Care of the Teeth. It is important that the pregnant woman give her teeth excellent care, for in addition to the conditions with which we all have to cope, she must combat the effect of her tendency to have an acid stomach. And her teeth are prone to decay and crumble, since the fetus extracts lime salts from her bones and teeth, unless she is careful to take in through her food a supply which is adequate to meet the fetal needs. It is therefore advisable for her to place herself under the care of a dentist, as soon as she knows of her pregnancy, and have any necessary work done at that time, as delay may be serious.
Some physicians think it advisable to have an X-ray examination of the teeth made as a routine, in order to discover any existing pockets of pus at the apices of devitalized teeth. They feel, that because of the somewhat unstable condition of the pregnant organism, these localized infections are more of a menace to the expectant mother than to the ordinary individual, and that in some cases they should be drained.
As to daily care of the teeth, the patient should use dental floss and brush her teeth after each meal, and use an alkaline mouth wash several times daily, particularly after vomiting and before retiring. Much damage may be done by the acid secretions in the mouth if they are allowed to bathe the teeth through the long night stretches. Common cooking-soda, lime-water or milk of magnesia make excellent mouth washes.
Traveling. In this day, when people travel so much and so easily, it is common to hear discussions as to its advisability for the prospective mother. Like many other details of prenatal care, this point cannot be settled once for all women, nor for all stages of pregnancy. Each patient’s general condition must be considered; her tendency to nausea; the length of the journey and the ease with which it may be made, and whether or not she has ever had, or been threatened with an abortion. In general, traveling is less hazardous for the expectant mother to-day than it was formerly, to just the extent that it causes less strain, discomfort and fatigue. But as a rule it is considered wise for her to avoid traveling during the first sixteen and the last four weeks of pregnancy, and at the times when menstruation would ordinarily occur. Obviously, then, in the interests of prevention, a journey should not be undertaken at any time without a physician’s approval.
The marital relation is usually considered inadvisable in all cases after the eighth month of pregnancy, and among women who have had abortions or miscarriages it is best omitted throughout the entire period of gestation. This is particularly true of elderly primiparæ.
COMMON DISCOMFORTS DURING PREGNANCY
There are many minor disturbances which overtake the pregnant woman, and though not serious in themselves, her comfort is greatly increased by having them relieved, and this promotes her general welfare. The relief of these discomforts, when they are slight or only temporary, sometimes resolves itself into little more than a question of nursing. When long continued or severe, however, they constitute complications which the doctor treats accordingly.
Nausea and vomiting are probably the commonest disturbances of pregnancy and vary from the slightest feeling of nausea when the patient first raises her head in the morning, to persistent and frequent vomiting which then assumes grave proportions and is termed “pernicious vomiting.” Although it is possible that even the slightest nausea is due to a mild toxemia, there can be no doubt that in many instances the patient’s mental attitude is an important factor.
Dr. Slemons makes the interesting observation, that women who are unaware of their pregnancy for several months are seldom troubled with nausea, while those who erroneously believe themselves to be pregnant will suffer from this well-known symptom of pregnancy, until convinced of their mistake. The nausea then subsides.
As there is a marked tendency toward nausea during early pregnancy, it may be brought on by slight causes which would not produce it under ordinary conditions. Anxiety, grief, fright, shock, incessant worrying, fits of rage, introspection, brooding, or any great emotional stress may cause nausea when the diet is entirely satisfactory. But indiscretions in diet, rapid or over-eating also may cause nausea and vomiting in the expectant mother.