Getting ready to be a mother

by Carolyn Conant Van Blarcom

The expectant mother will be wise to avoid fried food, pastry, rich desserts, rich salad dressings and any other food which would ordinarily disagree with her.

Since the enjoyment of one’s meals promotes digestion at all times, the expectant mother should try to eat the things that she enjoys most and that agree with her. The average pregnant woman who has no symptoms of complications will usually be able to supply her own and her baby’s needs and at the same time keep within the bounds of safety if she selects her diet from the foods included in the following groups:

Animal Foods. Milk and eggs are the most satisfactory, but for the sake of variety and to tempt her appetite the expectant mother will usually be allowed to take rather sparingly, and preferably only once a day, of fish, the various kinds of shell fish, beef, lamb, chicken or game. Pork, veal and goose should be avoided as a rule, and particularly by women with whom they ordinarily disagree.

Soups. Thin soups and broths have little food value but because of their appetizing flavor and aroma are an aid to digestion, and frequently by stimulating a flagging appetite will help the expectant mother to eat and assimilate more than she would without them. But cream soups and purées have a high food value and, like thin soups and broths, also supply a definite amount of fluid which she must have.

Vegetables. The group of vegetables generally designated as “leafy” are of even greater importance to the expectant mother than they are to the average person. Of these she may safely eat onions, asparagus, celery, string beans, spinach, and she should make a point of taking a green salad, such as lettuce, cress or romaine, at least once daily. Sweet potatoes, white potatoes, rice, peas, Lima beans, tomatoes, beets and carrots, also, may be eaten with safety, as a rule, but cabbage, cauliflower, corn, egg-plant, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, cucumbers and radishes should be taken with great caution and avoided altogether if they cause gas or any kind of distress.

Fresh Fruits. A necessary part of the diet is fresh fruit, and among those fruits which are both beneficial and usually harmless are apples, peaches, apricots, pears, oranges, figs, cherries, pineapple, grapes, plums, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and grapefruit. These are more likely to be laxative if eaten alone, as before breakfast and at bedtime. Cooked fruits are also valuable articles of diet, but are probably less laxative than raw fruit. Some of the citrous fruits, oranges, grapefruit or lemons, should be taken daily because they possess a certain indispensable food value which is peculiar to them.

Cereals. For their nourishing and laxative qualities, cereals are important and their food value is increased by the milk and cream which are usually taken with them. Cooked cereals should invariably be cooked longer than the usual directions suggest. Bran, eaten alone as a cereal or in combination with other grains, is an excellent laxative.

Breads. Graham, cornmeal, whole wheat and bran bread are all good, in general the expectant mother will be on the safe side if she eats sparingly, if at all, of very fresh or hot breads and hot cakes.

Desserts. Desserts are very important for they add to the attractiveness of most people’s meals, and if wisely chosen and properly made, may supply a good deal of easily digested nourishment. They may include, in addition to fresh and cooked fruits and preserves, ice-cream, a wide variety of custards, creams and puddings made largely of milk, eggs and some ingredient to give substance and firmness, such as gelatin, cornstarch, rice, tapioca, farina, arrow-root and similar materials.

In general the expectant mother should eat an abundance of fruit and vegetables, taking at least some uncooked fruit and a green salad, daily, and make sure that her food contains a good deal of residue, such as is provided by fruit and coarse vegetables. This residue increases the bulk of the material in the intestines, and this helps to overcome the tendency toward constipation. As fat is less easily digested than starchy foods, and more likely to cause nausea during pregnancy, it is better to eat no more fat than usual but to supply the additional material which is needed after about the sixth month, by taking a little more starchy food. However, a slight increase only is necessary, and this chiefly during the last three or four weeks.