SEVENTH MONTH: SENSE OF TOUCH
In the seventh month, the baby’ s sense of touch is developing. During this
celebration, we want mama to feel amazing. One way to do this is to hold a
gathering that includes some gentle massage for mama with many hands all
at once. Belly painting is also a beautiful idea! Those gathered could engage
in hair brushing or ceremonial hair braiding while mama receives arosewater foot bath. This is also a great time to let your girlfriends know
that you would like gentle, soothing, oily (A yurvedic style) massages after
your birth experience to facilitate your recovery and mothering strength. FOUR IMPORTANT SELF-CARE
PRACTICES DURING PREGNANCY
Along with the various recommendations discussed so far as ways of
nurturing mind, body , and soul in the months between conception and birth,
Ayurveda specifies four main self-care practices for nourishing yourself and
your little babe throughout pregnancy , as follows. ABHYANGA: SELF-MASSAGE
If you have been practicing abhyanga massages steadily for at least three
months prior to conception (details and instructions on this page ), it is safe
to continue massages throughout pregnancy . Otherwise, Ayurveda advises
waiting to begin your massages until the second trimester , when your
pregnancy is more stable. During pregnancy , abhyanga should be done
slowly , lightly , and with your loving attention, really honoring your body as
a sacred vessel that is growing your little one. Abhyanga is one of the most
powerful ways to stabilize vata dosha and to assure that mama and babe are
nourished, happy , and at ease. LONG WALKS
Walking is a low-impact exercise that gives many benefits to the pregnant
mama. Taking long walks boosts mood and ener gy levels, eases back pain
and other aches, helps you sleep better , relieves constipation, supports
overall cardiovascular health, aids in a more ease-filled labor and delivery ,
and much more.Ideally , walk barefoot in nature! You’ll have the perfect all-around self-
care practice for maintaining mind-body wellness. Connection with the
natural world soothes and heals the nervous system and invites us to
connect with something lar ger than ourselves. Researchers have observed
that spending time being present in nature lowers blood pressure, brings
down heart rate, and reduces levels of harmful hormones circulating in the
bloodstream—including cortisol, which your body produces when it’ s
stressed. [*1] Walking in nature can help put you (and babe!) in a more calm
and relaxed state. If you live in a city , even spending time in an urban park
can have a positive impact on your sense of well-being. HERBAL BATHS
Baths are known to soothe tired or achy muscles, reduce stress, support
digestion, boost immunity , promote relaxation, and more. When you add
herbs, salts, clays, flower essences, and essential oils to your bath, the
additions bring qualities that increase the bath’ s ability to support you in
many ways. Cultures throughout history have recognized the importance of
bathing, not only for personal hygiene, but also to open pathways to the
soul’ s inner guidance. There’ s nothing quite like an herbal bath. It’ s like soaking in a lar ge cup
of tea! Because the skin is the lar gest or gan in the body , it draws in the
medicinal compounds of the herbs that are added to the bath and delivers
them to your entire system in a holistic way . Bathing in botanical baths
gives you the opportunity to reconnect with the natural world and to reset
your body toward ideal health and vitality . Water is healing, soothing, and regenerative. It has a profound ability to
bring clarity to the mind, supports you in feeling  your emotions, and helps
you to release what no longer serves. It has a “holding” ability: it literally
will hold you and carry anything that feels too heavy or burdensome so that
it can be released through the drain when your bath is finished. Water also holds intention, so if you draw your bath with intention—
perhaps the intention to bring more beauty , ease, or joy into your life—thewater will deliver that ener gy into your body . You can increase the intention
by simply adding more attention to what you are infusing into the bath. Use
crystals, oils, herbs, and flowers to invite more healing—and thus a deeper
connection to yourself. To make an herbal bath, use any of the options in the instructions on this
page  and soak for twenty to thirty minutes in a water temperature that feels
soothing. Guidelines for an Herbal Bath
Use ½–1 cup of your chosen fresh or dry herbal blend and decoct
into a bath tea. If using a powdered herb, 2 tablespoons is plenty . To
make a decoction, boil your herbs with 8 cups of water until the
water has reduced to 4 cups. Strain before adding to your bath. If
using more delicate flowers like rose, lavender , calendula, or
chamomile, you can simply add flowers at the end of making your
decoction (once the heat is of f) or add to a French press and steep
for twenty minutes before adding to the bath. If using essential oils, add 3–10 drops to Epsom salts or honey
and then add to the bath. Clays are grounding and they soothe and heal the skin. You can
add ½–1½ cups of clay to your bath. Salts purify , offer magnesium, ease pain, and relax muscles. You
can use ½–1 cup per bath. Milk nourishes and softens skin. Use ½ cup of full-fat milk or a
milk alternative
Colloidal oats soothe dry , itchy skin and are anti-inflammatory . Use ½–1½ cups per bath. Honey softens, moisturizes, and nourishes the skin. Use ½–1 cup
of honey per bath. Other additions that will add a sense of ritual, beauty , and
ceremony to your bathing experience: light candles, add fresh
organic flowers to float atop the water , have crystals on hand toinvite their specific energies, use sacred smoke to cleanse the area
before and after the bath. MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS
Taking time each day to settle your mind and connect deeply to yourself is
invaluable in the pursuit of living a fulfilling and intentional life. Whether
it’s practicing mantra meditation ( this page ), working with your breath, or
some other ritual that calls you deeply into the present moment, making
time for meditation and mindfulness will anchor you and your little one into
a deeper current of reality so that you may live into your day with more
clarity , ease, connection, and intention. LIFESTYLE ADAPTATIONS
DURING PREGNANCY
The following are Ayurveda’ s recommendations for how to address and
adapt sleep, sex, and natural ur ges as they arise during pregnancy . SLEEPING POSITIONS
During the first three months of pregnancy you can lie down to sleep in any
position, as your little one is tiny and tucked into your pelvic cage. After
that, however , it is likely that lying on your stomach will feel quite
uncomfortable for both you and your little one! After the fifth month, it is
generally best to avoid lying on your back for more than twenty to thirty
minutes at a time. Ideally you’ll sleep on your left side, as your enlar ged
uterus may put pressure on the aorta, which reduces the amount of blood to
your lower body , including your uterus, potentially af fecting your baby’ s
blood supply . All that being said, as long as you are comfortable, it is likely
that your baby is also just fine. Trust your body . It will tell you if things arenot right. Using pillows to get yourself comfortable on your left side during
the later months of pregnancy is hugely beneficial for restful sleep. You can
put a pillow beneath your tummy and between your knees, and anywhere
else that feels supportive so that you can relax completely . SEX DURING PREGNANCY
Rather than approaching the topic of sex during pregnancy in the mood of
“right and wrong” or “good and bad,” I will share the Ayurvedic perspective
about how it af fects the doshas. Because sex is an experience that breeds
intimacy , connection, self-expression, and pleasure, please take into
consideration the information below and then adapt it in a way that will
maintain balance and harmony in your body and your relationship. Ayurveda recommends abstaining from sex during pregnancy ,
especially in the first and third trimesters. Because the first trimester is
governed by vata dosha, Ayurveda calls for doing everything you can to
stabilize vata during that time. If vata is out of balance, it can cause
miscarriage, preterm birth, back pain, constipation, anxiety , fear , and
overwhelm. While sex in moderation may feel nourishing to your body and
to your relationship, sex is light, mobile, and drying, and sex in excess will
increase those qualities in your body . Sex also involves the release of ojas, which takes over a month to
produce! Recall that ojas is the final product of the digestion of food after it
goes through all seven layers of tissue. It is absolutely necessary for
nourishing your embryo and becomes especially important in the later part
of pregnancy , when you share it to an even greater degree with your babe. Abstaining from overindulgence in any sensory pleasures (such as too
much food, too much TV, and the like) is beneficial, as you now know that
the health (or dis-ease!) of your body and mind has an ef fect on the body
and consciousness of your little one. Overindulgence in anything will af fect
the state of your mind. If you eat too much, you feel groggy . If you scroll
Instagram for too long, you probably feel disconnected from yourself. In the
same way , Ayurveda teaches that having too much sex will deplete yourbodily tissues and leave you feeling dissatisfied. The discipline of
regulating sexual engagement may also instill within your little one the
knowledge that the real pleasure they seek is beyond the senses and that real
satisfaction comes from within. That being said, if mama has a strong sexual desire, her desire should
not be suppressed; instead it should be regulated so that she stays balanced
and vital. In general, those who already have a lot of vata in their
constitution will be more af fected by this and are advised to have sex only
once or twice in a month. Those with a stronger , kapha constitution can
have sex more frequently without throwing their doshas out of balance. Because babies begin to know themselves as their environment, many
vaidyas  (Ayurvedic doctors) would suggest practicing celibacy to conserve
that vital ener gy for internal and spiritual connection. Although celibacy
might be a challenge, the benefits could be worthwhile for your little one’ s
development. Deliberately avoiding sex does not mean that something is
