Getting ready to be a mother

by Carolyn Conant Van Blarcom

“Distress.” Another common discomfort of pregnancy is called “distress” by the sufferers themselves, and occurs after eating. It may be neither heartburn nor pain, but resemble both and make the expectant mother very miserable. It is usually suffered by women who eat rapidly, do not chew their food thoroughly or who eat more at one time than the stomach can hold comfortably. This is one more reason for taking small amounts of food at a time, eating slowly and masticating thoroughly.

Flatulence, or “gas,” may or may not be associated with heartburn, but is fairly common among expectant mothers, and is rather uncomfortable. A daily bowel movement is of prime importance in preventing and relieving flatulence and at the same time foods which form gases should be carefully omitted from the diet. The chief offenders are parsnips, beans, corn, fried foods, sweets of all kinds, pastry and very sweet desserts. Yeast cakes and artificially fermented milk sometimes help to prevent flatulence.

Pressure Symptoms. Under the general heading of pressure symptoms are several forms of discomfort resulting from pressure of the enlarged uterus (containing the baby) on the blood-vessels which return from the lower part of the body, thus interfering with the flow of blood back to the heart. The commonest pressure symptoms are swollen feet, varicose veins, hemorrhoids (piles), cramps in the legs and shortness of breath. They may appear at any time during the last half of pregnancy and they grow worse as the weeks wear on.

Fig. 14.—Right-angled position to relieve swelling or varicose veins of the feet and legs. (By courtesy of the Maternity Centre Association.)

Swelling of the feet is very common, and when very slight may not be serious or particularly uncomfortable. The swelling may be confined to the back of the ankle, which grows white and shining, or it may extend all the way up the legs to the thighs. Sitting down, with the feet resting on a chair, or lying down with the feet elevated on a pillow will give a certain amount of relief. If the swelling and discomfort are extreme, the expectant mother may have to go to bed until they subside, but very often she will be relieved by elevating her feet or assuming the right-angled position shown in Fig. [14], for even a little while, several times a day. But while employing these harmless measures to make yourself comfortable, you must remember that the swelling of your feet and ankles is one of the symptoms that your doctor wants to know about. For this reason you should promptly report to him even the slightest swelling and begin to measure and save your urine for examination.

Varicose veins are not peculiar to pregnancy but they are among the pressure symptoms which frequently appear during the later months, particularly among women who have borne children. The enlargement of the veins is not usually serious but it may cause a good deal of discomfort. While varicose veins may occur in the vulva, they are usually confined to the legs, and both legs are about equally affected. Sometimes, however, the veins in the right leg are more distended than those in the left, or the right side alone may be affected.

Considerable relief may be obtained by keeping off the feet, particularly by elevating them, and also by the use of elastic bandages. When an expectant mother finds it difficult or nearly impossible to sit or lie down for any length of time, she may secure great relief in a few moments by lying flat on the bed with her legs extended straight into the air, at right angles to her body, resting against the wall or head board, as shown in Fig. [14]. This right-angled position for five minutes, three or four times a day, will accomplish wonders in reducing varicose veins.

A spiral elastic bandage, also, will give comfort and help to prevent the veins from growing larger, if applied freshly after each time that the leg is elevated. The most satisfactory bandages, from the standpoint of expense, comfort and cleanliness, are of stockinette or of flannel cut on the bias, measuring three or four inches wide and eight or nine yards long. If made of flannel, the selvages should be whipped together smoothly so that there is neither ridge nor pucker at the seam. The bandage should be wrapped around the leg with firm, even pressure, starting with a few turns over the foot to secure it, and leaving the heel uncovered, carried up the leg to a point above the highest swollen vessels. As a rule the bandage may be left off at night.

There are satisfactory elastic stockings on the market, but they are fairly expensive, often cannot be washed and seem to offer no practical advantage over the bandages.