CLOTHING.—In these days at least it is not idle to remark that the first use of clothes is to keep the body warm; all other services they are made to perform are secondary and relatively unimportant. There are very good reasons, to be sure, for dressing neatly and even for dressing in accord with the fashion, so long as the prevailing styles are not harmful. Odd as it may seem, these are matters which are not without significance for the physical well-being of a prospective mother. Neat and comfortable clothing will help her to overcome a natural inclination to become a "stay-at-home," and on this account an inconspicuous way of dressing is often more valuable than medicine. So long as they do not attract attention, most prospective mothers go out in the day time, mingle with their acquaintances, and attend public places of amusement. Deference to fashion, therefore, may contribute substantially to good health.
Yet no prospective mother can afford to forget that first of all her clothing must keep the body warm. Our clothing confines a cushion of air which prevents the escape of the heat that we generate. Now, since dry air conducts heat poorly and moist air conducts it readily, the underclothes should be made of material that absorbs the perspiration; otherwise the heat that the body generates is quickly lost. Woolen garments effectually absorb the perspiration and should be given the preference. Most persons who cannot wear wool next the skin must choose cotton, since silk and linen are much more expensive; there is not in this, however, a serious deprivation. Cotton undergarments are perfectly hygienic; adapting their weight to the season of the year, one will find them equally satisfactory in summer and winter.
Except in summer every inch of the body should be covered with the underclothing; this means that high-neck and long-sleeve shirts and long drawers should be worn, for healthful activity of the skin can thus be best preserved. It is well known to physicians who practice obstetrics that the kidneys fail in their work more frequently during the winter than the summer. To my mind, this is chiefly explained by the way women dress. Even with light clothing the sweat glands respond actively to the heat of summer and thus relieve the kidneys, but in cold weather the sweat glands will not remove their share of the waste products unless the clothing is warm.
Nature generally indicates that the body should be kept warm during pregnancy. Many prospective mothers complain of perspiring freely; others, if reproached because they are not clad warmly enough, reply that they must wear light clothing to keep from perspiring. Thus they discount or render absolutely ineffective a most important natural safeguard against serious complications. It cannot be too strongly emphasized that warm clothing helps to maintain healthful activity of the kidneys quite as much as a proper amount of exercise and the drinking of a suitable quantity of water.
The texture of the outer garments should take into account this same quality of warmth; in other respects in selecting them personal taste is an excellent guide. Outfitters carry a variety of maternity garments; patterns for such garments are also sold by dealers, so that those who cannot afford the ready-made clothes will find it easy to have them made at home. Alterations in the clothing are compulsory as pregnancy advances, and should be timely, made in anticipation of inevitable development rather than in response to it. No prospective mother need go to the extreme of "Reform Clothes"; her apparel should illustrate both her good sense and her personal pride.
It is obviously even more harmful during pregnancy than at other times to cramp the body by the clothing; the chest and the abdomen, the parts most likely to be compressed, are at such times most in need of freedom. To a slight degree natural causes always compress the chest from below upward; and on this account nothing should be allowed to hamper the expansion of the lungs from side to side. On the other hand, if the waist is constricted, not the breathing movements alone but also the growth of the womb will be interfered with. In order to avoid such disagreeable consequences, and at the same time to limit the extent of the maternity wardrobe, skirts may be fitted with practical devices which permit letting out the waistband as occasion demands. So far as possible, however, all the clothing should be hung from the shoulders, and under no circumstances should heavy skirts be worn.
Shoes contribute toward health, or the lack of it, more significantly than the average person realizes. It is particularly advisable that prospective mothers should select foot-wear with care, because their bodies are heavier than usual. The feet are apt to become swollen in the latter months of pregnancy, and consequently the shoes should be roomy, but should always fit. To escape the discomfort of tight shoes, it is generally advisable to wear a shoe an inch longer and broader than the foot at rest.
High heels have been proved a frequent cause of back-ache; half of such cases, in all probability, may be thus explained. High heels tilt the body forward in such a way that the erect posture can be maintained only by an unnatural tenseness of the back-muscles. Some strain of this kind is inevitable during the latter months of pregnancy on account of the enlargement and the position of the womb; it is reasonable, therefore, to minimize it by wearing low, broad heels.
Besides being responsible for many cases of backache, high heels add greatly to the danger of tripping and falling; for this reason alone they should not be worn. Improper foot-gear and not the joints themselves deserve the blame for weak ankles. To prevent "turning the ankle," it is not necessary to restrict oneself to high shoes, but merely to see that the shoes that are worn have low heels and broad soles. Such shoes provide a sure, firm footing, and this the prospective mother particularly needs.
CORSETS.—No question connected with women's dress has provoked so much discussion as the use of corsets. "Are corsets necessary to health?" has been differently answered by those who would appear to be equally competent authorities. In the time of our savage ancestors we may safely conclude that they were not used; and, therefore, it is really a question as to whether their continued use for generation after generation has finally made some support of this kind indispensable to the average woman. While that matter has not as yet been settled, it is obvious that custom is really responsible for the conviction of many women that they appear slovenly without corsets. On the other hand, not a few women, unmindful of fashion, never wear them; they testify that they are healthier for doing so. Whether this be true or not, no one can honestly believe that corsets will soon be banished; and the practical problem is to distinguish between those that may do good and those certain to do harm.