Fig. 10.—Front and side views of a satisfactory maternity corset, adjusted at the fifth month of pregnancy. (By courtesy of Emma E. Goodwin, New York.)
Fig. 11.—Front, side and back views of home-made binder for supporting a heavy, pendulous abdomen during later weeks of pregnancy. It is adjusted as the expectant mother lies down, the ends being crossed in the back and pinned to the lower margin of the front, thus giving additional support.
Also breast-binder made of a straight strip of soft cotton material, 10 or 12 inches wide and 2 yards long. This is crossed in front and held with safety-pins, the ends being carried over the shoulders and pinned to the back of the binder. It should be snug below the breasts but loose over the nipples. The openings over the nipples show how this binder may be used to support the breasts of the nursing mother. (From photographs taken at the Maternity Centre Association, New York.)
Even a properly fitting maternity corset may become uncomfortable during the last few weeks of pregnancy, and have to be replaced by an abdominal supporter of linen or rubber. And when this stage is reached, even the woman who has worn no corsets may find that she is more comfortable if she adopts such a support, particularly at night. There are many admirable binders on the market, or such an one as is illustrated in Figs. [11] and 12 may easily be made at home as well as comfortable and inexpensive stocking supporters, made from tapes or strips of muslin, as in Fig. [13].
Fig. 12.—Abdominal binder used in Fig. [11], showing darts at top of front to fit it over the abdomen.
Your shoes, also, merit some thought, for your feet will probably be larger during the latter part of pregnancy, partly because of the possibility of their being somewhat swollen and partly because the increased weight of your body tends to spread them. This added weight also increases the strain put upon the arch and as a result, flat-foot is fairly common among expectant mothers who have not taken pains to have their arches well supported. Your shoes would better be an inch longer than those you ordinarily wear; they should have broad, common sense heels and fit snugly over the instep, in spite of being full large. If your shoes are not comfortable you will find yourself tiring easily and for this reason will tend to take less exercise than you should.
Another reason for the need of proper shoes is that as pregnancy advances the expectant mother becomes rather unsteady on her feet, and broad, firm heels help to make her feel more secure. The heels need not be flat at first, if you have been accustomed to wearing high ones, for the sudden lowering of the heels may injure your arches, but as the weeks wear on you would better adopt moderately low heels. High French heels should be avoided because they not only increase the difficulty and discomfort of walking but cause backache, as well, by forcing a position that adds to the pressure on the lower part of the abdomen. They increase the risk of turning the ankles, too, and of tripping and falling, which is a very serious accident for the expectant mother.
Fig. 13.—Front and back view of home-made stocking supporters made of webbing or 1–inch strips of muslin and a pair of child’s side garters. The straps are sewed together in the back, but pinned in front to permit adjustment as the abdomen enlarges. (By courtesy of the Maternity Centre Association, New York.)