Thursday, January 10, 2008

Antique Maternity Books




I love to read old books on motherhood when I'm expecting. They are refreshingly different from the "in your face, no holds barred" information so common these days. Two of my current favorites are Ladies Home Companion or Perfect Womanhood by Mary Melondy. I was surprised that she encouraged a fruit diet, even stating that she believed society would eventually evolve to being vegetarianism as more research was done.



I had always suffered horrible gas pains in my chest with my first four babies, but after reading this book, during my third semester I cut down on evening meals and tried to eat fruit and a little sprouted bread as my main foods. The heartburn and pains were kept to a minimum, and he was my easiest birth. Hmmm, maybe hard labors are caused by indigestion!






Here is an excellent quote from the book.






"It is not an idle fancy to say that as the farmer goes down deep into the well for cool water, the mind should go down deep into the resources of life for strength. Life comes from breath. The air contains invisible elements of those things which we eat and is immediately brought into the current of the blood. Let us learn to breath deeper-breathe more freely--study nature--think purer thoughts--practise culture of the body and thus make the temple indeed a fit dwelling place for the soul. We hear no sound of hammer, but the building never ceases."

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