The Prospective Mother, a Handbook for Women During Pregnancy

by J. Morris Slemons

With regard to the mineral substances, likewise investigations indicate that the "housekeeping" of the body during pregnancy proceeds along unusually economic lines. It is not advisable, therefore, to make any change in the diet with regard to these substances. Attempts have been made to cut down the amount of minerals in the food for the purpose of softening the fetal skeleton. The success sometimes attributed to these efforts is, however, very doubtful, for we know that the mother's tissues will be robbed of minerals for the embryo whenever her food fails to contain them in sufficient amount for her own needs and those of the child. Practically speaking, the mineral content of diet during pregnancy requires no thought, for so long as meat and vegetables are eaten in satisfactory quantity the mineral nutrition will take care of itself.

The food-stuffs which supply heat and energy, since the amount of energy utilized by the body during the latter months of pregnancy is somewhat in excess of that previously required, do not follow the same rule as the protein and the mineral matter. It has been found that just before the fetus becomes mature the energy requirements of the mother are approximately one-fifth greater than in the non- pregnant condition. It is certain, however, that no extra demand for energy exists until the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, and that the excessive requirement is extremely small until the last three or four weeks. Even then the prospective mother requires less energy- giving food than the average man.

Since the body handles carbohydrate more readily than fat, it is preferable that whatever additional energy pregnancy necessitates should be supplied by carbohydrates. An increase in the daily consumption of fatty food, over and above that previously found agreeable, is not only unnecessary but undesirable. Every-day experience teaches that less fat taken with the meals promotes the comfort of the prospective mother. A glass of rich milk a little before meal time, however, not only makes up for this omission but also prevents "heart-burn," a very common ailment of pregnancy.

Although there is an appreciable increase in the quantity of starch and sugar utilized toward the end of pregnancy, it is generally quite unnecessary to increase these materials correspondingly in the diet. Nearly everyone eats more of all the food-stuffs than the body needs. In the case of the prospective mother the surplus ordinarily taken meets every need incident to her additional energy requirements. Because we eat more than we need, someone has said, with as much truth as humor, that prospective mothers "neither want nor need to eat for two. The fact is more likely that enough for one is too much for two." For the average woman it is wiser to take less during pregnancy rather than more, for over-indulgence is apt to lead to indigestion. The moment when the appetite is satisfied should be accepted as the stopping point, and that will be instinctively recognized if one eats deliberately, and thoroughly masticates the food.

Regularity in the hour of eating is always healthful, and for some prospective mothers three meals a day prove quite satisfactory. Not a few, however, who adhere to this habit make the mistake of eating more than is wise; and large meals are particularly inappropriate to pregnancy. On this account most prospective mothers will be more comfortable if they take some simple and wholesome nourishment at fixed times between meals. Such an arrangement modifies a ravenous appetite, and it is, at the same time, beneficial to those who are not inclined to eat enough at the regular meals. If small amounts of food are taken five or six times a day, a tendency to be nauseated, which is not uncommon in the early months of pregnancy, can often be averted. In the latter months, too, because the capacity of the stomach is diminished through the encroachment of the enlarged womb, frequent meals generally contribute toward comfort and health. While the inevitable consequences of overloading the stomach are to be avoided at all times of the day, it is especially important to remember the disagreeable results of a hearty meal at night. The evening meal should be a light one and should be eaten three or four hours before going to bed.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIQUID NOURISHMENT.—Every prospective mother should have brought to her attention the great importance of drinking water at regular times and in larger quantities than was formerly her custom. Since water constitutes two-thirds of the substance of our bodies, it is necessary, of course, for everyone; but during pregnancy it is especially necessary for the building of new tissue and for safeguarding the mother's kidneys. Prospective mothers would protect themselves against a number of ailments if they were more careful to drink a sufficient amount of liquids. They may easily determine whether they are doing so, for whenever the urine passed during twenty-four hours measures less than a quart, they are not drinking enough. Generally the daily elimination of urine fluctuates between two and three pints; a larger amount, however, is rather a favorable indication than the reverse.

The variations in the quantity of liquids that healthy persons drink make it impossible to say just how much anyone should take. It may be said with confidence, however, that women who are pregnant should consume at least three quarts of fluid every day, and by far the greater portion of this should be water. The rest may be taken in the form of milk, soup, cocoa, and chocolate. Against the moderate use of tea and coffee no valid objection can be raised; the tradition that they may cause miscarriage is incorrect. For well-known reasons the habitual use of strong tea or coffee is always harmful, and it is, therefore, equally as objectionable during pregnancy as at other times. Beverages which contain a small percentage of alcohol, such as malt and beer, may or may not be helpful; they should be regarded as medicine, not to be taken without consulting a physician.

THE CHOICE OF FOOD.—There is no diet specifically adapted to the state of pregnancy; the prospective mother may usually exercise the same freedom as anyone else in the selection of food. She should, however, choose what will agree with her and avoid that which she cannot digest and assimilate. Personal experience in the main must guide everyone as to what to eat, and most women may follow the dictates of appetite after they become pregnant as safely as they did before.

It is true, of course, that careful scientific observations have taught not only what the nutritional requirements of the body are, but also how the diet may be arranged to satisfy these requirements most conscientiously and economically. "Caloric Feeding" is the name given the method which aims to furnish an individual the exact amount of food, and usually to furnish it at a minimum cost. Its principles are of great practical importance to the commissary of an army or to the purveyor of an institution which provides for large numbers of people; but it is neither necessary nor advisable that the diet of any healthy individual be regulated solely with a view to satisfying the actual requirements of his or her body. Food should possess other qualities than fuel value: first of all it must be appetizing, for appetizing food receives the most thorough digestion.

We all know how variable are our appetites. What appeals to one will not appeal to another, and frequently the same person has no appetite to-day for food that she will eat with relish to-morrow. Precise rules, therefore, to guide healthy persons in the selection of their food are not obtainable; neither are they desirable, for the exercise of individual preference possesses notable advantages. In order, however, that there may not also be disadvantages, the prospective mother, like anyone else, must be content to choose food that is simple, wholesome, and of such a character that it will not throw an undue burden upon the digestive organs.