The relations between the mother and the embryo.—The little embryo has projecting from its body, at the point called the navel, a large cord, larger around than one of its legs. This cord is called the umbilical cord and connects the embryo with the upper part of the womb. Here the cord seems to branch out and to form a rather thick membrane which entirely surrounds the embryo. Where the umbilical cord connects with the womb there are thousands of small blood vessels. Here the blood of the mother bathes the blood vessels of the umbilical cord. In this way the embryo absorbs from the mother’s blood the materials from which its bones, muscles, brain, nerves and spinal cord are built. In this way the blood of the mother furnishes her forming child pure oxygen. In this way also the mother is furnishing the embryo with life—physical, mental and spirit life. Here, too, she gives it joyous or sorrowful thoughts, a good or bad disposition, a frail or strong constitution, mental brilliancy or mental dullness, and influences its character in many ways before it sees the light of day.
The order of special maternal attention.—During the first three and four months the mother should breathe the purest air, drink the purest water and eat plenty of wholesome, nutritious food. The physical health, strength and perfect development of the child’s body are largely determined during these months. During the fifth and sixth months the nervous system, including the brain centers, is being organized and developed. Attention to mental exercise during these months and the months following will influence the child favorably in after-life. The moral nature of the child is more largely influenced by the mother during the eighth and ninth months than during the previous months. This indicates roughly the order of special attention that should be given by the mother to her forming child.
Symptoms of impregnation.—After impregnation has taken place and the days and months pass by, certain signs appear which tell her that she is to become a mother. The menses stop, the breasts enlarge, a dark color appears about the nipples, the abdomen enlarges and about the fourth month she feels the distinct movements of the fetus. This movement is called fetal life. However, life existed in the embryo from the beginning. Feeling the movements of the fetus only indicates that the fetus has grown to where it has strength enough to make its presence known.
Birth.—At the end of two hundred and eighty long days, nine full months, three-fourths of a year, the strong muscles of the womb contract, and all the muscles of the abdominal and pelvic cavities are called into action to expel the child from its maternal cradle or home.
All of nature’s maternal processes, from the initial of life in the tiny egg, through all the mysterious and interesting changes of embryonic and fetal development, until the babe is easily and quickly conveyed by muscular energy from its warm, cozy, maternal abode and introduced to a world of independent life and activity, are a sublime miracle—the miracle of motherhood.
The maternal instinct.—The maternal instinct is inherent in every normal girl. It is this maternal nature that prompts little girls to play with their dolls and with childish glee and innocent sincerity to organize their doll families into beautiful imitation of real life. The natural desire of every girl, as she matures during the years of adolescence, is that she may one day become a mother.
A perfect body essential to ideal motherhood.—The beautiful ideals of wifehood and the sacred ideals of motherhood can come in their fullness only to those who make themselves worthy. The broad-minded, sensible girl will not bind her young growing figure with a corset, pinch her undeveloped feet by wearing tight, high-heeled shoes, ruin her neck with high, stiff collars, expose her shoulders and bosom to the varying changes of temperature by wearing low-necked dresses, ruin her health and throttle her mind and soul in a cradle of ignorance.
The independent girl.—All girls should qualify themselves for some vocation, aside from marriage. The girl who stays at home and has nothing to do but dress and primp and wait for some man to come along and marry her is likely to develop into a flippant, extravagant social nonentity. The girl who qualifies herself for some vocation will not be a burden to her parents. She will learn the value of money, will acquire self-confidence and personal dignity, will multiply the red corpuscles in her blood, and thus be able to give her hand and heart to her coming prince with the knowledge that she is quite capable of entering upon the new duties of home-building.
All girls should have training for motherhood.—But whatever be the place or position to which you may aspire, you should also seek the training necessary to ideal motherhood. Your mother instinct calls for plenty of roomy quarters for the fetus. It is the mother instinct that demands open-air athletics, free chest expansion and a correct poise and carriage of body. It is the mother love that calls for books and magazines that give special articles on courtship, marriage and the sacred mission of motherhood.