wrong in your relationship. If entered into consciously as a couple, celibacy
can be a great opportunity for you and your partner to explore dif ferent
ways to express af fection, intimacy , and love. Some ideas could be holding
hands, massaging each other , cooking and sharing meals together , or
sharing loving and af fectionate words. A recommendation to abstain from sex during pregnancy arises if your
experience includes any of the following:
You have unexplained vaginal bleeding. You’re leaking amniotic fluid. Your cervix begins to open prematurely (cervical incompetence). Your placenta partly or completely covers your cervical opening
(placenta previa). You have a history of preterm labor or premature birth. If you do choose to have sex during pregnancy , be sure to replenish your
vital ener gy by eating ojas-building foods such as soaked almonds, ghee,dates, and hot milk with digestive spices; be consistent with your abhyanga
(self-massage); and get plenty of nourishing sleep. SUPPRESSION OF NATURAL URGES
Ayurveda details fourteen natural ur ges that should never be suppressed, as
suppression of the ur ges will disrupt the proper movement of vata in the
body . Pregnant mamas should especially avoid the following three: resisting
flatulence, urination, and defecation. Holding the ur ge of flatulence might put pressure on the uterus, as well
as cause nausea, burping, and a burning sensation in the chest. Holding in
urine increases the chance of developing a urinary tract infection, and the
filled bladder may cramp and put pressure on the uterus. Resisting the ur ge
to defecate will create a more toxic environment in your body and may also
make you feel more “full” or bloated, and thus less hungry , so you are more
likely to miss meals. These three ur ges are also governed by apana vata (the
downward flow of vata), which is the direction of movement that we want
to assure is ef ficient as mama gets closer to birthing her babe. YOGA AND EXERCISE DURING
PREGNANCY
During pregnancy , the intensity and style of exercise that you choose
deserves extra consideration. You will want movement practices that
nourish rather than deplete your tissues; Ayurveda suggests yoga and light
cardio such as brisk walking, swimming, or the elliptical, which will tone
your muscles and circulate your blood without increasing vata dosha. Traditionally , asanas, or yoga poses, were meant to open the channels in
the body to allow for the free flow of ener gy to take place. Ayurveda talks
about many dif ferent channels in the body , from gross channels like the
gastrointestinal tract, where your food is digested and assimilated, tosmaller channels like the veins and arteries, where blood pulsates and
oxygenates the entire body . Then there are the more subtle channels, like
the channels of the mind and the heart, where thoughts and emotions move,
as well as prana—your life-force ener gy—bringing awareness and thus
vitality and vibrancy to the entire or ganism. The Ayurvedic approach
suggests all dis-ease starts with stuck or stagnated ener gy in one or more of
these channels and always originates in the more subtle channels before
manifesting in the gross. Rather than trying to “get a good workout,” the focus of exercising
during pregnancy is to move ener gy that has become stuck or stagnated in
these channels through deep stretches, joint rotations, and gentle
cardiovascular movement. These types of movement will distribute fresh
blood and oxygen, as well as awareness, throughout your entire body . When
these gross and subtle channels are unobstructed, your body naturally finds
its perfect state of balance, whether that means you need to gain weight or
lose it, gain muscle mass or soften a bit. Your breath and your awareness have an intimate connection. As you
breathe more deeply into your body , you invite your awareness inside—
often our awareness is everywhere but there! Dr . John Douillard, a globally
recognized leader in the fields of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports
medicine and founder of the Ayurvedic resource LifeSpa, writes that “only
when self-awareness is cultivated can the system fully recognize underlying
problems or imbalances and elicit appropriate responses to heal them.” [*2]
As you invite your attention to the space inside of you, you begin to heal. Your attention provides the space for your body , mind, and emotions to
rearrange themselves—moving from dis-order to order , disease to health. Your body knows how to heal and knows how it needs to be in order to be
balanced. Your breath and awareness begin to awaken the innate
intelligence that already exists within you by creating the proper
environment for healing to happen. Every emotion has a corresponding breath pattern, and your breath
pattern alone can stir up an emotion. When you are present, connected, and
relaxed, you may notice that your breath is deep and full. When you arefeeling anxious or scared, or simply lost in your thoughts, your breath is
short and shallow . Even by unconsciously taking short and shallow breaths,
you may begin to feel unsettled and anxious. By deepening your breath, you
will become more present, connected, and relaxed. While growing your little one, you want to focus on exercises that allow for
you to maintain a steady rhythm of breath. If you notice your breath
becoming strained, slow down or back out of the posture, find your steady
breath, and then enter back into your exercise from a more ease-filled place. Vata-stabilizing yoga poses that strengthen your legs and lower back—
such as chair pose, the warrior poses, and balancing postures—will be
supportive. You can also choose postures that bring circulation to your hips
and reproductive or gans, such as pigeon pose and bound-angle pose. Joint
rotations help to move stuck ener gy in the body as well as deliver
circulation and heat in a gentle way . Again, focus on nourishment and ease
in your movement practice and in your life. COMMON IMBALANCES DURING
PREGNANCY
As your body shifts and changes to accommodate your growing babe, many
challenges can arise, including certain health dif ficulties that Ayurveda lists
as common in pregnancy: weight loss, nausea, dryness of mouth, vomiting,
edema (swelling), fever , anemia, retention of urine, and diarrhea. These
things may be hard to avoid, though the wisdom of Ayurveda can support
you in your attempt to stay balanced throughout the journey . Any woman who has been challenged through her pregnancy will tell
you how defeating it may feel when health dif ficulties af fect daily life. Some women feel so nauseous during their first trimester that they can
barely eat; they become skinny and malnourished, and their digestion is
affected. Many women in their third trimester will have a list of complaints:
their feet are swollen, they feel heavy and tired, they get heartburn or acidreflux when they eat certain foods, they have to pee all the time, their
digestion is af fected, their pelvic bones may hurt when they walk or turn
over in bed, they may not be sleeping well; the list can go on. Other women
feel vibrant, vital, and healthy throughout their entire pregnancy , with no
digestive upsets, swelling, or any discomfort at all! Ayurveda approaches health with a perspective of prevention first. In
chapter 2, we discussed the importance of cleansing your body of any
imbalances prior to conceiving, and then nourishing and rebuilding with the
proper diet and nutrition before conception—this preparation is a means not
only to ready your body , mind, and consciousness for the time of
conception, but also to best prevent dif ficulties from arising during your
pregnancy . However , you may be living with chronic imbalances that have
accumulated over years and years because of environment, lifestyle, and
diet. Cleansing for a few weeks or even a few months may not be enough to
fully pur ge these deeper imbalances. Nonetheless, any level of cleansing
before conception will help improve your situation for a healthier
pregnancy . I wrote this chapter (and much of this book) with the intention of
honoring traditional Ayurvedic wisdom while also providing practical
solutions to things that may still arise because of life influences you face. Sometimes the challenges that come up are out of your control, or due to
factors that are not easily af fected by diet and lifestyle, and you need some
tools to move forward with practical and helpful solutions. ACID REFLUX/HEARTBURN
As the size of the baby increases, the space for mama’ s intestines and
internal or gans decreases. For this reason, it is common for a pregnant
mama to experience heartburn or acid reflux and digestive problems
(constipation, gas, and indigestion) toward the last stage of pregnancy . Acid
reflux and heartburn are conditions that arise from pitta dosha. Avoiding
pitta-aggravating foods will prevent heartburn. (See chapter 1 to understand
the qualities of pitta, and follow the pitta-pacifying lifestyle tips and dietstarting at this page ). Here are some tips to alleviate heartburn and other
digestive symptoms:
Eat smaller meals, more often (making sure your previous meal is
fully digested before eating the next one). Drink diluted buttermilk with a pinch of cardamom daily . Remain upright for at least two hours after eating. Take a gentle walk after meals. Reduce oil and salt in your diet. Make a warm tea with equal parts cumin, coriander , and fennel to sip
with your meals (see the recipe for CCF tea on this page ). Sip yogurt lassi. Drink anise and fennel tea. Carry soaked, raw almonds with you to chew as a snack when
you’re feeling symptoms. Consume amalaki (Indian gooseberry) by mixing 1 teaspoon in 1 cup
of warm water to drink as needed. Consume guduchi by mixing ½ teaspoon in 1 cup of warm water as
needed when you experience heartburn. Consume shatavari by adding 1 teaspoon to your spiced milk before
bed. Use licorice to help with digestive issues by either adding ½
teaspoon of powdered licorice to your spiced milk or making it as a
tea by itself.ANEMIA
Anemia arises when the amount of hemoglobin in your blood dips below
normal, which can cause headaches, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, and
insomnia. The increase in blood volume during pregnancy commonly leads
to mild anemia, but anemia may also be the consequence of a diet lacking in
the right combination of foods or of living a life so busy that mealtimes are
hurried and feature too many processed foods devoid of nutrition. With the
high nutritional demands of pregnancy , falling short can especially lead to
