the
office, or other place of employment, should stop work during these
last two or three months. The active club woman should pass the
burdens on to others, and the woman of leisure should withdraw from
active social life with its varied obligations. During the final weeks
of pregnancy, the prospective mother needs the same hygienic care
regarding fresh air, exercise, diet, and water drinking, as outlined
in a former chapter.

THE FINAL WEEKS

As the gravid uterus rises higher in the abdomen, increased pressure
is exerted on the stomach, the lungs, and upon the nerve centers of
the back; and it is because of this situation, that the duties and
obligations of the prospective mother should be reduced to a minimum,
that she may feel at liberty to lie down several times during the day
on the porch or in a well-ventilated room, in the midst of the best
possible surroundings. Sexual intercourse should be largely
discontinued during the last months of pregnancy.

I sometimes wish the prospective mothers in our dispensary districts
might have some of the care and the kind treatment which is bestowed
upon an ordinary prospective mother horse, which at least enjoys a
vacation from heavy labor, and whose food is eaten with calm nerves
and in the quietness of a clean stall. While the state of the mother's
mind does not materially influence the child; nevertheless, the state
of the mother's body, the weary over-worked muscles and nerves of
hot, tired women, bending over cook stoves, laundry tubs, or scrubbing
floors, does materially derange the mother's health and digestion,
which in turn, reflexly interferes with the growth and physical
development of her child. Extra strength is required for the day of
labor, and since the baby doubles its weight during the last two
months, the mother is living for two, and should, therefore, avoid
extreme fatigue, over tiring, and irksome labor during these final
weeks of watchful waiting.

SELECTION OF THE HOME

It may or may not be within the province of prospective parents to
rearrange, rebuild, or otherwise change the home. Usually the size of
the pocketbook, the bank account, or the weekly pay envelope decide
such things for us. The home may be in the country or suburbs, with
its wide expanse of lawns, its hedges of shrubbery, and with its
spacious rooms and porches; or it may be a beautifully equipped,
modern apartment on the boulevard of a city, with its sun parlors,
large bac