~Meat in the Diet.~--Meat should be eaten sparingly by the prospective mother, as it imposes needless work upon the already taxed kidneys and, if eaten in excess, will give rise to dangerous complications. Milk and eggs will provide ample protein for all purposes. ~Albumen in the Urine.~--Albuminuria is one of the most frequent complications in pregnant women. It should be combated and controlled as soon as possible. The allowance of meat should be cut down or entirely eliminated from the diet until the urine clears up. When albuminuria is persistent in spite of efforts to overcome it, the patient must be placed upon a strict milk diet as used in acute nephritis, to prevent dangerous complications arising. LACTATION ~Diet of Mother.~--Her dietary need not differ materially from that to which she is accustomed. She must avoid indigestible foods or any article which has been proved to disagree with either the infant or herself. ~Factors Regarding Secretion of Milk.~--Constipation, worry, nervous excitement, and over-fatigue all have an unfavorable effect upon the secretion of milk and must therefore be avoided by the nursing mother. ~The Bowels.~--Constipation of the mother reacts quickly and unfavorably upon the health and comfort of the baby, hence it should be avoided by eating coarse breads, green vegetables, and fruits, when they do not disagree with the baby, by drinking plenty of water and taking a certain amount of outdoor exercise to keep her own health in good condition. ~Stimulating the Milk Production.~--When the milk supply is deficient it will be advisable for the mother to drink a glass of milk or a bowl of cereal milk gruel between meals. Alcoholic beverages are not necessary to insure an adequate secretion of milk. The milk or milk gruels answer the purpose more efficiently and without bad results. ~Energy Requirements of Infant.~--The average baby requires fifty calories per day per pound of body weight to cover his energy growth and development needs for the first three months of life, after which the rate of growth is less and his requirements decrease from forty-three to forty, then to thirty-five calories per day per pound by the end of his first year. ~Amount of Milk Needed for Infant.~--Approximately two and one-third ounces to each pound of body weight per day covers the needs of the average baby. ~Fuel Value of Mother's Milk.~--Each ounce of milk yields twenty calories. ~The Making of Milk.~--It has been estimated that for every calorie yielded by milk, two extra calories must be provided by food. PROBLEMS (a) Formulate a dietary for a pregnant woman, allowing for a twenty per cent. increase over her normal requirements. (b) Show how the diet may be made to cover the need for additional iron, calcium and phosphorus. (c) Formulate a diet for a nursing mother with an infant two months old and weighing twelve pounds. FOOTNOTE: [63] "Feeding the Family," p. 93, by Mary Swartz Rose. CHAPTER IX