Pregnancy
What is Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is a woman’s act of carrying a fetus in her womb in preparation for childbirth. Typically lasting between 37 and 42 weeks, pregnancy is organized in the West by three basic phases known as trimesters.
The first trimester, lasting until about week 12 of the pregnancy, is defined by the fetus’ development from the embryonic stage. A woman will not have a visible change in shape in this early stage, but will undergo a shift in her body in what Western medicine cites as hormone changes. A significant symptom that accompanies this early stage of pregnancy is recurring sensations of nausea and vomiting, also known as morning sickness. If a woman is unfortunate enough to miscarry, it is likely to happen in the first trimester.
A woman will start to show in the second trimester, which lasts from about week 12 to week 24. Though the pregnant woman isn’t likely to feel morning sickness anymore, she will continue to undergo shifts in hormone levels as the body prepares for more significant growth of the fetus in later stages of the pregnancy. The fetus will start to move during this period, and their gender will be identified as well.
The third and final trimester causes the most visible growth of the fetus—and the mother’s belly as well. Given the relatively greater size of the fetus, the expecting mother will experience discomfort and pain through a variety of symptoms including back pain, incontinence, and pains associated with the pressure the fetus puts on the mother’s various organs and other internal anatomy.
Along with the pains and discomforts mentioned above, a woman’s pregnancy may be accompanied by other symptoms and issues such as constipation, frequent urination, swelling, hemorrhoids, pain in the joints, and acid reflux disease. Western medicine typically prescribes treatment for these complaints in the form of whichever medications and other therapies as described in their respective entries in this application, though many medications are deemed potentially harmful to the fetus’ healthy development.
To foster health and wellness in both the fetus and the mother during pregnancy, expecting mothers in the West are advised to eat a healthy diet including many fruits and vegetables, to take dietary supplements (such as prenatal vitamins and minerals)as these are cited as important for healthy fetal development, to get proper amounts of exercise, and to manage a healthy amount of weight gain—which is usually about 25 pounds.
How Does Ayurveda View Pregnancy?
Ayurveda considers pregnancy to be best managed when the mother successfully balances her doshas through a healthy body and mind. This includes eating a nourishing diet that provides support to both the mother and the fetus as well as abstaining from a variety of practices that have been determined to be detrimental to the fetus’s health and development.
As there is a physical change in the body and as the fetus becomes bigger, the elements are more difficult to manage in a balanced state unless the mother becomes very aware of which element is rising or diminishing in her system. Given the significant changes that take place in the woman’s body during pregnancy, it is considered important for dietary and lifestyle choices to partly reflect those of one with Vata imbalances, as it is the grounding, stabilizing act of balancing Vata energy that provides nourishment and support to the fetus. As the physical body becomes heavier, the Kapha element is increased. As the baby grows, it places pressure on the surrounding organs and squeezes them.
This may hinder their capacity to function at full capacity, so the mother needs to become aware of what is happening inside to not place extra pressure but to form new habits to relieve the system of its stress.
Each case is different as based on the individual, and her thoughts as well as the food she is putting into her body will make a difference in how the baby is formed and what kind of experience a mother will have. Though each individual is different as to what she can or can’t comfortably tolerate; diet, activities, and thought patterns will play the biggest roles in how a child turns out and how difficult or pleasant the mother’s experience is during this time of her life.
How Does Ayurveda Treat Pregnancy?
Expecting mothers are recommended to eat nutritious foods, cultivate wholesome thoughts, and to live a lifestyle that generally nourishes and supports the body with foods like milk and ghee. When under the supervision of a trained Ayurvedic practitioner, it is advised to have certain treatments administered toward the end of the pregnancy such as oil enemas and medicated oil massage on the body which have a beneficial, lubricating and calming effect on entire system.