anemia from folate or iron deficiency . Here are some ideas for helping to counter mild anemia caused by
increased blood volume:
Eat a handful of soaked black raisins daily . Eat two to six dates with ghee daily . Eat green veggies and beets. Always add lime, as citrus makes the
iron in these foods more bioavailable. Eat foods or herbs high in vitamin C such as citrus, rosehips,
elderberries, blackberries, Schisandra berry , pomegranate, and
amalaki fruit. Take 1 teaspoon of the Ayurvedic herbal jam chyavanprash, twice
daily. Take 2 teaspoons of spirulina or alfalfa powder daily . Take 1 tablespoon of brahmi-infused ghee in hot milk or water each
evening. (See this page  for a recipe for making ghee.) Anemia caused by deficiency in folic acid can be countered by eating
the following folate-rich herbs and foods:
Watercress
ParsleyChicory
Dandelion
Amaranth
Whole grains
Leafy greens
If you are diagnosed with iron anemia, the following iron-rich herbs and
foods can help restore healthy red blood cells:
Yellow dock root and dandelion root (in small amounts)
Parsley
Nettles
Kelp
Amaranth greens
Beets
ANXIETY
In Ayurvedic medicine, the Sushruta Samhita  describes anxiety as a
derangement of bodily doshas that af fects the nerves and thereby produces a
distracted state of mind. Simply put, aggravation of vata dosha in the
nervous system and the mind can cause anxiety , insecurity , and fear . And
during pregnancy , especially in the first trimester when so much change is
happening and there may be too much lightness, coolness, dryness, and
mobility in your diet or lifestyle, vata commonly goes out of balance in this
way. To treat acute anxiety , Ayurveda calls for reducing vata dosha. Keeping
in mind the principle of like increases like and opposites balance, the
treatments for anxiety will be grounding, lubricating, and nourishing and
will include oleation and heat, both internally and externally . Use thedietary and lifestyle suggestions in chapter 1 to balance vata dosha (starting
on this page ) to reduce anxiety during pregnancy . Herbs such as
ashwagandha, chamomile, lavender , oatstraw , and skullcap can also help. CONGESTION
Runny nose and congestion are common symptoms during pregnancy as a
result of excess hormones and blood volume causing the blood vessels in
your nose to swell and produce more mucus. To clear your nasal
passageways, try the following:
Start your day with a warm, steamy shower . Drink plenty of hydrating fluids such as mineral water , coconut water ,
and fresh juices. Soak a washcloth in hot water and then put a few drops of essential
oils such as rosemary , tea tree, or eucalyptus on it. Hold the hot
washcloth toward your face and take deep inhales through your
nose. During the day , get mild exercise such as yoga, swimming, or
walking. At night, use a vaporizer or humidifier in your bedroom. Use a dif fuser for essential oils of eucalyptus, tea tree, rosemary , or
peppermint. Sleep with your head slightly elevated. CONSTIPATION
Many women experience constipation at dif ferent stages in their pregnancy . Sometimes constipation is the result of hormonal shifts that cause digestion
to slow down, or sometimes it is related to an excess of vata, which causes
coolness and dryness in the colon. Later in pregnancy , the growing uterusmay be putting pressure on the intestines, constricting the movement of
waste through the colon. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of daily
bowel movements for vital health, and going to the bathroom each day
remains important during pregnancy . The following tips can help maintain
regular elimination:
Drink warm water throughout the day . Add 2 teaspoons of ghee to your warm water first thing in the
morning. Eat four prunes that have been soaked overnight before breakfast. Follow a vata-pacifying diet. Have ojas milk (see recipe on this page ) with 2 tablespoons of ghee
at bedtime. Eat a teaspoon of roasted fennel seed with a glass of warm water at
bedtime. Have 1 tablespoon of amalaki in warm water once per day . Try to fit in a gentle walk each day to help waste move through your
intestines. EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS
I have been asked by quite a few mamas who have experienced previous
miscarriages what to do to protect the little one they are now carrying. Many women experience miscarriages in their first trimester , so although
that is never easy , please know that you are not alone. Your individual
biology cannot be generalized, so doing everything “right” and still losing a
pregnancy is not the fault of your body or necessarily caused by anything
that you did or did not do. Ayurveda is a highly individualized science, but I will attempt to
generalize with some Ayurvedic tips to nourish your body and mind beforeand during pregnancy in ways intended to help prevent miscarriage: The
main focus is to strengthen and stabilize an aspect of vata called apana vata,
the downward movement of ener gy (such as evacuation, ejaculation, and
menstruation), as well as vata’ s ability to hold, so you can retain your little
babe within your womb—and also so you don’ t experience incontinence. (This is especially important in your first and third trimesters.) The
Ayurvedic approach to strengthening apana vata includes the following:
Maintain a vata-pacifying diet and lifestyle, including regulation with
your eating and sleeping times; seek things that are warming,
grounding, nourishing, stabilizing. Focus on grounding yoga poses that strengthen your legs—for
instance, chair pose, warrior poses, and squats. Avoid dry , light, and cooling or cold foods. Move slowly . Eat slowly . Be slowly . Avoid fast-paced activities and exercise, as well as intense
conversations. Consume ghee, dates, spiced milk, and soaked almonds, which are
ojas building and supportive. Avoid (or greatly reduce) sexual intercourse. Sex disperses the
energy of vata throughout the body , moving it from its most stable
place in the pelvis. Start connecting with this little soul; bring your hands to your belly
throughout the day and send at least ten deep, intentional breaths to
your little angel daily , with as much presence, love, and attention as
possible. Let this little soul know
that they are wanted,
safe,
loved,and so cared for . And then, allow . Whether it is forever or for now . This little soul is so blessed to have you as its mama. EDEMA
Edema (swelling) is a fairly common condition in pregnancy and is often a
result of the pressure of the uterus pressing on the draining lymphatic fluid
from the legs, resulting in swelling. However , if it is associated with any
other signs, especially hypertension (high blood pressure), then you should
consult your physician. According to Ayurveda, swelling during pregnancy
can also be due to lack of exercise, lack of iron, or lack of protein. Try the
following approaches to reduce the swelling of mild edema:
Make sure that you are drinking ample water with minerals and
electrolytes to help flush the lymphatic system and keep the fluids
moving in your body . Take Epsom salt baths (see “Edema Foot Soak” on this page ). Practice abhyanga massage (see this page ). Drink CCF tea (see the recipe on this page ) and ginger tea. Walk every day for twenty to thirty minutes to improve circulation. Raise your feet above your heart (to help drain lymphatic fluid). GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational diabetes is a condition in which women without previously
diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood-glucose levels during pregnancy . Often, diabetes is a kapha disorder that arises when agni, your digestive
fire, is impaired. Ayurveda recommends these traditional practices to
support agni and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes:Follow a kapha-pacifying diet, especially avoiding overconsumption
of sweets. Eat more fresh veggies, lightly steamed or baked so that they are
easier to digest. Put 1 cup of water in a copper vessel overnight and drink it in the
morning. Consume turmeric—which is supportive for stabilizing blood sugar—
either in capsule form or as a turmeric tea. (Add a pinch of black
pepper to tea, to make the medicinal qualities more bioavailable.) HYPERTENSION
(HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE)
Because a woman’ s blood volume increases dramatically during pregnancy ,
blood pressure is likely to increase as well during this time. Hypertension is
the term for higher -than-normal pressure in the veins and arteries as your
blood pumps through them. Ayurvedic medicine typically views high blood
pressure as reflecting an imbalance in vata and pitta doshas, but in
pregnancy , hypertension often results from an increase of kapha. Vata is
responsible for narrowing of the arteries, whereas kapha is responsible for
fatty deposits that make their home in the artery walls and increase blood
viscosity . To reduce high blood pressure, apply the following Ayurvedic
recommendations:
Tame the physical and emotional stress that may increase blood
pressure through practices such as yoga nidra  (a form of guided
meditation also known as “yogic sleep”) and meditation. Practice breathing exercises such as nadi shodhana (see this page )
or sitali (see this page ). Let go of unnecessary responsibilities.Restrict salty , spicy , sour , fatty , and fried foods. Drink half a cup of fresh cucumber juice daily . IRRITABILITY OR MOOD SWINGS
Pregnant women are known for their mood swings! The high levels of
hormones in your body may cause your emotions to feel more intense than
you are used to. In addition, you are going through a huge shift in your life
(physically , mentally , spiritually , relationally), and as you process these
shifts, so many feelings can come up. Although this shift can be challenging, please do not look at your mood
swings as a negative symptom of pregnancy . Instead, see your fluctuating
emotions, reactions, and triggers as insights into what you most need. Your
sensitivity right now is a gift. Your ability to feel everything right now is
your strength. You are becoming crystal clear about what works for you and
what does not, what serves you and what does not. When you are feeling
strong emotions, ask yourself: What needs do I have that are not being met? What is this emotion here to teach me? It is important to allow yourself to feel, though it is also important that
you express your feelings in a way that is ef fective. Being pregnant is not
an excuse to become bossy or unkind or to allow your emotions to run the
show . If you are feeling resentful, unsupported, frustrated—how can you
