The journey of the man begins in the womb of the mother. The pregnancy is a life changing event for both the mother and child and it leaves a huge impact for rest of their lives. Garbini or pregnant lady is said to be carrying two lives in one body. As this tiny new human body starts growing inside the womb it depends entirely on the mother for its nourishment. Ayurveda says that the purusha or human body grow from the ahara rasa or the food. So the food and actions of the mother should be in such a way that it caters to the need of mothers well being and the growth and development of the foetus.
The garbiniparicharya or the antenatal care in ayurveda has three important parts.
Garbhasthpaka – Protection and maintenance of the garbha or the foetus
Garbhopaghathabavakas – Avoidance of diet and actions that may harm the pregnancy
Masanumasaprakriya – Monthly regimen that should be followed throughout the pregnancy
As a general rule the physicians are cautioned to handle the first and last trimester of pregnancy very carefully. Ayurveda describes specific rules regarding the diet, activities, behaviour, mental activity of the pregnant lady.
The first three weeks of pregnancy is very crucial because it involves some of the most important events of the foetus such as embryo formation, cleavage, implantation and formation of germ layer.Therefore the stress is laid on stabilising the pregnancy and nurturing the uterus of the mother. The ancients texts mentions that medicines and treatments of any kind should be avoided till the fourth month of pregnancy as it affects the organogenesis. Any medicine can influence in the formation of embryo and chances of teratogenicity increases.
Only those food were allowed that doesn’t disturb the organogenesis and strengthens the embryo. Liquid foods such as desi milk rich in folic acid are given. Milk and milk products balances vata and pitta and increases kapha that helps in the development of embryo.
Certain herbs mentioned in the monthly regimen is used along with the food. They function as garbhastapaka dravya or that which stabilizes and maintains the pregnancy.
The second important part in the antenatal care is to avoid things that are contraindicated in pregnancy. These factors can affect the mother mental and physical health and cause harm to foetus. The garbhapathaka factors mentioned in the texts are
Excessive sex particularly during early and late pregnancy
Overeating or fasting
Sleeping during the day time and staying up late at night
Tight clothes and tight belts
Witnessing or listening to things which give rise to feelings of sorrow, anger, horror or agony
Travelling in a vehicle on rough roads , travel in speeding vehicles
Squatting for a long time or sitting in an uncomfortable position or on a hard surface
Excessive exercise, Lifting heavy things or remaining in a bending position for a long time
Sleeping in supine position
Oleation massage etc. unless positively indicated
Beholding natural urges unless in an emergency
Dry, stale, fermented, heavy, hot or strong food, alcohol and meat (fish is allowed)
Predominant use of one taste in large quantity
Visiting abandoned and remote places
Leaning into a deep well
If she takes excess
Sweet – Baby will be fat and may develop diabetes
Sour – Skin diseases, diseases of eyes and allergies
Salty – Hair become white early, graying hair wrinkles on the skin
Pungent – Weak and may cause infertility
Bitter – Weak and dry
It is a known factor that the environmental factors affects the geome. Those factor that affect the psycho somatic health of the mother is to be prevented.
One of the unique way of ensuring the proper nourishment of the baby is following the manasanumasa prakriya mentioned by the ancient teachers of Ayuraveda.
This monthly regimen as well as the lifestyle is very potent antenatal care which can be even scientifically explained. This helps in
Softening of cervix, pelvis, waist, sides of the chest and back
Downward movement of vata (vataanulomana) – this is needed for the normal expulsion of foetus during delivery
Normalization of the urine and stool and their elimination with ease
Promotion of strength and complexion
Delivery with ease of a healthy child endowed with excellent qualities in proper time
The first trimester aims in stabilizing the foetus and prevention of miscarriage.
First Month
Diet
Sweet, cold, liquid diet
Cold sweetened milk in small quantity but frequently. (considering her digestive power and strength)
Cold decoction of gold silver sidha jala.
Medicine
Jeshthamadhu with white sandalwood power, red sandalwood powder in cow’s milk. Jeshthamadha, Saagbee, Ksheerkakoli, Devdaru (Cedrus deodara) milk.
Kashyam with milk and bala
Second month
Diet
Cold milk in small quantity but frequently
Cold liquid diet like Coconut water, Fruit juices, kanji, Buttermilk, Lotus stem, Nagakeshar Milk, Lotus, Bel fruit, Camphor and Goat milk.
