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Total Ayurvedic Care
During Pregnancy
·
Specific Ayurvedic
treatment for each month
of pregnancy.
·
Treatment for various illnesses
during pregnancy, e.g. hypertension, diabetes, hyperacidity, fever, urinary
infection, etc.
·
Extensive guidance
regarding diet
during pregnancy.
·
Panchakarmas during pregnancy.
·
Garbh-sanskara - Guidance for physical, emotional, intellectual
development of baby which includes meditation, therapy with music, chanting of
mantra.
·
Parent counseling - For birth of intellectually and physically healthy baby,
counseling and treatment for couples before conception.
ANTENATAL CARE ACCORDING TO AYURVEDA
Pregnancy is not a merely physiological process. It is a great responsibility given by nature
to us. Both, the father and the mother,
should be aware of this responsibility and hence they should be prepared,
physically and psychologically, to carry it.
But, still, as the mother has to carry the baby in her womb, nourish it,
and most importantly, give birth to the baby, more responsibility rests upon
her shoulders.
Antenatal care means the care to be taken during pregnancy each month. In Ayurveda, it is called as Masanumasiki
chikitsa. The word masanumasiki means
month-to-month treatment. According to
Ayurveda, there is different medicinal treatment for each month of pregnancy.
Thus there are 9 different groups of medicines i.e. herbs for each month of
pregnancy. If there are vitiated doshas, these should be purified with the help
of panchakarmas. Then only, the couple
is suitable for conception. This purification is called pindshuddhi. After
conception, oral medication is started according to the month of
pregnancy. As per Ayurvedic concepts,
in each month a separate dahtu (body building substance) is formed in the body
of baby. To help this dhatu to grow in
normal way, medication is started. E.g.
in the fifth month of pregnancy, the intellect of the baby begins to
develop. In sixth month, it gets
sharper. So, specific medicines which
act on the intellect are given to the mother in fifth and sixth month.
Medicinal treatment is not the only thing which is stressed upon in Ayurveda.
Apart from treating the course of normal pregnancy,
different illnesses which may
occur can also be treated with Ayurveda.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) in pregnancy which is very common now
a days, hyperacidity, excessive vomiting, diabetes in pregnancy, edema,
premature birth, intrauterine growth retardation are some of the problems in
pregnancy which can be treated with the help of Ayurveda.
Regarding diet, pregnant lady should eat satvik food (which is not very
hot, spicy, sour, or which does not vitiate the doshas), like milk, ghee, rice,
wheat, and fresh and homemade food.
Furthermore, diet should be planned according to individual prakruti
(constitution). To know your prakruti
and get appropriate diet consult, email at drthite@ayurvedicrx.com
One may wonder if panchakarma could be done during
pregnancy. The answer is yes, and,
there are some panchakarmas like basti that are mandatory. Mild panchakarmas could be done to treat
some illnesses during the pregnancy. As
mentioned above, body of the mother should be cleansed even before conception.
When the baby is growing in the
womb, it is exposed to emotional and physiological changes of mother and her
surrounding. In Ayurveda, the
importance of proper behavior of the couple before and after conception is
emphasized. The couple should stop
consumption of alcohol, tobacco, or other harmful substances. The couple should have affection and respect
for each other. Garbhasanskar is done in order to make the
atmosphere blissful. Part of this is
done with listening to different ragas in classical indian music and some
mantras for baby development.
There is another major problem
many women of today's world are forced to face. This is the problem of depression, which can occur during
pregnancy and also after delivery.
Depression, if neglected during pregnancy can lead to serious trouble
during postpartum period. Parent counseling is very
much necessary to avoid this. According
to ayurveda, this is due to the imbalance of vata dosha. The vata dosha should
be treated carefully during pregnancy.
Yoga, meditation, listening to calming music, mantra chanting, and
pacifying herbs, and panchakarma are the different means which help to control
depression. The medicines, i.e., the
herbs which are used to treat depression act on vitiated vata dosha. These herbs pacify the mind, give strength
to mind, and help the brain to think rationally.
This is just an outline of antenatal care. This is a vast subject and every point can
be elaborated to great lengths. I would
like to tell every mother that this is a very noble responsibility given to us
and we should be proud of being mother and should try to give all the love and
care to the baby.
Dr. Maneesha Thite
www.ayurvedicrx.com
Disclaimer: Information in these pages is general and cannot be used for self-treatment except under medical supervision. It is advised to seek authentic medical guidance preferably from authorized Vaidya (ayurvedic doctor). Views expressed in the articles are personal and are open for discussion.
Home Introduction Article Diseases Pregnancy
Care Children's
diet Avoiding surgery