express your emotions without making the other person “wrong”? You are
not the victim of your experience. Use your superpower of feeling deeply  to
support you in rearranging what needs to be shifted in your life and to
upgrade your all-around experience during pregnancy . To be proactive in
balancing emotions, consider these tips:
Practice meditation and pranayama exercise. Use af firmations. Journal.Receive counsel from someone you trust, or gather your closest
women friends and meet weekly to connect and share your hearts. If your emotions are af fecting your daily life and leading to depression, try
the following:
Cut out white sugar and moderate sugary foods (excess sugar—
especially when eaten without protein—can lead to blood sugar
swings, fatigue, and depression). Eat high-protein snacks like soaked nuts, yogurt, raw milk, or raw
cheese. Take 5 drops of motherwort tincture in a glass of water (motherwort
restores emotional balance). Drink skullcap tea (to support your nervous system). According to Ayurveda, the desires of the pregnant mama are the desires
of the baby in her womb. You are intrinsically in tune with your child’ s
needs and wishes even before you have met them! Ayurveda teaches that it
is important that mama stays happy and feels supported, and that her needs
be fulfilled, in order to grow a happy , healthy child who knows that this
world will provide them with everything that they need. MORNING SICKNESS
Nausea, or “morning sickness,” during early pregnancy is common. More
than half of women experience some degree of nausea or vomiting during
their first trimester . For some mamas, nausea will start by the fifth or sixth
week of pregnancy and may be the worst toward the beginning of the third
month. Morning sickness usually disappears around the start of the second
trimester , though for a small percentage of women, the nausea may last
longer . For some, it is merely a food aversion—a strong reaction to certain
smells or tastes. For others, it is periodic queasiness, often peaking in themorning and dissipating after lunch. For a few , it is an overwhelming
feeling that lasts all day . According to Ayurveda, these symptoms occur mainly due to the
aggravation of pitta dosha. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are
both essential to the progression of pregnancy , but they are also high in pitta
qualities. In order to minimize nausea, the aggravation of pitta needs to be
brought back into balance. Morning sickness might also be related to low
blood sugar . Ayurveda of fers these recommendations to help bring pitta into
balance and ease nausea during pregnancy:
Start the day of f with a little food. Eat an energizing snack when you feel nausea coming on to help to
raise your blood sugar . Eat smaller , more frequent meals that are high in protein. (An empty
stomach has more acid secretion, which can cause stomach irritation
and nausea.) Roast black cardamom seeds, grind them, and eat small pinches
throughout the day . Sip on ginger tea throughout the day . Drink a cup of boiled milk each evening to which you’ve added a few
drops of rosewater and a teaspoon of ghee (to prevent nausea in the
morning). Inhale the scent of mint, lemon, or orange essential oil to help
alleviate nausea by placing a cotton ball or tissue infused with the oil
under your nose (or put these essential oils in a dif fuser). Sip on coconut water with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
See if exercise helps your symptoms: take an extra walk during the
day, go for a swim, or join a prenatal yoga class. Slow down: clear your schedule and take time to relax.Practice sitali, also known as cooling breath ( this page ), which helps
reduce pitta dosha and ease the stomach. PELVIC PAIN
Toward the end of pregnancy , a hormone called relaxin begins increasing in
your body , which loosens the joints, muscles, tendons, and bones in order to
make it easier for your body to open up during childbirth. During the third
trimester , as the pubic and pelvic bones begin to loosen, you may
experience pain in those bones when walking, getting out of bed, turning
over in bed, or bending down to put your pants on. Severe pain of this type is referred to as symphysis pubis dysfunction
(SPD). A few things can be done to avoid making the pain worse, but
unfortunately it’ s not always possible to relieve the pain completely . Also
unfortunately , this pain may continue after childbirth, so maintaining some
level of treatment for stability is important for long-term relief. If you are
experiencing SPD, ask your care providers about regular visits to a physical
therapist, chiropractor , acupuncturist, or craniosacral therapist. You can also
use these tips to get you through your third trimester:
Stabilize your pelvis by using a belly belt, a Mexican rebozo, or a
scarf wrapped tightly around your pelvic bones to help hold them in
place. Take a warm Epsom salts bath daily (using 2 cups of Epsom salts)
for twenty minutes or longer . Adapt your daily activities to increase your comfort: sit down while
putting on pants, hold your knees together while turning over in bed,
lift your legs with your hands when getting in and out of the tub or the
car, have someone help you get out of bed in the morning, move
slowly , and so on. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time; keep moving.Get physical therapy to learn exercises that can help create more
stability in the pelvis and relieve some of the pain. (Ask your midwife
or doctor for a reference to a physical therapist or a pelvic floor
therapist who works with pregnant women.) Find a chiropractor who does adjustments for SPD. (Ask your doctor
or midwife to refer you to a chiropractor who is familiar with these
specific adjustments.) Get acupuncture or craniosacral therapy treatments. Exercise in gentle ways like swimming or walking. An important note about birth positions and SPD:  If you are suf fering from
SPD, certain birthing positions will make your labor much more dif ficult
and painful, and some positions should be avoided because they bring the
risk of permanently damaging your pubic bone. Ask your doctor or midwife
about birthing positions safe for SPD, or do some research on your own. PREECLAMPSIA
Preeclampsia is a specific kind of high blood pressure some women get
while pregnant or after giving birth. Also known as metabolic toxemia,
preeclampsia is one of the most serious complications during pregnancy . The condition is signaled by edema (swelling), hypertension, and protein in
the urine. Other signs and symptoms of preeclampsia may include severe
headaches, changes in vision (including temporary loss of vision), blurred
vision or light sensitivity , upper abdominal pain (usually under the ribs on
the right side), nausea or vomiting, decreased urine output, decreased levels
of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia), impaired liver function, and
shortness of breath. Sudden weight gain and swelling—particularly in the
face and hands—may occur with preeclampsia, but these also occur in
many normal pregnancies, so they’re not considered reliable signs of
preeclampsia on their own.Preeclampsia usually occurs in the third trimester , but it can also arise
earlier in pregnancy . Although the medical model of care does not recognize
any one cause of preeclampsia, traditional medicine sees a connection to the
mother ’s diet and teaches that it is the result of malnutrition during
pregnancy . If you are showing signs of preeclampsia, be sure to manage this
condition with your doctor , as it can be serious if not monitored properly . The following is a list of tips for preventing and treating preeclampsia from
Susan Weed’s Wise W oman Herbal for the Childbearing Y ear. PREVENTING PREECLAMPSIA
Eat salt! Insuf ficient salt intake during pregnancy can lead to
preeclampsia. Consume 60–80 grams of protein daily; see recipes in chapter 8 for
spiced milk ( this page ), kitchari ( this page ), dal ( this page ). Eat 2,400 calories per day . Take 1,000 grams of calcium daily . Drink raspberry leaf tea, nettle tea, and dandelion tea throughout
pregnancy . Add fresh or cooked dandelion greens to your meals. TREA TING PREECLAMPSIA
Drink mint tea, chicory tea, and dandelion tea for a potassium boost. Drink 4 ounces of raw beet juice daily to balance sodium and
potassium. Grate raw beet and raw apple together for a daily snack. Take a supplement of 100 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily . Take 3 tablespoons of spirulina or chlorella daily . Eat seaweed daily .SLEEP
At various times during your pregnancy , you may experience dif ficulty
either falling asleep or staying asleep—perhaps because of an excess of vata
dosha leading to restlessness or an active mind, or perhaps because you
can’t find a position you are comfortable in. You have many traditional
approaches to choose from if you’re trying to achieve more restful sleep:
Engage your body in healthy activity during the day . Do yoga, take
walks, swim. Avoid taking naps during the day . (According to Ayurveda, this
makes for a lazy child!) Drink plenty of fluids during the day . Meditate before bed. Do a head and foot massage before you go to sleep. Your head and
your feet have many marma  points (see “Mama Marma Therapy” at
this page ) similar to pressure points or acupuncture points. When oil
is applied to your feet and massaged in, your entire nervous system
will calm and help prepare your mind and body for sleep. Drink warm milk with nutmeg before sleep. Nutmeg’ s sedative ef fect
will help you relax and fall asleep, and having this light snack will
help prevent you from waking up hungry in the night. Sleep on your left side to improve blood flow to your baby . Use support pillows between your knees, under your belly , and
behind your back. Focus on your breathing as you fall asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night, it may be your baby waking
you! Try talking to your baby and soothing them back to sleep.If heartburn is waking you up, avoid eating a couple of hours before
sleep and avoid spicy , oily foods. If you feel active at night or have a sensation of restlessness in your
legs at nighttime, try massaging your legs with warm oil or taking a
warm bath before going to sleep. Also check to make sure you are
not iron or folate deficient. If your partner tells you that you have been snoring and you are just
exhausted throughout the day (more than you would expect),
consider getting checked for sleep apnea. Sleeping on your side and
propped up can help temporarily . Get to sleep before 10 p.m.
