Show Your Baby Laby and aud Mine nE nEBy By l MEYER rEYER ELDRED MYRTLE 2 MEYER ELDRED IMPORTANCE Jl OF PRENATAL CARE CANNOT V BE OVEREMPHASIZED OVEREMPHASIZED OVERa OVER OVER- a EMPHASIZED El The subject of or prenatal care should bo be 0 vitally interesting to the people of 1 any nation whose maternal death rate ate is as high as that of or both the United States and Canada Compared Com Com- pared ared to The Netherlands or Denmark Denmark Den Den- mark marl we vc should hould hide our heads In shame hame If those countries lose only a fraction more noe than one or two mothers per thousand why should we lose five and six per thousand we have not succeeded ded in tn pounding home the importance of prenatal care The prospective mother leans toward oward the viewpoint that tha childbirth childbirths Is s natural and that she docs does not need any special care unless her symptoms toms oms are such as to tomake make her violently vie vio- uncomfortable Some Somo mothers moth moth- ers stoically accept even cven the latter burdens without realizing that they are unnecessary and really detrImental detrimental detri- detri mental to the good health of or the mothers and of ot their babies One of the commonplace queries sent ent to this department by Ive tive mothers is Do I need to see ee a doctor as long as I feel all right Where there Is such a universal Ignorance ig ignorance Ig- Ig norance of oC the importance of the right kind of prenatal care there is 18 not much chance that we shall very rapidly reduce that maternal death rate l No ma matter ter how a mother feels b whether very good or utterly miserable miser miser- I able she should make a a. visit to a l doctor the moment she is certain of I her condition She should become familiar with th the kind of diet which It Is advisable for her to cat eat She should understand the value of ex exercIse exercise ex- ex which activities to avoid and which to encourage She should seek information on how to dress comfortably becomingly and health health- fully She should know the value ol of dally daily baths of dally daily eliminations of plenty of water to drink and of the vital necessity for Increased medical supervision when things seem eem to be out of the ordinary My on Information for forthe forthe forthe the Prospective Mother outlines a great many things which should be l b I l I Interesting and helpful durl during r period I also havea have a leaflet JU net ence Books for Parents whIch Lh government pamphlets and books devoted to this period a aas as the ones immediately after aft Is born Either or both of these thes lets ets may be obtained by any re r who sends a self addressed st fita clan envelope with her request t to Your Baby and Mine of this newspaper By diligent y read Ing and monthly visits to tor her heror or r clinic or maternity center mother arms herself with th the kno Wl il edge and information which pr her for healthy motherhood 1 |