Regularity in the hour of eating is always healthful, and for some
prospective mothers three meals a day prove quite satisfactory. Not a
few, however, who adhere to this habit make the mistake of eating
more than is wise; and large meals are particularly inappropriate to
pregnancy. On this account most prospective mothers will be more
comfortable if they take some simple and wholesome nourishment at
fixed times between meals. Such an arrangement modifies a ravenous
appetite, and it is, at the same time, beneficial to those who are
not inclined to eat enough at the regular meals. If small amounts of
food are taken five or six times a day, a tendency to be nauseated,
which is not uncommon in the early months of pregnancy, can often be
averted. In the latter months, too, because the capacity of the
stomach is diminished through the encroachment of the enlarged womb,
frequent meals generally contribute toward comfort and health. While
the inevitable consequences of overloading the stomach are to be
avoided at all times of the day, it is especially important to
remember the disagreeable results of a hearty meal at night. The
evening meal should be a light one and should be eaten three or four
hours before going to bed.

THE IMPORTANCE OF LIQUID NOURISHMENT.--Every prospective mother
should have brought to her attention the great importance of drinking
water at regular times and in larger quantities than was formerly her
custom. Since water constitutes two-thirds of the substance of our
bodies, it is necessary, of course, for everyone; but during
pregnancy it is especially necessary for the building of new tissue
and for safeguarding the mother's kidneys. Prospective mothers would
protect themselves against a number of ailments if they were more
careful to drink a sufficient amount of liquids. They may easily