder-soaked cotton wadding should be applied. If not treated and cared for promptly, the umbilicus may swell. Moxibustion should be performed on the umbilicus according to severity. For severe cases, direct moxibustion can be applied, up to 80-90 moxa cones. For mild cases where the umbilicus is not significantly swollen but exudes fluid and the infant cries frequently, grind Angelica sinensis root (Danggui) powder mixed with lead white (Hufen) and apply topically, while daily warming with moxa wadding until the infant reaches 100 days old.

Methods for newborn care:
It is advisable to wrap the infant in the father's worn clothes; if female, the mother's worn clothes are suitable. Do not use new silk. Strictly adhere to this to ensure longevity.

Within the first month, the infant's clothing must be made of old cotton or silk. It is particularly crucial to avoid thick and hot fabrics; exercise extreme caution.

After bathing and cutting the umbilical cord, and after holding the infant, do not administer Cinnabar Honey (Zhumi) yet. Instead, provide Licorice Decoction (Gancao Tang). Take licorice root approximately the length of one interphalangeal joint of the middle finger, crush it, and decoct in two he of water to obtain one he of liquid. Wrap cotton around the tip, dip it in the liquid, and let the infant suckle. Stop when about one clam shell volume has been ingested. The infant should vomit comfortably, expelling evil fluids from the chest and heart. If vomiting occurs, discontinue the medicine. If no vomiting occurs, assess hunger/thirst and administer the same dose after a short interval. If still no vomiting, administer slowly until the entire he is consumed. Vomiting expels evil fluids, protecting the infant's spirit and wisdom. If the infant sucks the entire he without vomiting, it indicates no evil blood remains; stop administration. Only then can Cinnabar Honey be given to calm the spirit and anchor the soul.

For the first three days after birth, Cinnabar Honey should be administered, but sparingly. Excessive amounts cause cold spleen/stomach, abdominal distension, predisposition to Yin epilepsy and急促 breathing, potentially leading to death from Jin Feng (lockjaw). Method for Cinnabar Honey:
Take genuine cinnabar refined through scripture, sized like a soybean, mix with one clam shell of red honey. Dip cotton-wrapped tip and let the infant suckle, stopping after three dips. Consume this amount over three days. Do not exceed this, as it harms the infant. After Cinnabar Honey, administer Rhinoceros Horn (Niu Huang) in equivalent amounts. Niu Huang benefits liver/gallbladder, clears heat, calms spirit, stops convulsions, wards off evil qi, and cures myriad diseases. After three days, open the intestines/stomach and aid digestion. Grind rice into a thick drink resembling yogurt/cheese consistency. Feed small amounts (soybean-sized) via suckling. Stop after three soybeans. Administer three times daily. Solid food (pu) can begin after seven days.

At ten days, feed solids the size of a jujube pit; double at twenty days; size of a pellet at fifty days; size of a jujube at one hundred days. If milk is insufficient, adjust carefully by increasing gradually. Feeding solids at twenty days prevents disease. Early or excessive feeding causes sores on head/body that recur, leading to weakness and poor growth. Do not overfeed; overfeeding causes vomiting. Observe vomiting as a sign of fullness; offer empty breast to aid digestion. In summer, remove hot milk to prevent regurgitation; in winter, remove cold milk to prevent cough and diarrhea. Before nursing, massage breasts to dissipate heat and prevent forceful ejection which may cause choking. If choking occurs, remove breast, allow breathing to stabilize, then resume. Repeat 5-10 times, adjusting based on hunger/fullness. Determine daily frequency as standard. Regularly express residual milk. When sleeping with the infant, use arm as pillow to align breast height with infant's head to prevent choking. Remove breast if mother sleeps to prevent suffocation; otherwise, infant may become unaware of hunger.

Prescription for newborn lockjaw refusing milk:
Half a red-footed centipede, feet removed, roasted until scorched, ground fine and sifted through silk. Mix with two he of pig milk, divide into 3-4 doses. Cure achieved.

Prescription for lockjaw with fever:
Warm bamboo sap (Zhuli), two he, divided into 4-5 doses.

For newborns, reverse moxibustion is strictly forbidden. It causes pain, disturbs the five meridians, and predisposes to epilepsy. Rural children, left to nature, rarely suffer such premature death.

Treatment for newborn thrush (E Kou): White patches like rice grains on tongue, possibly extending to nose in severe cases. Method: Wrap cotton on hair stick, dip in well water, and dab/swab. Do this for three mornings. If ineffective, boil chestnut bark juice until concentrated, dab with cotton. If no chestnut bark, use chestnut wood bark similarly. (Same as Qianjin Fang, Vol 10 Upper).

Wen Zhong treats congenital ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), where a membrane like a pomegranate seed connects under the tongue. Gradually prevents speech and movement. Method: Pinch and break with fingernail. Slight bleeding is harmless. If bleeding persists, burn hair to ash and apply to stop bleeding. (Same as Qianjin Fang).

By 6-7 days post-birth, blood/qi converges into muscle, clearing oral/pharyngeal areas. If foreign matter appears in throat/tongue resembling reed tube filled with water, or swelling of uvula/frenulum: Wrap cotton on long needle, expose blade tip size of millet grain, puncture to release qi and drain yellow/red/blood fluid. Puncture once, observe. If unresolved, puncture again. Max three punctures for resolution. Similar conditions under tongue named Chong She (Double Tongue); inside cheeks/palate named Chong E (Double Palate); on gums named Chong Yin (Double Gums). All treated by puncturing to drain fluid. Cure achieved. (Same as Qianjin Fang).

Regarding newborns whose flesh/muscle has not yet consolidated from blood: Blood coagulates to form firm muscle. If blood stagnates and rots, failing to form muscle, the face, eyes, and perioral area turn yellow. Infant may cry or not, closes eyes, puckers mouth, dry mouth, limbs unable to extend/flex. These indicate failure of blood vessels to converge, often leading to non-viability. For such cases, Long Dan Tang (Gentian Decoction) is indicated, found in the Ke Wu section, consisting of ten ingredients. (Qianjin...)