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Constipation is a common trouble among pregnant women and
should be carefully dealt with. The occasional dose of castor oil, or
some other powerful aperient, cannot be considered satisfactory.
Efforts should first of all be made to relieve the condition by care as to
the diet of the expectant mother. Fruit and vegetables (the latter
mixed with oil, if necessary), a sufficient intake of fluid and moderate
exercise should be advised. If these measures fail it may be necessary
to resort to aperients. These should be taken in small daily doses to
ensure regularity of action rather than in larger but less frequent doses.
The actual drug used will vary with the individual, but it is probable
that some form of saline aperient will be found applicable in the
najority of cases.
Sanitation.—The sanitary condition of the home, its order and
cleanliness, are matters of much importance, and should on no account
be neglected by the health visitor in her ante-natal visiting, as well as
later.
Preparation for the infant.—The continued efforts of health visitors,
both municipal and voluntary, to secure more suitable clothing for
infants, has undoubtedly led to considerable improvement in most areas
where this work is energetically carried on.
It is not unusual, however, for little preparation to be made for the
clothing of the expected infant, or, if made, it may be of unsuitable
type.
There is a tendency to pay more attention to the clothing of the
child after the early weeks of life. This is clearly erroneous, since the
greatest care will be required immediately after birth.
The thin cotton shirt for newly-born infants and garments leaving
the arms bare still persist in many areas, as does also the heavy, but
not warm, flannelette petticoat or dress with cotton bodice or lining, for
children after the first weeks of life.
Suitable advice as to the clothing of the infant given before birth
may secure great improvements, since it is generally found that the
mother is more ready to provide satisfactory clothing than to change
from unsatisfactory garments to those recommended by the health
visitors after the confinement.
It is essential that advice as to the importance of breast-feeding
should be given. The value of supplying the infant with the food
designed for it by nature need hardly be pointed out.