Expectant Motherhood Author:Nicholson J. Eastman MD, Keith P. Russell MD Pregnancy should be a healthy, happy time period. Childbearing is a natural process, the supreme physical function of woman-hood; and no other event confers so much in deep-seated, abiding contentment. As a rule, the greater span of pregnancy is associated with an increased sense of viability and well-being. Not a few of the discomforts, which o... more »nly a few decades ago were regarded as invariable accompaniments of pregnancy and labor, have been traced to their source and are now amenable to simple preventive measures; even that old bugbear of childbirth, the pain of labor, has been so assuaged that the majority of American mothers today experience little discomfort. Meanwhile, modern methods of care have so surrounded the whole process with multiple safeguards that the likelihood of a serious complication developing is exceedingly remote.« less