As the fetus feeds off the mother physically, mentally, and spiritually, it is very important for the mother to have balanced thoughts as much as possible. Any thoughts we have end up affecting the body in a positive or negative manner. For example, we experience this when we are ecstatically happy, if we have butterflies in the stomach, or if we have a migraine. As the mind passes all of its thoughts into the body through feelings and emotions, the fetus will feel all of the mother’s emotions and this will affect their cells and constitution.
A calm lifestyle comprised of peaceful relationships with all beings, not too much excitement or entertainment, contemplation of spiritual material, as well as a diet balanced in time, quantity, and proper food combinations will help to bring a harmonious child into the world. The below lifestyle changes are recommended as based on the principals of Ayurveda, though many of them coincide with recommendations made through Western sources.
Lifestyle Changes for Pregnancy
When a woman neglects her body and mind during a pregnancy, she increases the risk of poor health to the fetus. This can lead to illness and disease later on in the child’s life, and the first step in establishing good health in the expecting mother’s body and mind is to assess the nature of her lifestyle and make general modifications. Living her day-to-day life with a deliberate intention to improve her health will help her to prevent incidence of disease for both her and the baby. The following changes will help the pregnant woman to foster a healthier mind and body, which increase the chances of giving birth to a healthy baby:
- Favor nourishing foods such as ghee, milk, white basmati rice, barley, and cooked vegetables.
- Apply ghee to foods and mix it with a pinch of ginger, licorice, and/or triphala.
- Take a tablespoon of ghee or sesame oil with half a cup of warm water daily or every few days.
- Avoid dense and difficult-to-digest foods, such as fried foods, packaged foods, cheeses, meats and other animal proteins, leftovers, microwaved foods, and rich desserts. Consuming these will challenge the digestive fire and cause unhealthy digestion, which will in turn lead to health issues.
- Avoid dry foods such as chips, cold cereals, cookies, crackers, granola, and nutrition bars.
- Avoid food addictions, such as to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter tasting foods.
- Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and other toxic substances.
- Avoid meat, pork, and fish, as Ayurveda teaches us that these lead to specific health complaints in the child.
- Obey all urges to move bowels, urinate, sneeze, yawn, and other natural compulsions as soon as possible.
- Enlist the help of an Ayurvedic practitioner to administer medicated oil enemas, medicated oil massages, and other treatments so as to stimulate the functionality of the colon.
- Avoid negative, destructive behaviors and thoughts during pregnancy, such as anger, grief, ill-conceived thoughts about others, and stealing. These behaviors in the mother result in negative behaviors in the child.
- Create more stillness through the practicing of calming breathing practices and yoga postures.
- In the second trimester, start rubbing coconut or sesame oil on the stomach to help lubricate and elasticize the expanding skin, which will help to avoid stretch marks and fatigue.
- Avoid depressing or violent television shows.
- Be in nature as much as possible, so the mind and body will be relaxed.
- Rub sandalwood oil with brahmi or sesame oil on the head and scalp to calm the mind. See the aromatherapy section to learn more about proper proportions.
- Avoid becoming out of breath as a result of difficult thoughts or exercise.
- As your stomach enlarges and affects neighboring organs, eat less bulky foods and consume more foods in liquid form.
- Communicate with your child by sitting in quiet moments and listening with the inner ear.
Better Foods For Pregnancy
Ayurveda teaches us that disease and sickness are derived from poor digestion and inappropriate food choices. We then have the opportunity to make deliberate and more conscious decisions as to what foods we do and do not put in our body which increases the chance of resolving the body’s imbalance.
