4. Simple, nourishing diet, carefully balanced, anti-toxic, rich in minerals, moderate in quantity, with a moderate amount of liquid.
The mother should of course be under the physician’s direction and observation during the entire period.
Clothing. The essentials are freedom and warmth. Maternity clothing need not be slovenly nor too obviously negligée. Elaborateness may better be expressed in the maternity clothes than upon the baby clothes. For dresses and coats a design with fullness at the sides, in the waist and skirt, with revers, and a high waist line, is especially good. The materials should be plain, or with a small, unobtrusive design. Clothing should be ample enough to encourage rather than prevent a slight perspiration, thus facilitating the elimination of waste.
The weight of the clothing should come from the shoulders. This is important in order to prevent any downward pressure upon the internal organs, as well as to allow for much deep breathing. It is possible by having a one-piece union suit, a brassiere for attachment of hose supporters, a combination corset cover and petticoat, and a one-piece dress.
All the clothing should be comfortably loose, especially any neckbands, sleeves, gloves, which may well be a size larger, as there is a slight swelling during this time. No round garters should be worn, as these impede the circulation in the legs and increase the possibility of varicose veins. The ankles should be well protected, because the blood vessels here are very near the surface and easily chilled, and as the blood returns from the legs to the trunk and internal organs, internal congestion might result from chilling of the lower extremities. Shoes should have low heels to prevent falling and rubber heels to minimize jars.
The corset is a moot question. The woman who has not been accustomed to wearing one is most fortunate now, for she has been developing and training the muscles of the back and trunk, which should be strong and flexible, equal to the special demands made upon them during the last four months and at the birth. If corsets have been the custom, it would be most advisable to discard them three or six months before motherhood is begun, and to give a systematic course of training to these muscles. Some physicians require their patients to discard corsets during this time. Their only possible value is to support the back and the bust, not as support for the abdomen. They may be harmful by crowding the internal organs, pressing any organs out of place, interfering with the fullest deep breathing and internal circulation, keeping the trunk muscles flabby and weak, compressing the breasts; and thereby causing more discomfort to the mother, depriving the baby of sufficient oxygen, making the birth longer and more difficult, and hindering nursing ability. A brassiere or comfortably fitted muslin waist is an adequate bust supporter; or a knitted breast binder is procurable which should be applied loosely enough to cause no compression, which hinders the development of the nursing glands. After the fourth month, the baby rises from the pelvis to the abdomen and the waist increases in size. Ordinary corsets then become especially dangerous. If for any reason a corset is then worn, it should be a special maternity style, such as the Ferris maternity waist. During the last month or two, it is advisable to discard even this corset, and if any support is necessary, to wear an abdominal supporting band, a knitted, shaped band being especially comfortable.
Food. The careful regulation of the diet and food-taking has vastly much to do with the comfort of the mother and the sturdiness of the baby. All the nourishment that the baby receives is derived from the substances that the mother takes in food and drink, which are digested in her system and conveyed from her circulation to his. It is a mistaken idea that the mother is “eating for two” and needs to increase the quantity. No increase in her normal requirement for protein or fat is considered either needed or desirable during the entire nine months, or any increase in carbohydrates until the last three months. The system cannot use the excess, which thereby only makes a greater tax upon the organs of elimination or clogs the system with poisons and overcrowds the abdominal organs. Abundance of mineral, especially lime, phosphorus, iron, and soda is essential. During the last three months there is an increase of about one fifth in the energy requirements, which is best met by an increase in the carbohydrates not to exceed this proportion. The following table gives the average dietetic needs of women:
| Sleeping | 0.4 | Calories per hour per pound body weight |
| Sitting quietly (at meals, reading, etc.) | 0.6 | ””””” |
| At light muscular exercise (dressing, standing, walking) | 0.8 | ””””” |
| At active muscular exercise | 1.4 | ””””” |
For example, for a woman weighing 125 pounds:
| Calories | ||||
| 10 | hours | resting | 0.4 × 125 × 10 | 500 |
| 5 | ” | sitting | 0.6 × 125 × 5 | 375 |
| 5 | ” | light exercise | 0.8 × 125 × 5 | 500 |
| 4 | ” | active exercise | 1.4 × 125 × 4 | 700 |
| Total for day | 2075 |