Avoid fruits– pineapple, papaya and sugarcane
Medicine
Milk medicated with sweet group of drugs yashtimadhu ( athimadhuram), with sandalwood powder but frequently
Kashaya with bala -Milk kashaya
Ashmantaka (Apta) til, Pippali (Piper longum), Manjishtha (Rubia cardifolia) Shatavari (Asparagus recemosus). These are taken in same quantity and a Kashaya (decoction) is prepared and taken with milk and sugar.
Third Month
Diet
Rice with milk or Ghee (clarified butter) and honey in unequal quantity with milk and same type of fruit juices that are told in 2nd month.
Medicine
Vrikshadani, Ksheerkakolki, Priyangu, Sariva, Sugar, Nagkeshar Milk Sandalwood powder, Khus, lotus, cold water with milk.
Kashaya with bala- Milk Kashaya
The second trimester focuses on the nourishment and development of foetus.
Fourth Month
Diet
Milk with butter(extracted from milk or cream not curd)
Cooked red rice with curd, cooked rice with milk and butter
Coconut water, fruit juice, mango, water melon, white pumpkin, yellow pumpkin, snake gourd, berry, pomegranate
Meat soup, Rice & Chicken
Medicine
If pregnant women feels thirst and burning pain in abdomen then milk boiled with banana root, lotus, khus or Shunti, musta, sandalwood powder boiled water
Kashaya with bala-Milk Kashaya
Fifth Month
Diet
Ghee from butter, cooked red rice with milk, Meat of wild animals & payasa
Meat soup, black gram, that which increases blood- pomegranate, chickoo, apple, spinach, beet root, amalaki, guava, etc.
Medicine
Ground pomegranate leaves, sandal wood paste should be mixed with curd and honey. Kantakari (Solanum xanthocarpum) Laghu Kantakari (Gmelina arborea) leaves of Ksheeri trees (like Pipal – Ficus religiosa) banyan, udumbar (Ficus glomerata), Plaksha – (Ficus lactor) powder with milk.
Ground blue lotus, Renukbeej, Nagkeshar, pumpkin with water.
Kashaya with bala-Milk Kashaya
The last trimester focuses on the the easy and safe delivery of the baby ,protecting the mothers health and production of breast milk
Six month
Diet
Ghee prepared with madhura rasa drugs or swarnaprashan, ghee, ghee rice, yagvagu(rice ganji), Sweetend curd.
For complexion – Sandalwood powder, Lotus, Ushira (vettii ver), Sariva (nannari ver) Yeshtimadhu (athimadhuram), Manjishta,vidarikanda with milk
Medicine
Kashaya with bala-Milk Kashaya
Gokharu (Tribulus terrestris) Siddha ghee (processed ghee),
Gairik, cow’s dung, black mud heated and put in water and after setting for some time, take upper water only and in that mix sandal powder, sugar and drink it.
Prishniparni (Uraria picta), Bala, Gokharu, Drum stick, Jeshthamadhu decoction. Balya (Strengthening) Endri, Gorakshakarkati(papaya), Vidarikanda, Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Mashparni, Bala, Atibala.
Seventh Month
Repeat 6th month all foetal body parts are developed
Diet
Avoid – salt and large quantity of water
Milk kashaya with Barley or Bala
Medicine
If there is itching on her lower abdomen, thigh or breast, the following medicine are used:- Berry Kashay: processed in sweet medicines, butter milk. Kanheri siddha oil massage Parishek of Jai, Jeshthamadhu decoction.
Take bala, Gokharu, Musta, Lajjalu, Nagkeshar powder, Honey.
Take – Water Chestnut (Trapa Bispinosa) lotus, grapes, Musta, sugar, Jeshthamadhu docoction.
Eighth month
Diet
Milk porridge mixed with ghrta – Ghee mixed milk porridge
Medicine
Asthapana vasti (oil enemas – Special panchakarma for preganant women)
Take Lodhra, pippali powder with honey and milk
Milk processed in Kapittha (Eeronia elephantum) Laghu Kantakari and snake gourd, Bruhat Kantakari, Cane Sugar.
Asthapana Basti(decoction enema)
Berry Kashaya, Bala, Atibala, Milk, oil, salt, honey and ghee.