Food needs to be in season, in moderate combinations of one or two food groups, not too hot or cold, in a modest enough quantity to allow for room in the stomach later, consumed without too much liquid which hinders digestive power, and should be fresh and not left over for more than a few hours. The following foods will help to ground and nourish the body to provide better health to the mother and fetus:
Ghee
Milk
Berries
Apricots
Figs (fresh)
Plums
Peaches
Carrots
Beets
Zucchini
Sweet potatoes
Asparagus
Whole wheat (unbleached)
Rice (white basmati)
Mung beans
Foods To AVOID In Response To Pregnancy
While some foods can help to balance an aggravated dosha, other foods can cause further imbalance. Dry and cold foods as well as pungent, bitter and astringent tastes will dry out the body and aggravate the Vata dosha. Sour, salty and pungent tastes as well as spicy foods will add more heat to the body and aggravate the Pitta dosha. Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods will add heaviness to the body and aggravate the Kapha dosha. The following foods should be avoided in response to whichever type of symptoms manifest during pregnancy:
Apples
Pears
Watermelon
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Celery
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Corn
Oats (dry)
Barley
Meat
Pork
Fish
Salt
Raw and cold foods
Addiction to any one food type, as noted above
Most legumes including green lentils and garbanzo bean
Beverages For Pregnancy
Generally, Ayurveda discourages the consumption of too many cold beverages, as doing so hinders the strength of the body’s digestive fire. Instead, favors room temperature or hot beverages to encourage the strength of the digestive fire.
- Hot water, especially during meals and first thing in the morning
- Herbal tea of cinnamon, cloves, mint, and fresh ginger.
- Take hot milk with honey and ghee. (Add honey and ghee when milk is warm but not hot–honey should never be overheated as it becomes toxic.)
- Avoid cold and frozen drinks
- Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks that blend with the digestive juice and make it weak.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, and black tea.
- Avoid fruit juice from concentrate.
Herbs For Pregnancy
Herbs are used in the Ayurvedic system much like Western medicine utilizes drugs and vitamins and can be taken like tea 2 to 3 times a day. Herbs aid in the digestion of food, the breakdown and elimination of toxins, and help to strengthen the cellular structure of our system for greater vitality. Herbs become more potent once mixed with other herbs of similar properties. Mix together 2 to 4 different herbs from the below list by adding a quarter to a half teaspoon full of each, for a total of 1 teaspoon. Drink these in half cup of hot water.
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Ginger
Cloves
Licorice
Sandalwood (white)
Musta
Guduchi
Manjishtha
Triphala
Brahmi
Yoga Postures For Pregnancy
When applied therapeutically to specific ailments, yoga postures provide an opportunity to strengthen the body, rid it of toxic matter, and restore balance. The postures included in this section can be practiced as part of a more general sequence or can be focused on in short sessions. When first exploring yoga postures, it is best to only practice them for twenty minutes or so per day and buildup from there once the body becomes more flexible.
Bridge
Knee to chest (with the knees open to the sides)
Legs up the wall
Fish
Hero
Corpse
Aromatherapy For Pregnancy
Aromatherapy utilizes the fragrances of essential oils when applied to the skin. Essential oils can burn the skin and therefore must be diluted with a base oil such as sesame, coconut, sunflower, canola, or mustard oil. Mix 1 fluid ounce of base oil with about 12 drops of essential oil before applying to skin. You can also just mix 5 drops of base oil to one drop of essential oil if using on one spot.
Pregnancy can be enhanced with basil, camphor, cedar, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, lavender, lily, lotus, musk, myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, or cinnamon oil.
- Use a sesame oil base.
- Apply oil on the forehead or on the back of the neck.
Mantra Therapy For Pregnancy
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that repeating certain words or sounds can help a person suffering from an ailment to restore subtle balance to nerve tissue and enhance one’s mental clarity. Different sounds are prescribed to either repeat mentally or chant outwardly. These sounds are also used and repeated in the mind for the purpose of spiritual growth.
For pregnancy, repeat the syllable “Ram” (pronounced rahm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
It is helpful to inwardly repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
Breathing Practices For Pregnancy
Controlling the breath is a central practice toward developing peace and stillness in the mind and body. When the breath is under our control, we are no longer at the mercy of the senses that are stimulated by everything and lead to greater fluctuations of the mind. When applied to the context of resolving specific ailments, the breath is used as a tool for developing lung capacity, heating and cooling the body and resolving mental afflictions like anxiety and stress.