Motherhood is a special phase in a woman’s life and is blissful if the woman is healthy throughout pregnancy. Pregnancy brings physical and psychological changes which can cause discomfort and woman is not able to enjoy this precious period.
Ayurveda recommends ‘Garbhini Paricharya’ i.e. Care and regimen during pregnancy which aids in wellbeing of mother and child.
There are certain conditions which every woman faces during pregnancy. These common complaints can be taken care of with Ayurvedic remedies:
MORNING SICKNESS (Nausea, Vomiting):
This occurs during early weeks of pregnancy and usually subsides by the third month.
- Ingest a cooled decoction of tender leaves of mango and blackberry (jamun) mixed with honey.
- Consume an electuary prepared with lemon juice, jujube, seeds of pomegranate, sugar and honey.
- Ingest a paste of white sandalwood with gooseberry juice, mint and honey.
- Pulp of wood apple (bilva) with curd and sugar should be taken frequently.
ANOREXIA:
- Eat ginger with lemon juice and rock salt in small quantities (ginger juliennes steeped in lemon juice with rock salt can be kept in a jar).
- Seeds of pomegranate can be chewed.
- Place a pinch of a powdered mixture of dry ginger, cumin, celery blended with jaggery and honey, in your mouth and ingest slowly.
- Tamarind pulp with sugar, coriander powder and ginger is also helpful.
THIRST:
- Use only lukewarm water for drinking.
- Water treated with small cardamom or fennel or coriander should be taken at regular intervals.
CONSTIPATION:
- Rose jam (Gulkand) with milk at bedtime relieves constipation.
- Decoction of Triphla (three myrobalans) is also helpful.
- Milk treated with fennel, should be taken with 1 teaspoon of ghee at bedtime.
- Licorice with dry grapes and milk should be taken.
- Intake of fluids i.e. milk, buttermilk, lemon water, fresh juices, soups, etc. and salads and fruits should be increased.
URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS:
- Coconut water, sugarcane juice, and grape juice are helpful.
- Seeds of cucumber with crystal sugar(mishri) relieves the burning sensation while urinating.
- A powder of Lotus seeds and water caltrops should be taken.
- Decoction of puncture vine (gokshura), Tinospora cordifolia (guduchi), and Asparagus (shatavari) relieves infection.
DIARRHOEA:
- Decoction made with coriander, vetiver and nutgrass soothes the intestines.
- Pulp of woodapple (bilva), dry ginger, parched barley with curd and rock salt is helpful.
- Decoction of lotus seeds, pomegranate bark and mango leaves should be taken.
STRETCH MARKS:
These usually appear from the 5th month onward and can be prevented by following remedies:
- Apply paste of sandalwood and vetiver on abdomen. Wash it after half an hour.
- Aloe vera gel application is helpful.
- Paste of leaves of neem, jujube and basil can be applied.
- Massage gently with coconut oil, sesamum oil or olive oil.
- Avoid the urge to scratching due to itching.
HYPER PIGMENTATION:
- Gently massage the face with mustard oil.
- Apply face pack made with powders of sandalwood, Indian madder (manjishtha) and cumin in milk.