PREGNANCY, ITS SYMPTOMS, DISEASES, ETC.
=Sometimes Difficult to Tell.=--Even the most skilled physicians sometimes
make mistakes in stating that pregnancy exists when it does not.
=The First Sign.=--The most valuable and striking sign of pregnancy is the
cessation of the monthly periods; yet even this is not always reliable.
Sometimes menstruation continues for three or four months, especially
during the first pregnancy, although this is exceedingly rare. As a
rule, to which there is hardly an exception, if menstruation ceases in a
married woman who has previously been regular, she is, in all
probability, pregnant.
=Other Signs.=--Another important sign is the enlargement of the abdomen,
although this cannot be detected much before the fourth month. A
valuable sign, also, is the enlargement of the breasts, with a widening
and browning of the pink ring around the nipples. Enlargement of the
breasts often begins as early as the second month, and is quite marked
by the fourth or fifth month.
=Morning Sickness.=--Morning sickness is a symptom present in the majority
of cases. It usually consists of a marked nausea upon rising, and
perhaps vomiting. This may last only a few hours in the early morning,
or continue through the greater part of the day. It generally appears in
the second month and lasts only through the third month, although, in
bad cases, it may continue through the whole period, and very seriously
affect the health.
=Treatment.=--There are any number of remedies recommended for the
treatment of this morning sickness. What will cure one case seems to be
perfectly useless in another.
It has been my experience that the best way to manage these cases is as
follows: Have the person take a slice of toasted bread, or a toasted
cracker, with a little coffee if desired, while in bed, remaining there
at least half an hour after eating. Or, the person may take a glass of
milk to which two tablespoonfuls of lime water have been added. Then, by
rising slowly and moving about carefully, it is often possible to go
through the day without any sickness whatever. I have known many cases
to be entirely relieved by eating a little ordinary pop-corn.
=The Morning Meal.=--The morning meal may consist of milk to which a
little lime water has been added; or a poached or soft-boiled egg.
Sometimes scarped beef, lean and rare, salted and spread on very thin
bread, quiets the stomach at once, while it is highly nourishing.
=Only One Medicine Needed.=--It is surprising what happy changes Lydia E.
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound brings about in this condition. The
irritability subsides, the digestion is greatly improved, the nervous
system is strengthened, and all these uncomfortable and disagreeable
symptoms pass away. The Compound should be taken in small doses three
times a day, after meals.
=A Bandage May Relieve Nausea.=--An abdominal bandage will sometimes
relieve the morning sickness, if placed snugly, but not too tightly,
about the body. It need be worn only a week or two, for a trial, and
should always be taken off at night. If the nausea persists during the
day, then let the food be light and taken in small amounts, at frequent
intervals.
="Quickening."=--This is another sign of pregnancy. The word refers to the
detection by the mother of the movements of the child. Although, without
doubt, the child moves within the mother at a much earlier period, yet
these movements are too feeble to be noticed until pregnancy has
advanced four or four and a half months.
=Other Symptoms of Pregnancy.=--Other symptoms are morbid longings for
unusual articles of food, as sour apples, vinegar, charcoal, clay, slate
pencils, etc. These longings, however, should not be satisfied, as they
do not represent the demand of nature for these substances. They belong
to the same class of changes which are shown by a marked difference in
the disposition of a person whereby the lively and cheerful woman
becomes melancholy, gloomy, and irritable.
=Diet During Pregnancy.=--The diet during the whole of pregnancy should be
generous, yet easily digestible. A great many women do not change their
diet at all, and if the person is in good health and does not suffer in
any way, there is no reason whatever why the diet should be changed,
unless the evening meal be made somewhat lighter.
=Eat Sparingly of Meat.=--It is always wise not to eat meat more than once
a day. This is because a meat diet throws more work upon the kidneys,
and any failure of the kidneys increases the probability of serious
trouble at childbirth.
So far as is known, there is no foundation for the belief that any
special article of diet has any particular effect upon the development
of the child.
=Care of the Breasts.=--The care of the breasts during pregnancy must be
commenced early. All pressure of the clothing should be removed, in
order to give them full opportunity to develop. They should be kept
warm, however, and well supported, if the size renders them
uncomfortable.
=Mothers Should Nurse Their Children.=--Statistics show that the summer
diarrhoeas and dysenteries, which carry off such immense numbers of
children each year, are almost unknown among babies that nurse. It is
the artificially fed child which suffers from wasting diseases and
disturbances of the digestion which are so fatal to life. Therefore,
every prospective mother should do everything in her power to prepare
for the proper nursing of her child.
=Care of the Nipples.=--If the nipples are flat, they can be pulled out
gently each day with the fingers, and thus the difficulty entirely
remedied. At the beginning of the last month of pregnancy, the nipples
should be hardened in order that nursing may be painless, and that all
fissures, or cracks, may be avoided.
Every morning and night apply the following solution to the nipples with
a piece of absorbent cotton:--
Glycerite of Tannin, 1 fluid ounce.
Water, 1 fluid ounce.
Allow this to remain on the nipple. This cannot be used after
confinement, for the bitter taste would be objectionable to the child.
=Can Sex Be Foretold?=--Mothers often wish to know if it is possible to
determine the sex of the child before it is born. Although a great deal
has been written on this subject, and a number of so-called rules have
been made, yet it is absolutely impossible to tell whether the child
will be a boy or a girl; and it is also equally impossible to do
anything that could in any way exert an influence in producing a child
of the desired sex.
