It is no surprise that health experts and almost everyone say pregnant women should be at peace, at calm and happy during their pregnancy. This is because the expecting mother’s emotional state has a great impact on the unborn baby. Here are a few things you could do keep your pregnant wife or friend happy and give birth to a happy child in turn.
Pregnancy: A gift of a lifetime
The pregnant woman has to comprise on a few things in order to gain a beautiful gift later- a bundle of joy.
According to Ayurveda, the expecting mother should refrain to music which is dark or very noisy. Expecting mothers should listen to melodious songs, read beautiful literature which is not stressful or disturbing in any way. the carrying woman has to wear comfortable and bright colors, surround herself with positivity and fragrant flowers. She has to, at all times, be in a safe and serene environment.
T Mythily, chief music therapist, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai says, “Music therapy ensures smooth and natural delivery. It also increases the chances of giving birth to children who have better cognition, spatial and depth perception, grasping of concepts and mathematical ability and significantly higher APGAR (Activity, pulse, grimace, appearance, and respiration) scores that describe the baby’s thinking levels at birth.”
Additionally, the expecting mother should eat sattvic food(pure, good food) which is easy to digest. She should avoid packaged food with excess sugar or salt. She must indulge herself in milk, ghee, rice, wheat, buttermilk, fresh vegetables and fruits, and other natural foods. Reduce the consumption of meat, eggs, fish, fried foods, and spices. Completely refrain from alcohol, smoking, drugs or any other taboo. She also has to have an emotional balance, the carrying mother should keep her temper under control, be kind, and stress-free. A positive mind leads to a positive pregnancy, according to Ayurveda.
Being positive, happy and calm
Stress and anxiety in the carrying mother can lead to subtle changes in the unborn baby’s development, according to a study published in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Mothers who were prone to stress and anxiety showed higher signs of high blood pressure, leading to unborn babies with increased heart rates as compared to stress-free mothers.
Numerous researches later, it has been confirmed that fetuses recognize the mother’s voice and start to do so while they’re still inside the womb. While it is mostly the baby’s efforts, it is also the mother and the whole family’s responsibility to be on their best behavior. The family has to come together, form a positive ground and make sure the home is peaceful and the expecting mother is happy and calm. A positive home helps the mother enjoy her pregnancy and stay calm void of any anxiety or stress regarding her pregnancy.
Mothers who smoked during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to babies with low Apgar scores or mental performance at a particular age. Also, children are 25% more likely to have learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and hyperactivity when the mothers smoked. If both the parents smoked, the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is three-and-a-half times greater than if neither of the parents smoked.
Dos & Dont’s During Pregnancy
Ayurveda suggests that any physical activity has to be graceful, slow, and not stressful. Physical and mental exertion must be avoided at all costs. Ayurveda recommends the carrying women avoid any kind of medication which is not prescribed by your doctor. Also, try and stay away from foods that have a high content of preservatives and artificial colors. Keep away from strong smells, chemicals such as paints, smoke, chemical fumes, allergens, pesticides, alcohol or drugs.
Consuming alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) or fetal alcohol effects (FAE). This could lead to you giving birth to a baby with both physical malfunctions and learning disabilities.
Drugs of any kind such as heroin, cocaine, methadone, LSD, and PCP can do serious damage to the growing baby and yourself too. By staying away from drugs, you can avoid long-term developmental problems such as diarrhea, excessive crying, emotional instability, and behavioral problems as such.
Work-out Tips
Exercising during pregnancy is perfectly safe as long as you don’t strain yourself. By exercising, you are preparing your body for labor and decreasing the intensity of your labor. Also, as we already know, exercising leads to a healthy lifestyle.
- Drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout. Your baby needs the fluids
- Your baby gets its oxygen supply from you. Therefore remember to breathe well. If you hold your breath for more than a few seconds, you are doing too much and your baby lacks oxygen
- In your second trimester, your growing baby puts weight on your back. so refrain from any exercise that requires you to lie on your back
- Do not do squats. It can separate the placenta from the uterus
- Perform the exercises slowly. Avoid jerky movements