Avoid stimulation such as movies and social media after sunset. Take magnesium baths or take a magnesium supplement. STRETCH MARKS
Stretch marks are a result of the body’ s fascia, or connective tissue,
stretching thin and spreading out. The inner layer of the skin then cracks or
splits. Stretch marks occur from the inside out and therefore are prevented
from the inside out, starting with nutrition. Ayurveda recommends eating
lots of healthy fats—like nonhomogenized milk, raw butter , and ghee—to
prevent your skin from cracking. Daily abhyanga massages followed by a
warm shower or bath will also help prevent stretch marks as the oil seeps
through the pores into the inner layers of your skin. You might find it
helpful to treat the dryness or itchiness that comes with a stretched belly by
using belly butter , but do make sure that you are using one that is either
homemade or has all clean, or ganic ingredients.WEIGHT GAIN
There is no “one size fits all” approach to pregnancy weight gain. The
amount of weight any particular woman should gain generally depends on
how much she weighed before she became pregnant. That said, a vata
mama (thinner body frame) is suggested to gain 25–40 pounds over the
course of her pregnancy; pitta mamas (average body size) should put on
25–35 pounds; and a kapha mama (lar ger frame) may only need to gain 15–
25 pounds. If you are carrying twins, what is considered healthy weight
gain is much more! The most important thing is to keep your weight gain to
a safe and healthy level for you and your little one. Ayurveda suggests that the most important guideline is to maintain a
steady weight increase while eating wholesome and healthy foods. If your
diet is high quality and you are really listening to your body , you shouldn’ t
have any worries about whether the weight gain is too high or too low . Along these lines, don’ t worry about “eating for two” during pregnancy . What is important is that you really tune in to your body and recognize
when you are hungry or when you are in need of some other form of
nourishment (perhaps a bath, an oil massage, or loving touch). Only some of the weight you gain during pregnancy will be body fat. The other factors causing weight gain will include the extra weight of your
baby , the placenta, amniotic fluid (the water surrounding your baby), your
growing breasts, increased blood, and natural fluid retention. The main thing, not surprisingly , is that you want to make sure vata is
pacified. Believe it or not, when vata becomes exacerbated, you can
actually gain unhealthy weight! Most people associate high vata to weight
loss, but let me tell you why some pregnant mamas (and people in general)
may gain an unhealthy amount of weight even if they are hardly eating or
are eating light foods like salads, working out for hours a day , and staying
super busy . Vata weight may stay on in order to ground a person who is airy and
scattered. A high level of mental stress, irregular meal times, skipping
meals, unhealthy food choices, or eating too many foods that are dry , cold,light, or raw increases vata dosha in the body and can severely impact your
metabolism, causing it to be sluggish and unresponsive. Because of this,
you may accumulate ama (toxins) in your body , which leads to clogged
channels. When ama blocks the channels of digestion and the channels that
circulate nutrients throughout the body , metabolism slows down and weight
gain results. When the channels are clogged, nothing can move in or out
and you start to hold on to weight. You may then become even more active,
trying to lose the excess weight, and thus create an acidic environment in
your body . At this point, your body will need to hold on to even more fat to
protect the tissues from the acid…and so begins a cycle. I have seen, time and time again, people coming to my gentle yoga
classes and saying, “I was going to the gym for two hours per day and
couldn’ t lose those last ten pounds. But as soon as I started attending
restorative yoga classes, the weight just fell of f!” When you pacify vata
through slow movement, relaxation, routine, and warm, cooked, nourishing
meals eaten at regular times throughout the day , the channels in your body
relax and open, your digestion regulates, and any excess weight is able to
leave the body . Many of us are acculturated to seeing food as a major source of
comfort, because it gives an immediate sense of feeling grounded and
satisfied—but too often that tendency leads to overeating or to eating when
we are not actually hungry . We may also get caught up in the many
“shoulds” around what and when to eat—so caught up that we for get to
listen to our own bodies. Ayurveda suggests that you are not actually what
you eat, but rather what you digest. And in order to digest anything, there
has to be real hunger . Try to stay tuned in to your real hunger before eating, and then to eat to
your satisfaction. Let yourself be nourished by what you’re eating by
staying present with your food, chewing and really tasting each bite, and
actually enjoying it. Believe it or not, this will have a drastic ef fect on your
ability to digest, absorb, and assimilate food ef ficiently! Aim for regular
mealtimes, as vata thrives with routine (and so does your digestive system). Eat foods that are easy to digest yet nourishing. Sip on warm water andhydrating teas throughout the day , which will open the channels in your
body and gently stoke the digestive fire. Warm food and digestive spices
will nourish vata and also help pacify excess kapha in your system. Since pregnancy is already a time when vata dosha is increased, use this
time to invite more grounding, nourishing, and stabilizing routines into your
life. Rather than doing high-intensity fitness classes or a lot of cardio, opt
for yoga classes, long (perhaps brisk) walks, and conscious relaxation. When the channels in your body are open, and when you are truly
nourished, your body knows what it needs or does not need and can find its
optimal state of well-being. A LATE-PREGNANCY BLESSING
Traditionally in the last months of pregnancy there would be the following
ceremony to honor the pregnant mama and to bless her with the necessary
strength, surrender , and confidence to enter this next season of her life. Simantonnayana: Parting of the Hair Ceremony
Simantonnayana  is a traditional ceremony held in the third trimester
of pregnancy meant to invoke blessings and auspiciousness for the
final stages of gestation and the upcoming moment of birth. The
mantras are said to release lifetimes of past trauma from the baby so
that the new child can enter the world with a deeper connection to
themselves. During this ceremony , the expectant partners gather together with
friends and family . The father of fers mama his af fectionate attention
as he parts her hair down the center line three times, each time with
different objects (traditionally , darbha grass, a porcupine quill, and a
stick of viratara wood). Each time, he recites dif ferent mantras. He of fers flowers to her and feeds her sweet and nourishing
fruits, to symbolize her nourishment and happiness and to honor herfor carrying their child during this sacred time in their lives. Other
mantras are recited to give mama confidence and mental strength. Mama and baby then receive individual blessings from each mother
who is present for the ceremony . After the simantonnayana  ritual and until the birth, the woman is
expected to not overexert herself and her partner is expected to be
near her and to not travel to distant lands. SKIP N OTES
*1 See for example Bum Jin Park et al., “The Physiological Effects of Shinrin-yoku
(Taking in the Forest Atmosphere or Forest Bathing): Evidence from Field
Experiments in 24 Forests across Japan,” Environmental Health and Preventive
Medicine,  May 2009. *2 John Douillard, LifeSpa website, “Get High on Massage,” December 19, 2021,
https://lifespa.com/health-topics/stress-management/get-high-massage/ . OceanofPDF .comPreparing for Birth 4 
For far too many , pregnancy and birth is still something that happens
to them rather than something they set out consciously and joyfully to
do themselves. —Sheila Kitzinger , The Experience of Childbirth
Doing everything that you can to prepare for your labor and birth allows
you to show up fully for your own unique, empowered birth experience and
to surrender completely to the process as it unfolds—from a place of deep
