Care of a woman in pregnancy is described in ayurveda under Garbhini Vyakaran. Management of pregnancy and the problems of pregnancy are described in separate chapters such as general management, special management, diseases in pregnancy and their treatment and so on. Besides herbal remedies rules regarding diet, activities, behavior and mental activity (ahar, vihar, achar and vichar respectively) are also described. After pregnancy is confirmed, you will be advised to follow certain rules by your ayurvedic practitioner. Certain ayurvedic home remedies for pregnancy are based on the diseases peculiar to pregnancy as identified in system of medicine.
General care from initial stages of Pregnancy to Delivery
Try to be in a happy and cheerful mood
Keep yourself clean, neat and well dressed
Wear simple and comfortable clothes
Sleep in a clean room (not infested with insects such as mosquito’s, cockroach etc.)
Avoid the following
Too much sex specially in early and late pregnancy,Eating in excess or fasting
Sleeping in the day time and keeping awake till late at night,Tight and uncomfortable clothes,Seeing or listening to things that make you feel sad, angry, horror or agonized
Journey in a vehicle on rough roads,Squatting for a long period or sitting in an uneasy position,Lifting heavy things or bending down for a long time,Beholding natural urges to freshen yourself unless in an emergency,Spicy, oily, stale, heavy, hot or strong food, alcohol and meat (fish is allowed)
Treatment of Diseases in Pregnancy: Ayurveda considers that any disease in a pregnant woman should be treated with mild drugs that are compatible and safe for the fetus. Panchakarma (detoxifying procedures) should be avoided during pregnancy, apart from basti (enema) and pichu (tampon) in the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy.
According to Ayurveda nine diseases are caused as a result of the pregnant status in a woman, and are called garbhopadravas as they are peculiar to pregnancy. The garbhopadravas include nausea, anorexia, vomiting, dryness of mouth, fever, edema, anemia, diarrhea and retention of urine.
According to Ayurveda medication should be avoided during the first three months of pregnancy if possible. Symptomatic treatment with very mild herbs and a suitable diet should be tried and only if the symptoms are severe the disease should be treated with ayurvedic remedies.
Ayurveda for Morning sickness: Most pregnant women have morning sickness during the first three months of pregnancy. If your problem is severe consult a professional ayurvedic practitioner. Some useful herbs for ayurvedic treatment of morning sickness are Ginger (Zingiber officinale), Lemon (Citrus limon), Mint (Plants of the Mentha family)
Ginger (Zingiber officinale): It is considered as one of the best remedies for morning sickness. It can be taken as paste, ale, tea, etc to relieve the symptoms of morning sickness.
Lemon (Citrus limon): It has a strong but pleasant odour that is beneficial in the treatment of morning sickness. If you have morning sickness just sniffing at the juice or the peel of a lemon is enough to control symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
Mint (Plants of the Mentha family): Mint is very useful in controlling morning sickness. The fragrances and flavors of different mint like spearmint, horsemint and peppermint can stimulate the different channels of the body and ease the feelings of nausea and vomiting.Gravidity is a term used to describe the number of times that a female has been pregnant. Similarly, the term parity is used for the number of times that a female carries a pregnancy to a viable stage.Therefore, during a second pregnancy a woman would be described as gravida 2, para 1 and upon live delivery as gravida 2, para 2. In-progress pregnancies, abortions, miscarriages and/or stillbirths account for parity values being less than the gravida number. In the case of a multiple birth the gravida number and parity value are increased by one only. Women who have never carried a pregnancy achieving more than 20 weeks of gestation age are referred to as nulliparous.
Ayurveda for Constipation in pregnancy: Constipation should be avoided in preganacy. You may take mild laxatives if constipation is a problem or oil enema for hard stools.