After taking the above, we can commend this give Anuvasana Basti (Oil enema) of milk, madhuraushadhi siddha kashay oil (decoction prepared with drugs of sweet taste), so that pregnant woman has got strength and soft vaginal passage and she will deliver easily
Ninth month
Diet
Unctuous gruels, meat soup of animals up to period of delivery
Medicine
Vaginal tampon of oil
Milk kashaya with satavari( asparagus) or bala
Anuvasan Basti with madhurashadhi siddha oil and put oil tampon in vagina.
In 8th and 9th month there is pain in abdomen and some time bleeding through vagina also. So use pain killing and stambhana (drug to stop bleeding) medicine.
Medicine
Shunthi, (Zigiber officinale) Jeshthamadha, Deodaru are pain killers. Sariva, Jeshthamadha, Ksheerkakoli Kashaya medicines. If pregnancy continues upto 10th month then only take – Shunthi, Ksheervidari Kashay or only Shunthi Siddha milk.
Application of oil, Medicated tampons, Medicated enema, Amulets, Vaginal douche are strongly recommended as they make the woman free from disease, and help in the easy delivery.
Vaidyas in Kerala have been following another practise as tradition. Paal kashayam or Decoctions prepared with milk were advised for every month of pregnancy. The most important herb out of them is Kurunthoti or Bala (Sida cordifolia) which is compulsorily followed by all pregnant ladies till the end of pregnancy.
Preparation of Bala Kashayam
30gm of chopped bala (Sida cordifolia) malayalam- kurunthotti, Tamil-kurunthotti, mayirmanikkam
Ingredients
Milk – 1 glass
Water 4 glass
Boil the chopped root and stem of dried kurunthotti ver in 4 glass of water and 1 glass of milk. reduce to 1 glass and take in evening around 3-4 pm after 1 or 2 hours of lunch every day, till 8th or 9th month
There are other medicines also which are prescribed by doctors commonly in antenatal care
For eg: Dhanwantaram gutika One tab is ground in in jeeraka kashayam.(cumin seeds boiled in water aand reduced to kashayam and given once a day from the first month of pregnancy.
Medicinal ghee lilke phala ghrtam, kalyanakaghrtam are given every day after the first trimester
Every pregnant lady is assured that she gets oil massages with dhanwantaram kuzhambu followed by hot water bath (below the neck from 4rth month onwards. After 8months its given every day
Theorist Dr David Haig mentions pregnancy as a tug of war in the womb between mother and baby over the nutrients. The mother has no control over the nutrient supply she offers the foetus. The mother has no access to foetal circulation and is restricted by the placenta. But the foetus can manipulate the mothers body by injecting hormones into the mothers blood to improve the nutritional supply to the foetus. The baby keeps demanding nutrition and mother constantly supplies.
In ayurveda Susruta mentions that the way the tree sucks nutrients from its nearby sources, the same way foetus draws nourishment from the mother. So it is very important that the pregnant women were supervised ensure healthy enjoyable pregnancy easy parturition. Just as in a tug-of-war, if one party drops its end, both fall over.
In his theory of genomic imprinting Dr Haig mentions that the normal development can proceed only as long as both parental genotypes are correctly balanced against one another. Understanding the genomic imprinting and the maternal foetal battle behind it researchers have been able to relate the genetic causes for numerous disorders during pregnancy and childhood such as gestatonal diabetes, preeclampsia, miscarriages, childhood obesity, several cancer. It can also explain psychatric conditions such asschizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism in the children
The ayurvedic concepts of embryogenesis mentions six factors necessary for a healthy progeny-Matrija (maternal), Pitrija (paternal), Atmaja (Soul), Rasaja(Nutritional), Satmyaja (Wholesomeness), and Sattvaja (Psych / Mind).Each factors contribute in the physical and mental growth and development and functions of he body. They are the carriers of the organogenesis and other traits to the fetus. The normal transmitted traits through any of the Garbhakara Bhavas can be modified by the preventive or curative measures, if they are not permanent or major. Out of the six factors the last three Rasaja(Nutritional), Satmyaja (Wholesomeness), and Sattvaja (Psych / Mind) practiced properly can modify the intrauterine environment and psychosomatic health of the mother, producing a healthy impact on the progeny.
Thus the proper antenatal care would help in proper nourishment and growth of foteus, uncomplicated labour and delivery of healthy baby, good health of mother and her ability to withstand the strain of labour and an even post natal phase including production of breast milk.
In the last part of the article, We will cover the post-delivery care from ayurvedic point of view.
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