trust and confidence. Where do you plan to give birth? How do you want to
give birth? Who will be there? How will you prepare? Is it possible to feel
prepared?! A million questions may be buzzing in your mind as you
consider the many options of how you will birth your little one. How you
choose to give birth takes consideration, thought, and research, whether you
prefer a free birth at home with just you and your partner; a home birth with
attending midwives, doulas, and family; a vaginal birth at the hospital; or a
plan to schedule an induction or C-section. How and where you give birth matters. The people present; the ener gy
in the space; mama feeling empowered or subservient, trusting or fearful;
who receives baby; what happens immediately following birth—it all
matters. The environment that your babe is born into is their first
impression of the world outside of the womb. Before deciding on your birth
plan, reflect on the beliefs that you have around birthing. Do you believe
that it is powerful and beautiful? Do you think it will be unbearably
painful? Do you trust that it is a natural process, designed to go well? Do
you feel that things often go wrong? Perhaps you have heard stories of your
family and friends giving birth, and you think that your experience will be
similar . Maybe you have seen a woman in labor on TV or in movies and
think that your water will break, then you will be rushed to the hospital and
scream the whole way through. If the beliefs that you have surroundingyour birth cause fear or anxiety , you may want to take some time to reframe
your thoughts and open up to other possibilities. Every single birth is
completely and utterly profound. Your birth story will not be like any other
birth story you have ever heard. Every woman should have the opportunity for a healthy , safe, and
empowered birth. Giving birth can be a deeply positive and transformative
experience. In an oft-cited quote from her book A Bun in the Oven: How the
Food and Birth Movements Resist Industrialization,  the sociologist Barbara
Katz Rothman emphasizes: “Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is
about making mothers—strong, competent, capable mothers who trust
themselves and know their inner strength.” I suggest reading stories of
positive birth experiences and researching facts and statistics on dif ferent
methods of birth and birth interventions. From there, make an informed
decision from an empowered place rather than a fearful one. Ina May’ s
Guide to Childbirth , by the renowned professional midwife Ina May
Gaskin, is perhaps one of the most valuable books a pregnant mother can
read before making her birth plan. In this chapter , I share information that will support you in preparing
your birth plan, home, body , mind, and life to welcome your little one into
the world. I share my personal plan for my home birth along with my
hospital transfer plan, which includes my own personal choices in the case
that I needed to be transferred to the hospital during labor . I hope that
sharing my choices will inspire you and give you some practical direction
while thinking of what to research when creating your own birth vision. I
share this information solely from my personal experience and not to give
any medical advice. This little cabin,
the little window ,
that little table surrounded by the biggest trees
and the biggest love I know . We left from San Francisco airport this morning:him on United Airlines: a plane to New York City . Me on Alaska airlines: flying back to Florida. On the way to our terminals
little tears were rolling down my cheeks,
and once I got off at my terminal,
leaving him on the sky train to continue his journey ,
I started sobbing. Like wrinkled face, hard to catch my breath typa’  tears. As I rode down the escalator
I looked back up at the train and saw him through the window
as his train drove out of sight. I know it sounds like a melodramatic movie scene. To me too! This is new to me. We’ve said goodbye, or “see you soon,” a thousand times. I’ve prided myself in not needing to talk every day ,
or being able to go weeks without seeing him
and not really missing him. But since little bun has been in the oven,
things are so so different. I missed him for the last two days that we were together ,
knowing we would be leaving. I want to be with him all of the time. I don’t want to miss out on this special time together;
your conversations with him,
reading to him,
checking in on him,
or just resting your hand on my belly as we drive.Also, just how special I feel when we’re all together ,
the way you love me and care for me in this whole new way . And perhaps a part of me knows that after bub comes,
things will never be the same. Of course there will be a trillion times more love,
but it’ s not just us anymore. It’s not us
doing what we want
when we want
and how we want. It’s not me and you as the center of our love story . Everything is changing,
and I want to hold on to this time forever . In a way , it almost feels like a death. I’m afraid I’m gonna miss it:
miss the us
that we were
before babe was here. Miss the era,
the life that was before. And I love you no less, little one. You’re making everything more special. With more love there is more heartache,
because the heart opens to feel it all. It’s heartbreaking
and so beautiful
all at once.PRENATAL TESTING
Several common prenatal tests are recommended to pregnant women as
routine procedures—though many women for get they have the power to say
“no” to these tests if they believe it is not best for themselves or their baby . Medical procedures have their place, and every circumstance is dif ferent. Depending on your unique pregnancy , your medical history , your family
health history , and your personal preferences, you may decide that certain
tests will benefit you, though you may also decide that some of them do
not. Make sure you are informed and educated on the process of these tests,
the possible risks and complications, the benefits, and the potential reasons
for doing them. Prenatal tests to research and make decisions about include ultrasounds,
chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein
screening, screening for gestational diabetes, group B strep, and prenatal
rhoGAM. It can be confusing for a pregnant mama to familiarize herself
with all these medical procedures, and many mamas end up just deferring to
the recommendations of their care providers. Ina May Gaskin’ s Guide to
Childbirth  gives a comprehensive guide to prenatal testing, summarizing
the medical procedures and listing the possible benefits, risks, and
complications, and I highly recommend it for women who are deciding
which prenatal testing to consent to. PREPARING YOUR
ENVIRONMENT
CHOOSING WHERE TO BIRTH YOUR BABE
There are three common choices when considering your birthing location:
at home, at a birth center , or at the hospital. Each of these environments haspros and cons. Envision where you will feel the most relaxed, as you will
give birth with more ease wherever you feel the most comfortable. Wherever you choose to birth your babe, the birthing space should be as
soothing to vata as possible. Create an environment where you feel
completely at ease, with the right people, dim lighting, soft music, and
anything else that makes you feel at home. Find ways to bring in warmth,
both emotionally and in temperature. Traditionally , caregivers would light a
fire in the corner of a delivery room. Adding softness, heaviness, and
oiliness to the birth experience will calm vata and assist the downward
energy (apana vata), crucial to the delivery of your little one. Throughout labor , your fight-or -flight response needs to be essentially
turned of f so that you can drop into a space of inner connection and trust. Your body has natural systems in place that will actually stop the process of
labor if there are any perceived threats. Ina May’ s Guide to Childbirth
explains that throughout history , only women were allowed to be present
during labor and birth. When male doctors started to deliver babies, the
presence of an unfamiliar man in the room would observably cause a
woman’ s labor to slow , reverse, or stop altogether . Factors such as people in
the room whom you are uncomfortable with, a space you are unfamiliar
with, bright lights, loud and unsettling noises—any of this within your
birthing environment can slow or stop labor if it makes you feel uneasy and
your body registers it as a “threat.”
