Better babies and their care

by Anna Steese Richardson

Meat should be eaten once a day. Poultry and lamb are given the preference by dietitians. Beef is better than veal; pork is difficult to digest under any condition; and meat stewed until tender in a milk or cream sauce is more easily digested than fried meat. Smoked meat is not particularly nourishing to mother or child, but crisp ham and bacon are useful in whetting a failing appetite. Fish, oysters, and eggs may be used to vary the diet, but they do not replace meat.

Fruits and vegetables should be eaten freely. Fresh fruits, including apples, peaches, pears, oranges, grapes, shredded pineapple, grape-fruit, plums, strawberries, raspberries, and huckleberries, should be used regularly in season. When they are not to be had, stewed fruits—apples, prunes, rhubarb, peaches, figs, etc.—may be substituted. When dried fruits are used, they must be soaked well and cooked thoroughly.

The most desirable vegetables are young onions, asparagus, peas, potatoes, lima and string beans, carrots, spinach, celery, lettuce and romaine. Heavier vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, baked beans, beets, turnips and radishes are not so easily digested and should be eaten sparingly.

Salads made with olive oil dressing are an important item in the diet of the prospective mother. Many dietitians urge that fresh salad be eaten at least once a day.

Particular attention must be paid to the effect of cooked and prepared cereals on the digestion. Some women do not digest the heavier cereals, like oatmeal, cracked wheat, cornmeal, while patent foods of a lighter nature agree with them. In this case, the mother who “hates cereals” will do well to try some of the light patented foods, with cream and sugar or fruit, and train herself gradually to enjoy a cereal course with at least one meal a day. The coarser breads, such as whole wheat, graham, cornmeal and bran, are recommended for prospective mothers who suffer from constipation, indigestion or heartburn.

The woman who feels an inordinate craving for certain articles of diet, such as pickles, lemons, candy, etc., should exercise judgment and self-control. Like any other habit, extremes in diet will grow upon a woman until they really endanger her health. Their indulgence will in no way lighten the burdens of pregnancy. Considerable acid is supplied in salads and fruits; and a limited amount of sweet pickle, catsups and other modern condiments may be taken with meals.

Custards, gelatines, sponge cake, light desserts made with fruit, and ice-cream are desirable sweets.

Rest and normal sleep, alternating with healthful exercise which does not exhaust the system, are vitally important to both mother and child. Eight hours’ sleep each night is a good average, and to insure normal sleep the prospective mother should be made as comfortable as possible.

I have known mothers who, at this time, suffered torture if they shared a bed or even a room with other members of their family, and yet they denied themselves the important privilege of privacy. The expectant mother should sleep in the environment and atmosphere most conducive to perfect rest. Her bedding should be light but warm in cold weather. The room should be properly ventilated, with the window open top and bottom. No gas jet or lamp should burn in this room during the night. In cold weather a very simple way to insure comfort and prompt dropping off to sleep is to lay a hot water bag, covered with flannel, between the sheets. The pregnant woman should never suffer from chill or dampness.

The mental attitude of the expectant mother just before retiring is an important factor in insuring sleep. Family disputes, even discussions on impersonal problems, should be avoided. The woman engaged in a wordy argument on religion, politics, or any social question may go to bed so excited that she will go over and over the discussion when, for the sake of herself and her unborn child, she should be sleeping.