Two Outlines That Stubbornly Defy My Efforts to Translate – Any Ideas?

This is a portion of a letter written in 1949 from one sister to another the day after the recipient of the letter gave birth to a little girl. This cropped portion is at the end of a long section addressing childbirth, breastfeeding, etc.

I am having trouble translating the two outlines underlined in blue. Here’s what I have deciphered so far:

I am enclosing some ____. I know you [will feel/are feeling] tired these first few days but use one if you do plan days you are

The words in bold, I am not sure about. Any assistance in filling in the blank, or comments on what I have translated so far, would be much appreciated.

And may I just say, it feels so good to connect with all of you at this moment when I am feeling so isolated. I am thankful for you. Stay safe.


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  1. My transcription of the whole snippet:

    … I let her stay 20 minutes and longer. Now please do better than I did. I don’t think I would be so messed up inside if I could have nursed the kids. Would you know that when the baby nurses you can actually feel your womb contracting and draw into place? It helps to get everything back in place.

    I am enclosing some postal cards. I know you will feel tired first few days but use one if you would please dash one…

     

    1. Almost perfect. Some very small mistakes in italics:

      … then I let her stay 20 minutes and longer. Anyhow please do better than I did. I don’t think I would be so messed up inside if I could have nursed the kids. Would you know that when the baby nurses you can actually feel your womb contracting and drawing into place? It helps to get everything back in place.

      I am enclosing some postal cards. I know you will feel tired these first few days but I wonder if you would please dash one…

      (By the way, her penmanship was very nice. She must have had a very good teacher!)

      1. Thanks! Must practice more plate reading. With the Internet Archive's Emergency Library, I've found Charles Swem's "Intensive Exercises in Shorthand Vocabulary Building" and intend to munch through those, as well as the Gregg versions of novels.

  2. This is so awesome, thanks! And yes, Carlos, I agree her penmanship is fabulous. This was a very easy letter to translate except for this last part, which you guys solved for me. Thanks again!

  3. Hah, my first thought was "postal guards," because the k seemed a bit long, but "postal cards" makes a lot more sense. The penmanship is, indeed, gorgeous.

    It's so cool to see some real-life examples of Gregg letters, and not just ones constructed for teaching. Even just that short snippet is so intimate and real.

    I'm glad you're finding a sense of community here, Angelam. Social distancing is tough.

    1. Thank you, PWP! I too enjoy the real life examples. I recently translated a diary from the early 1940s of a girl who was fresh out of college then, and exploring the world for the first time. She particularly was attracted to men in uniform (lol). Most of her diary was written in longhand, but anything to do with dating, drinking, sex, etc. was written in shorthand – presumably so her mother couldn't read it. There was something very touching about watching her find her way in the world during a time of war while she was still living at home with her mom – one foot grounded in safety, the other stepping out. She has long-since passed away, and I translated the diary for her (now elderly) son. He very much enjoyed the journey of getting to know his mother's younger self. I'll try to post more historical snippets I find, as they come my way quite often. Stay safe –

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