A home birth is a suitable birthing option if you are healthy , low risk,
and live in an area that is close enough to easily transfer to a hospital in
case of an emer gency . Birthing at home has many obvious benefits: the
setting is intimate, familiar , and cozy; your family can be present and
involved in the birth if you wish; you can be the director of your birth
experience; you can feel more in your element rather than unfamiliar with
your environment; and, after the birth of your babe, you can relax and rest
in your own bed. Medically speaking, home births have lower risks of medically
unnecessary interventions; they have lower rates of forceps or vacuum
delivery , emer gency C-sections, episiotomies, and so on. It has been proventhat every intervention during labor (starting with the intervention of
leaving your home to go to a new space with loud noises and bright lights)
begets another intervention. If you are considered to have a healthy and
low-risk pregnancy and you and your baby have no underlying conditions,
you and your baby may greatly benefit from giving birth at home. I would
highly recommend looking into this possibility . Along with works by Ina
May Gaskin, books by the board-certified family physician, midwife, and
herbalist Aviva Romm are great sources for learning about statistics
surrounding the safety of home births. Birthing centers are a good option if you live too far away from a
hospital to transfer easily in the case of an emer gency , or if you would not
be fully comfortable at home but still want to have a mostly natural birth
with few interventions. Consider a hospital birth if you have a high-risk pregnancy or if you go
into labor early . Hospitals are best equipped to deal with medical
emer gencies and to keep mama and baby stable throughout labor and birth
if there are any underlying conditions. You may also benefit from giving
birth at the hospital if you tend toward having anxiety and feel safer being
close to medical resources during your labor and birth. For some mamas,
this safety net allows them to relax and have an easier labor . NESTING
During the last month of pregnancy , your mind may shift into nesting mode. The old wives’  tale advises that once the nesting impulse starts, labor is not
too far away . Nesting is a biological response that all mammals have to
prepare for the birth of their babe—it reflects an instinctual need to prepare
not only your home, but also your body and mind to welcome your little
one into the world. If you wake up with an out-of-the-blue desire to scrub your floors, tidy
up your baby’ s dresser full of onesies, and repack your “just in case”
hospital bag for the—ahem—eighth time, the sweet maternal phenomenon
known as “nesting” might be upon you. Regardless of your ener gy levelsduring pregnancy , there may very well come a time when you suddenly get
bursts of ener gy and focus that seem almost superhuman. This sur ging
vitality and sense of mission is nature’ s way of getting you ready to care for
your little one: an increase in the amount of adrenaline coursing through
your system generally around week 38 or 39 of your pregnancy . Some
researchers have suggested that the nesting ur ge arises from a somewhat
programmed adaptive human behavior stemming from our evolutionary
roots to prepare for and to protect an unborn baby . At its core, nesting is
about doing everything that you can to prepare your inner and outer
environment to assure that you are as ready as you’ll ever be. In the weeks before my baby was born, I had the walls in my house
painted, got new curtains for the bedrooms, completely redid our birthing
room (we had a home birth), and got new furniture for the living room. I did
laundry , deep-cleaned the refrigerator , decluttered every nook of the house,
and put everything in its place. I had this feeling that I could not settle until
everything was just right. I could then hunker down and really focus on the
task at hand: birthing my baby and caring for him once he came. As productive and fruitful as nesting can be, that kind of busyness may
also be a way to distract yourself from any feelings that are coming up
around this huge life transition and your upcoming birth experience. Nesting can be categorized as a vata activity , as there is excess ener gy,
activity , and movement. As you now know , when vata is high, your
activities can stem from an experience of feeling unsettled, anxious, fearful,
and unprepared rather than from a productive, grounded, and even-minded
place. If and when you notice the nesting instincts, be mindful of the
following:
Think about what you need in order to feel completely ready to birth
your babe. What do you need in order to feel totally prepared to put
everything else aside and just take care of them? Make a list. Create a nesting plan. That way , you won’t feel rushed to do
everything all at once.Take time to close your eyes and feel. Are there any underlying
emotions that are moving you to become busy in order to distract
yourself from honoring the big changes that are happening and the
emotions that are coming up around them? Do you feel nourished? Supported? Focus on what you need as well. Take time to nurture yourself as you prepare for childbirth. Practice trust; let go of the need to control; know that your baby will
come at the right time and that you will be ready . More than any
external preparations, it is that inward ability to trust that allows for
ease and connection in the process of birthing, regardless of the
externals. Nontoxic DIY  House Cleaner
Essential oils are Mama Nature’ s gift to us. They are the aromatic
compounds that serve to protect a plant from predators or other
threatening influences, as well as strengthen the plant’ s system to
assure healthy reproduction. Ayurveda teaches that by observing
nature, we can utilize her gifts in a way that supports us in similar
ways without any toxic side ef fects. There is no need to pull out your rubber gloves and surgical
masks when you clean your home. It might surprise you to know that
you can concoct simple and inexpensive nontoxic cleaners from
ingredients already available around your house. The oil blends
listed below are naturally antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal.
_OceanofPDF.com_Ayurveda_Mama_A_Complete_Guide_-_Dhyana_Masla.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        SEVENTH MONTH: SENSE OF TOUCH
In the seventh month, the baby’ s sense of touch is developing. During this
celebration, we want mama to feel amazing. One way to do this is to hold a
gathering that includes some gentle massage for mama with many hands all
at once. Belly painting is also a beautiful idea. Those gathered could engage
in hair brushing or ceremonial hair braiding while mama receives arosewater foot bath. This is also a great time to let your girlfriends know
that you would like gentle, soothing, oily (A yurvedic style) massages after
your birth experience to facilitate your recovery and mothering strength. FOUR IMPORTANT SELF-CARE
PRACTICES DURING PREGNANCY
Along with the various recommendations discussed so far as ways of
nurturing mind, body, and soul in the months between conception and birth,
Ayurveda specifies four main self-care practices for nourishing yourself and
your little babe throughout pregnancy, as follows. ABHYANGA: SELF-MASSAGE
If you have been practicing abhyanga massages steadily for at least three
months prior to conception (details and instructions on this page ), it is safe
to continue massages throughout pregnancy. Otherwise, Ayurveda advises
waiting to begin your massages until the second trimester, when your
pregnancy is more stable. During pregnancy, abhyanga should be done
slowly, lightly, and with your loving attention, really honoring your body as
a sacred vessel that is growing your little one. Abhyanga is one of the most
powerful ways to stabilize vata dosha and to assure that mama and babe are
nourished, happy, and at ease. LONG WALKS
Walking is a low-impact exercise that gives many benefits to the pregnant
mama. Taking long walks boosts mood and ener gy levels, eases back pain
and other aches, helps you sleep better, relieves constipation, supports
overall cardiovascular health, aids in a more ease-filled labor and delivery,
and much more. Ideally, walk barefoot in nature. You’ll have the perfect all-around self-
care practice for maintaining mind-body wellness. Connection with the
natural world soothes and heals the nervous system and invites us to
connect with something lar ger than ourselves. Researchers have observed
that spending time being present in nature lowers blood pressure, brings
down heart rate, and reduces levels of harmful hormones circulating in the
bloodstream—including cortisol, which your body produces when it’ s
stressed. [*1] Walking in nature can help put you (and babe. ) in a more calm
and relaxed state. If you live in a city, even spending time in an urban park
can have a positive impact on your sense of well-being. HERBAL BATHS
Baths are known to soothe tired or achy muscles, reduce stress, support
digestion, boost immunity, promote relaxation, and more. When you add
herbs, salts, clays, flower essences, and essential oils to your bath, the
additions bring qualities that increase the bath’ s ability to support you in
many ways. Cultures throughout history have recognized the importance of
bathing, not only for personal hygiene, but also to open pathways to the
soul’ s inner guidance. There’ s nothing quite like an herbal bath. It’ s like soaking in a lar ge cup
of tea. Because the skin is the lar gest or gan in the body, it draws in the
medicinal compounds of the herbs that are added to the bath and delivers
them to your entire system in a holistic way. Bathing in botanical baths
gives you the opportunity to reconnect with the natural world and to reset
your body toward ideal health and vitality. Water is healing, soothing, and regenerative. It has a profound ability to
bring clarity to the mind, supports you in feeling  your emotions, and helps
you to release what no longer serves. It has a “holding” ability: it literally
will hold you and carry anything that feels too heavy or burdensome so that
it can be released through the drain when your bath is finished. Water also holds intention, so if you draw your bath with intention—
perhaps the intention to bring more beauty, ease, or joy into your life—thewater will deliver that ener gy into your body. You can increase the intention
by simply adding more attention to what you are infusing into the bath. Use
crystals, oils, herbs, and flowers to invite more healing—and thus a deeper
connection to yourself. To make an herbal bath, use any of the options in the instructions on this
page  and soak for twenty to thirty minutes in a water temperature that feels
soothing. Guidelines for an Herbal Bath
Use ½–1 cup of your chosen fresh or dry herbal blend and decoct
into a bath tea. If using a powdered herb, 2 tablespoons is plenty. To
make a decoction, boil your herbs with 8 cups of water until the
water has reduced to 4 cups. Strain before adding to your bath. If
using more delicate flowers like rose, lavender, calendula, or
chamomile, you can simply add flowers at the end of making your
decoction (once the heat is of f) or add to a French press and steep
for twenty minutes before adding to the bath. If using essential oils, add 3–10 drops to Epsom salts or honey
