The mission of maternity clothing is to make the mother comfortable. For that reason experts are beginning to design raiment that is both comforting to the body and pleasing to the eye. The woman who has never worn flannels should not don them during pregnancy. They merely produce irritation which she should be spared. Union undergarments, with or without sleeves, come in cotton as well as wool, and are much better than the separate garments with bands. Particularly comforting are the maternity corsets, made largely of elastic. These have the side garters; no round leg garters should be worn. One-piece dresses with a drop skirt save the expectant mother another set of bands. All the clothing should be loose and easy, and it is well for the expectant mother to buy stockings, shoes and even gloves in a size larger than she ordinarily wears. Pressure on any part of the body affects the circulation and heart action of the pregnant woman. Patterns for maternity garments can be purchased at the agencies for all reliable pattern firms, and they deserve the consideration of the expectant mother who will suffer if she attempts to wear the clothing made for her use under ordinary conditions. The teeth should be especially guarded during pregnancy. They should be examined at regular intervals by the family dentist, and small cavities promptly filled. Both physicians and dentists claim that the teeth are extremely susceptible to decay during pregnancy for two reasons: first, because the mother’s system is drained of the lime salts which go to build up the bones of the child; second, because, as pregnancy progresses, acids are often retained in the system, and these, together with slight indigestion, affect the teeth. The breasts should be carefully watched, especially toward the end of pregnancy. The family physician should make an examination and see whether they require any special treatment. The nipples may be toughened by bathing them at bedtime and then covering them with lanolin and old linen or gauze. This prenatal care of the breasts and nipples may prevent great suffering immediately after the birth of the child. “All this is very well,” exclaims a busy home-maker, “but to follow this régime I must rearrange our entire scheme of living.” If this is true, then, indeed, motherhood will bring to that home a double blessing, for the life outlined in this chapter is a normal one, as good for the childless wife as for the expectant mother. And here is a case in point: