The sewing-machine is a tabooed thing for the pregnant woman, because of the jarring of the pelvis which it produces.  Sweeping of heavy carpets is also injurious.  There must be no lifting of heavy pieces of furniture, and especially no lifting from the floor, as it interferes with the circulation in the uterus and is apt to produce miscarriage.

Driving in an easy carriage over smooth roads is permissible; dogcarts, or any conveyance which produces much jolting, must be avoided; and while driving is good, the woman should not do her own driving, on account of the danger of the jars that would be caused by the sudden pulling of the horse upon the lines.  Horseback-riding and bicycling are, of course, forbidden, as are also golf, tennis, and dancing.

Exercise.—­ Exercise in the open air should be taken every day, when the weather is suitable, and walking is the best form of exercise.  The amount will be regulated to some extent by what the woman has been accustomed to taking, and it should always stop short of fatigue.  The woman should live as much as possible in the open air, and she should attend to her ordinary duties about the house.  Long railway journeys are always objectionable.

Hemorrhoids or piles are very often troublesome toward the close of the pregnancy.  To overcome this, the patient should lie down immediately after the bowel movement, and remain in the recumbent position for ten or fifteen minutes.  In addition, care should be taken to secure a loose movement of the bowels.  Should the piles come down, applications of cloths wrung out of hot water, and held well pressed against the bowel, should be made; the piles should then be pressed back until the finger feels that the mass has been pushed above the second constriction of the bowel, which is felt to exist at about two inches above the sphincter ani muscle.  Should these means not suffice, the physician must be consulted at once.

Swelling and pain of the external genitals and of the lower limbs are best relieved by the recumbent position.  Should the veins of the legs be much enlarged or the feet swollen, the patient should have compression made by the wearing of elastic stockings.  Or in some cases a bandage is sufficient; in this case the bandage may be made of muslin; it should be three inches wide, and, beginning at the toes, should extend up as high as the enlargement of the veins continues.  This bandage should be freshly applied every morning before rising.

Pain caused by the stretching of the skin may be relieved by the inunction of the skin with cottonseed or cocoanut oil.  For severe pain in the small of the back, rubbing with soap liniment or alcohol will be found useful.

Mental Occupation.—­ Important as this always is, it is doubly so now.  The mind should be constantly and pleasantly occupied, but no severe study should be indulged in.  The emotional susceptibility is generally somewhat increased.  The pregnant woman, quite excitable and irritable, readily responds to influences by which in the non-gravid condition she could not be affected.  Sometimes she feels unusually well, is intellectually brightened and more active, and says she is positively happier.  At other times she is despondent and morose.