A nurse's handbook of obstetrics, for use in training-schools . ause of its markedlaxative effect. The blood of the pregnant woman is increased in amount andin its watery constituents, while its red cells are proportionatelydiminished. These changes frequently cause disturbances ofthe circulatory apparatus, and the left side of the heart is appre-ciably enlarged in order to perform the extra work of pumpingthis increased quantity of blood through the body. Palpitation of the heart is not uncommon, and is due, in theearly months of pregnancy, to sympathetic nervous disturbance,and towards the e
A nurse's handbook of obstetrics, for use in training-schools . ause of its markedlaxative effect. The blood of the pregnant woman is increased in amount andin its watery constituents, while its red cells are proportionatelydiminished. These changes frequently cause disturbances ofthe circulatory apparatus, and the left side of the heart is appre-ciably enlarged in order to perform the extra work of pumpingthis increased quantity of blood through the body. Palpitation of the heart is not uncommon, and is due, in theearly months of pregnancy, to sympathetic nervous disturbance,and towards the end of gestation to the pressure of the enlargeduterus. In certain cases the watery constituents of the blood areincreased to such a degree that marked swelling (oedema) ofthe legs, thighs, and external genitals may occur. This oedemamust not be confused with that due to kidney disorder, and anyswelling of the extremities should be reported at once to thephysician. The lungs are subjected, in the later months of pregnancy, 5 66 A NURSES HANDBOOK OF A B Fig. 31.—The breasts of pregnancy. A, A, in a brunette; B, B, in a blonde. At or near full term. DIGESTIVE DISTURBANCES. 67 to pressure from the underlying uterus, and the patient maysuffer severely from cough and dyspnoea. Owing to the increasein the total quantity of maternal blood, and because of the factthat the mother is called upon to oxygenate not only her ownblood but, by osmosis, that of her infant as well, the work ofthe lungs is markedly increased and the elimination of carbonicacid gas is much greater than in the non-pregnant state. The digestive, secretive, and excretive organs are likewisetaxed to a high degree, for the pregnant woman must, in orderto nourish both her child and herself, form more blood, digestmore food, and excrete more waste products. After a few weeksthese increased demands on the digestive organs begin to mani-fest themselves by causing nausea and vomiting, and the patientis fortuna
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