=To Tell Time of Confinement.=--For two hundred and eighty days, or forty
weeks, the prospective mother has been conducting herself in the best
way she thought possible, that all good might be exerted upon the new
life. The question now comes, When may the day of confinement be
expected? I give here a table for calculating this day, which I am sure
will be found very convenient.
OBSTETRICAL TABLE.
--------+----------------------------------------------
January | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Oct'r | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
Feb'y | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Nov'r | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
March | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Dec'r | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
--------+----------------------------------------------
April | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Jan'y | 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
--------+----------------------------------------------
May | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Feb'y | 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
--------+----------------------------------------------
June | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
March | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
July | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
April | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
--------+----------------------------------------------
August | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
May | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
Sept'r | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
June | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
October | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
July | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
Nov'r | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Aug | 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
--------+----------------------------------------------
Dec'r | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Sept'r | 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
--------+----------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |Nov.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 |Dec.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 |Jan.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 20 27 28 29 30 |
22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20 30 31 1 2 3 4 |Feb.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |Mar.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 |April.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |May.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |June.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |July.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |Aug.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 |Sept.
---------------------------------------------+------
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 |
23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 |Oct.
---------------------------------------------+------
As labor occurs in the larger proportion of cases between 270 and
290 days from the first day of the last menstruation, 280 days is
the average. The table presents at a glance the beginning and end
of 280 days for every day in the year. Find the date of
menstruation in the upper line of the horizontal column, and the
figure below, with the corresponding month, will indicate 280 days.
=To Avoid Miscarriage.=--The pregnant woman must be very careful as the
usual time for menstruation approaches. It is then that any undue
effort, unusual lifting, excessive grief, or shock to the system, may
bring on a miscarriage. This is especially true if such a misfortune has
previously occurred.
=A Great Preventive.=--The most abundant testimony shows that Lydia E.
Pinkham's Vegetable Compound is an almost certain preventive to
miscarriage or abortion. It gives strength to the uterine walls, quiets
the first approach of pain, controls any spasmodic contractions, and
brings about such a healthy condition that all danger is averted. I
cannot speak too strongly of this Vegetable Compound for these cases. So
many mothers have written us that they are now happy in the possession
of a child, when, for time and time again, they would have a miscarriage
at the third or fourth month.
=Keep it in the House.=--Every pregnant woman should always keep in the
house a bottle of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. She does not
know the day when she will need it, and when that day comes she will
require it promptly.
At any time when there is soreness, tenderness, unusual pain, any
unnatural discharge, or any symptom whatever that shows pregnancy is not
pursuing a perfectly natural course, she should begin to use the
Vegetable Compound at once. It should be taken in small doses two or
three times a day, just enough to produce its strengthening, quieting,
and healing effects.
If she finds she has been overdoing, has strained herself in any way, or
fears that some unfortunate result will follow an extra hard day's
labor, let her take a few doses of Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound
as a certain preventive to future trouble.
=The One Universal Cure.=--In other words, I repeat what I have already
said so many times, that whenever there is trouble of any kind with any
part of the female generative organs, whenever these do not act in a
perfectly natural manner, then the Lydia E. Pinkham Vegetable Compound
is indicated; for it is the one great, universal and never-failing cure
for all the affections which fall to the lot of womankind.
=Makes Mother and Child Strong.=--Many thousands of wives owe the fact
that they are mothers to-day to this grand remedy, and thousands upon
thousands of children are happy, strong and robust because their
mothers were wise enough to use it. Keep it in the house. Do not be a
day without it. Have it where you can reach it at any time. Put your
confidence in it. 'Twill prove a never-failing friend to you in time of
need.
=Mothers' Marks.=--There is a wide belief among women that any strong
impression made at a certain time during pregnancy will exert a powerful
influence in producing some defect or deformity in the child. The
opposite is also held, to the effect that beautiful objects, delightful
music, and everything elevating and ennobling will have a favorable
effect upon the body or mind of the child.
An immense amount of testimony can be produced on both sides of this
question. The weight of evidence, however, is rather in favor of these
so-called "maternal impressions." In other words, it seems possible that
under very unusual conditions the mother may affect her unborn child
because of some powerful impression made upon the system.
Yet hundreds of thousands of mothers become frightened and undergo the
most terrible experiences without having the slightest unfavorable
effect upon the child; while other mothers give birth to deformed
children when they have been surrounded with every comfort and have not
been disturbed in any way. No one understands this subject, and but
little can truly be said about it.
=Hereditary Influences Are Strong.=--On the other hand, we all know how
strong is heredity. Therefore it is only acting the part of ordinary
wisdom for every pregnant woman to avoid all disagreeable things
possible and cultivate everything that is good and true.
=Early Training Necessary.=--When we come to study the theory of heredity,
we see that it is impossible for any mother to completely change her
course of life simply during pregnancy and have a corresponding effect
upon her child. To produce the best results on the offspring it is
necessary that the mother should have cultivated her own mind and body
through many years of training.
=Were Cured Early in Life.=--Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound has
done untold good to the present generation. There are hundreds of
thousands of children living to-day who are healthy and happy because
years before they were born their mothers, when young girls, took this
grand household medicine. They were restored to health, a great load was
lifted, and things again looked cheerful and bright, and in this
condition a happy baby was born into the world. =If you do not understand
your ailments write to Mrs. Pinkham, Lynn, Mass. Her advice is free and
always helpful. Such letters are strictly confidential and answered with
the help of women only.=