8o2 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. . 



anaemia may often be corrected by a regimen of right food, fresh air and 

 hght outdoor exercise. 



The diet should be carefully regulated. Food is needed as usual to 

 supply all the needs of the mother for energy, repair and building of 

 tissue, and elimination of waste products. Besides this, provision must 

 be made for the demand upon the mother by the child. The baby is 

 born with bones and muscles ; blood vessels and nerves ; with a supply of 

 iron stored in its body sufficient to make good for the first year the de- 

 ficiency of iron in milk. All the materials used for this growth and for 

 storing are drawn from the blood stream of the mother. If the food of 

 the mother lacks greatly in any single thing or if her health is such as to 

 interfere with right assimilation of food, both mother and child may 

 sufiFer. When the growth or development is stunted by malnutrition 

 before birth no subsequent care will completely overcome the bad results. 

 If the defects in diet are slight, the development, of the child may not be 

 interfered with, but the mother n:ay suffer. The rule is that nature cares 

 most for the new generation and will protect the child at the expense of 

 the mother. The supply of food needed for the child's development 

 will be drawn from the mother's blood even at a considerable cost to her. 

 If the diet is very poor or the defect in nutrition is very great both mother 

 and child suffer. 



Food for the mother. — Proteid, so essential for the growth of the new 

 organism, should be mainly in the form of milk and eggs, or some well- 

 cooked vegetable protein food as legumes and cereals. Meat should be 

 eaten in but limited amounts, since it increases the work of the kidneys, 

 and they should be spared as much as possible at this period. In remov- 

 ing meat from the diet one source of iron is withdrawn. Eggs will more 

 than make good the amount withdrawn. 



Fats should be eaten only in such amounts as may easily be borne. 

 Fat as it occurs in cream, butter, milk and eggs is better than fat in meats, 

 in rich pastries or fried food, since the latter form is less easy to digest. 

 The digestion is doing double duty and should not be overtaxed. Besides 

 this, the organs of digestion are often a little crowded and have not their 

 normal ability. 



Sugars and starches should be eaten as they occur in cereals, legumes, 

 nuts, fruits and vegetables, for in this form not only the energy of these 

 two food-stuffs is supplied, but other substances needed in the diet are 

 increased, particularly mineral and bulky material. 



Mineral matter. — There should be an abundance of mineral matter, 

 iron for red corpuscles, phosphorus to stimulate growth, lime for bones. 

 This will be supplied by a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, milk and 

 eggs. Frequently the diet at this time lacks some one element of mineral 



