Ayurveda and emotional wellness for pregnancy

Recently, I was thinking about an encounter I had one morning with the chef at the Taj Krishna in Hyderabad.  I was staying there on business several years ago while I was pregnant with my daughter.  The staff at the Taj Krishna were wonderful.  They doted over me during my stay, ensuring I was comfortable and more than adequately fed.  The chef, Jai, greeted me daily with, "How is your health today, madam?" and recommended foods that were good for my pregnancy.

Jai admonished me one morning for loading up my breakfast plate with pineapple, because it produces too much heat ("pitta") in my body, which is not good for the baby's development.  I backed away from the pineapple and did what the good man advised.

Ayurveda is an ancient system of wellness and medicine  practiced in India, and I was impressed at the extent to which these principles were still followed in peoples' daily lives.  It's more than just what we might call "folk medicine."   Afterwards, I did some research online about ayurvedic views of pregnancy and motherhood. The detail gets to be a little bewildering, but what fascinated me more than the recommendations for physical nourishment was the emphasis placed on psychological wellness.  

Maintaining a positive emotional state is just as important in ayurveda as what you eat and drink.  It is strongly advised that the expectant mother be happy and feel harmony with nature.  It is imperative that the family, especially the husband, help contribute to her positive frame of mind. The ayurvedic tradition says, "Let her hear good news, let her hear harmonious music, let her eat sweet foods, let her attend monthly celebrations to always keep her uplifted and nourished." How beautiful is that?

In the West, the focus is primarily on what can be done to ensure optimal physical health for the baby, but in the East, they also care about the social and spiritual aspects of the baby's development well before it is born. They believe that a newborn is an important divine creature, so precious that all efforts should be taken to ensure there are no limitations on her capacity for growth, perfection, or ability contribute to the  world." After all, the baby does not belong to the parents -- it belongs to God and we have been entrusted with its care.  

Other recommendations for a safe, happy pregnancy are to always avoid: 

• Excessive sex particularly during early and late pregnancy (sooooo, what qualifies as "excessive"? Just curious.)
• Overeating or fasting
• Sleeping during the day time and staying up late at night
•  Tight clothes and tight belts (rather obvious)
• Witnessing or listening to things which give rise to feelings of sorrow, anger, horror or agony 
•  Travelling in a vehicle on rough roads (hard to avoid in India, by the way)
• Squatting for a long time or sitting in an uncomfortable position or on a hard surface
• Lifting heavy things or remaining in a bending position for a long time (40 lbs is the maximum pregnant women are allowed to lift in the West)
• Oleation massage etc. unless positively indicated (in the West, full body strenuous massages are contraindicated for pregnancy, but other massages are beneficial)
• Beholding natural urges unless in an emergency (hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go)
• Dry, stale, fermented, heavy, hot or strong food, alcohol and meat, but fish is allowed
• Visiting abandoned and remote places
• Leaning into a deep well (that's probably a good policy any time!)

 So everyone, the big takeaway advice here is to keep the pregnant lady happy, 'cuz as the saying goes, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  And keep those sweet foods coming!

What an awesome photo of a pregnant belly adorned with mendhi (henna)!  Wish it had been mine! Photo credit: aturkus

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