The expectant mother’s meals should be taken with clock-like regularity, eaten slowly and masticated thoroughly. Three meals a day will usually suffice during at least the first half of pregnancy. The possible need for slight additional food after that may be supplied more satisfactorily by lunches of milk, cocoa or broth and crackers or toast, between meals and upon retiring, than by taking larger meals. But if the patient has a tendency to nausea, early in pregnancy, she will often be able to control it by taking a little food regularly five or six times daily, instead of the usual three meals.
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 making 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 intestinal contents, which stimulates peristaltic action and thus helps to overcome the tendency toward constipation. As fat is less easily digested, and more likely to cause nausea during pregnancy, than carbohydrates, it is better for the patient to eat no more fat than usual, but to supply the additional energy needed after about the sixth month, by taking a little more starch. But after all, only a slight increase is needed, and this chiefly during the last three or four weeks.
It is of the greatest importance that every pregnant woman drink an abundance of fluid, to act as solvent for her food and waste material, and stimulate the activity of her kidneys, skin and bowels. She needs about three quarts daily, and most of this should be water, the remainder consisting of milk, cocoa, soup, and other liquids.
Alcohol should not be taken under any circumstances, except upon a doctor’s order, while tea and coffee, if taken at all, should be used with moderation. The patient should be advised to avoid fried food, pastry, rich desserts, rich salad-dressings and any other food which would ordinarily disagree with her. In fact any article of food that disagrees with her in a non-pregnant state should be avoided during pregnancy, no matter how valuable it may be as nourishment to the majority of people.
On the other hand, it sometimes happens that an article of food which is likely to disagree with other people will be easily digested by the pregnant woman, and if it adds to the pleasure of her meals should not be taboo, for the enjoyment of one’s meals promotes digestion. So-called “cravings” are not as common in fact as they are in rumor, but the expectant mother may have a capricious appetite and display strange likes and dislikes for certain dishes, possibly because of her tendency to be nauseated.
The average pregnant woman with no symptoms of complications will be able to supply her needs, and at the same time keep within the bounds of safety if she selects her diet from such groups as the following:
Animal Foods.—Milk and eggs are the most satisfactory, but for the sake of variety, and to tempt her appetite, she will usually be allowed to have fish, the various kinds of shell fish, beef, lamb, chicken or game rather sparingly, preferably only once a day. 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 will stimulate a flagging appetite and prompt the patient to eat and assimilate more than she would without them. Cream soups and purées obviously have a high food value, and, like thin soups and broths, also supply a definite amount of fluid which the patient must have.
Vegetables.—The group of vegetables usually 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 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 may also 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 flatulence 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 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 citrus fruits, oranges, grapefruit and lemons, should be taken daily because of their antiscorbutic properties.