Swelling of the feet should be at once attended to. It may be a trifling matter due only to pressure of the womb; then again it may be due to some kidney trouble. The physician will determine the true cause and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Liver Spots. Chloasma. In some cases irregular brownish patches or splotches develop on the skin around the breasts, on the sides, or on the face. These patches are known popularly as liver spots or in medical language as chloasma. Nothing can be done for them, but they generally disappear after the pregnancy is over. A few patches here and there may remain permanently.
Chapter Twelve[ToC]
WHEN TO ENGAGE A PHYSICIAN
Necessity for the Pregnant Woman Immediately Placing Herself Under Care of Physician and Remaining Under His Care During Entire Period.
The disorders and disturbances described above are, with the exception of pernicious vomiting, of a minor nature. They are annoying, may cause considerable discomfort and suffering, but they do not endanger the life of the woman or of the child. Occasionally, however, fortunately not very often, the kidneys become affected, and for this condition treatment by a physician is absolutely necessary. In fact, the correct and safe thing for a woman to do is to consult a physician as soon as she knows she is pregnant, and have him take care of her during the entire pregnancy. Some women engage a physician during the eighth or ninth month and this is decidedly wrong, because it may then be too late to correct certain troubles which if taken at the outset could have been easily cured; while many troubles in the hands of a competent physician can be prevented altogether. I must therefore reiterate: every woman should engage a physician from the beginning of her pregnancy, or at least during the third or fourth and certainly not later than the fifth month. He will examine the urine every month and make sure that the kidneys are in order, he will make sure that the child is in a normal position, and will prevent a host of other ills.