and then add to the bath. Clays are grounding and they soothe and heal the skin. You can
add ½–1½ cups of clay to your bath. Salts purify, offer magnesium, ease pain, and relax muscles. You
can use ½–1 cup per bath. Milk nourishes and softens skin. Use ½ cup of full-fat milk or a
milk alternative
Colloidal oats soothe dry, itchy skin and are anti-inflammatory. Use ½–1½ cups per bath. Honey softens, moisturizes, and nourishes the skin. Use ½–1 cup
of honey per bath. Other additions that will add a sense of ritual, beauty, and
ceremony to your bathing experience: light candles, add fresh
organic flowers to float atop the water, have crystals on hand toinvite their specific energies, use sacred smoke to cleanse the area
before and after the bath. MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS
Taking time each day to settle your mind and connect deeply to yourself is
invaluable in the pursuit of living a fulfilling and intentional life. Whether
it’s practicing mantra meditation ( this page ), working with your breath, or
some other ritual that calls you deeply into the present moment, making
time for meditation and mindfulness will anchor you and your little one into
a deeper current of reality so that you may live into your day with more
clarity, ease, connection, and intention. LIFESTYLE ADAPTATIONS
DURING PREGNANCY
The following are Ayurveda’ s recommendations for how to address and
adapt sleep, sex, and natural ur ges as they arise during pregnancy. SLEEPING POSITIONS
During the first three months of pregnancy you can lie down to sleep in any
position, as your little one is tiny and tucked into your pelvic cage. After
that, however, it is likely that lying on your stomach will feel quite
uncomfortable for both you and your little one. After the fifth month, it is
generally best to avoid lying on your back for more than twenty to thirty
minutes at a time. Ideally you’ll sleep on your left side, as your enlar ged
uterus may put pressure on the aorta, which reduces the amount of blood to
your lower body, including your uterus, potentially af fecting your baby’ s
blood supply. All that being said, as long as you are comfortable, it is likely
that your baby is also just fine. Trust your body. It will tell you if things arenot right. Using pillows to get yourself comfortable on your left side during
the later months of pregnancy is hugely beneficial for restful sleep. You can
put a pillow beneath your tummy and between your knees, and anywhere
else that feels supportive so that you can relax completely. SEX DURING PREGNANCY
Rather than approaching the topic of sex during pregnancy in the mood of
“right and wrong” or “good and bad,” I will share the Ayurvedic perspective
about how it af fects the doshas. Because sex is an experience that breeds
intimacy, connection, self-expression, and pleasure, please take into
consideration the information below and then adapt it in a way that will
maintain balance and harmony in your body and your relationship. Ayurveda recommends abstaining from sex during pregnancy,
especially in the first and third trimesters. Because the first trimester is
governed by vata dosha, Ayurveda calls for doing everything you can to
stabilize vata during that time. If vata is out of balance, it can cause
miscarriage, preterm birth, back pain, constipation, anxiety, fear, and
overwhelm. While sex in moderation may feel nourishing to your body and
to your relationship, sex is light, mobile, and drying, and sex in excess will
increase those qualities in your body. Sex also involves the release of ojas, which takes over a month to
produce. Recall that ojas is the final product of the digestion of food after it
goes through all seven layers of tissue. It is absolutely necessary for
nourishing your embryo and becomes especially important in the later part
of pregnancy, when you share it to an even greater degree with your babe. Abstaining from overindulgence in any sensory pleasures (such as too
much food, too much TV, and the like) is beneficial, as you now know that
the health (or dis-ease. ) of your body and mind has an ef fect on the body
and consciousness of your little one. Overindulgence in anything will af fect
the state of your mind. If you eat too much, you feel groggy. If you scroll
Instagram for too long, you probably feel disconnected from yourself. In the
same way, Ayurveda teaches that having too much sex will deplete yourbodily tissues and leave you feeling dissatisfied. The discipline of
regulating sexual engagement may also instill within your little one the
knowledge that the real pleasure they seek is beyond the senses and that real
satisfaction comes from within. That being said, if mama has a strong sexual desire, her desire should
not be suppressed; instead it should be regulated so that she stays balanced
and vital. In general, those who already have a lot of vata in their
constitution will be more af fected by this and are advised to have sex only
once or twice in a month. Those with a stronger, kapha constitution can
have sex more frequently without throwing their doshas out of balance. Because babies begin to know themselves as their environment, many
vaidyas  (Ayurvedic doctors) would suggest practicing celibacy to conserve
that vital ener gy for internal and spiritual connection. Although celibacy
might be a challenge, the benefits could be worthwhile for your little one’ s
development. Deliberately avoiding sex does not mean that something is
wrong in your relationship. If entered into consciously as a couple, celibacy
can be a great opportunity for you and your partner to explore dif ferent
ways to express af fection, intimacy, and love. Some ideas could be holding
hands, massaging each other, cooking and sharing meals together, or
sharing loving and af fectionate words. A recommendation to abstain from sex during pregnancy arises if your
experience includes any of the following:
You have unexplained vaginal bleeding. You’re leaking amniotic fluid. Your cervix begins to open prematurely (cervical incompetence). Your placenta partly or completely covers your cervical opening
(placenta previa). You have a history of preterm labor or premature birth. If you do choose to have sex during pregnancy, be sure to replenish your
vital ener gy by eating ojas-building foods such as soaked almonds, ghee,dates, and hot milk with digestive spices; be consistent with your abhyanga
(self-massage); and get plenty of nourishing sleep. SUPPRESSION OF NATURAL URGES
Ayurveda details fourteen natural ur ges that should never be suppressed, as
suppression of the ur ges will disrupt the proper movement of vata in the
body. Pregnant mamas should especially avoid the following three: resisting
flatulence, urination, and defecation. Holding the ur ge of flatulence might put pressure on the uterus, as well
as cause nausea, burping, and a burning sensation in the chest. Holding in
urine increases the chance of developing a urinary tract infection, and the
filled bladder may cramp and put pressure on the uterus. Resisting the ur ge
to defecate will create a more toxic environment in your body and may also
make you feel more “full” or bloated, and thus less hungry, so you are more
likely to miss meals. These three ur ges are also governed by apana vata (the
downward flow of vata), which is the direction of movement that we want
to assure is ef ficient as mama gets closer to birthing her babe. YOGA AND EXERCISE DURING
PREGNANCY
During pregnancy, the intensity and style of exercise that you choose
deserves extra consideration. You will want movement practices that
nourish rather than deplete your tissues; Ayurveda suggests yoga and light
cardio such as brisk walking, swimming, or the elliptical, which will tone
your muscles and circulate your blood without increasing vata dosha. Traditionally, asanas, or yoga poses, were meant to open the channels in
the body to allow for the free flow of ener gy to take place. Ayurveda talks
about many dif ferent channels in the body, from gross channels like the
gastrointestinal tract, where your food is digested and assimilated, tosmaller channels like the veins and arteries, where blood pulsates and
oxygenates the entire body. Then there are the more subtle channels, like
the channels of the mind and the heart, where thoughts and emotions move,
as well as prana—your life-force ener gy—bringing awareness and thus
vitality and vibrancy to the entire or ganism. The Ayurvedic approach
suggests all dis-ease starts with stuck or stagnated ener gy in one or more of
these channels and always originates in the more subtle channels before
manifesting in the gross. Rather than trying to “get a good workout,” the focus of exercising
during pregnancy is to move ener gy that has become stuck or stagnated in
these channels through deep stretches, joint rotations, and gentle
cardiovascular movement. These types of movement will distribute fresh
blood and oxygen, as well as awareness, throughout your entire body. When
these gross and subtle channels are unobstructed, your body naturally finds
its perfect state of balance, whether that means you need to gain weight or
lose it, gain muscle mass or soften a bit. Your breath and your awareness have an intimate connection. As you
breathe more deeply into your body, you invite your awareness inside—
often our awareness is everywhere but there. Dr. John Douillard, a globally
recognized leader in the fields of natural health, Ayurveda, and sports
medicine and founder of the Ayurvedic resource LifeSpa, writes that “only
when self-awareness is cultivated can the system fully recognize underlying
problems or imbalances and elicit appropriate responses to heal them. ” [*2]
As you invite your attention to the space inside of you, you begin to heal. Your attention provides the space for your body, mind, and emotions to
rearrange themselves—moving from dis-order to order, disease to health. Your body knows how to heal and knows how it needs to be in order to be
balanced. Your breath and awareness begin to awaken the innate
intelligence that already exists within you by creating the proper
environment for healing to happen. Every emotion has a corresponding breath pattern, and your breath
pattern alone can stir up an emotion. When you are present, connected, and
relaxed, you may notice that your breath is deep and full. When you arefeeling anxious or scared, or simply lost in your thoughts, your breath is
short and shallow. Even by unconsciously taking short and shallow breaths,
you may begin to feel unsettled and anxious. By deepening your breath, you
will become more present, connected, and relaxed. While growing your little one, you want to focus on exercises that allow for
you to maintain a steady rhythm of breath. If you notice your breath
becoming strained, slow down or back out of the posture, find your steady
breath, and then enter back into your exercise from a more ease-filled place. Vata-stabilizing yoga poses that strengthen your legs and lower back—
such as chair pose, the warrior poses, and balancing postures—will be
supportive. You can also choose postures that bring circulation to your hips
and reproductive or gans, such as pigeon pose and bound-angle pose. Joint
rotations help to move stuck ener gy in the body as well as deliver
circulation and heat in a gentle way. Again, focus on nourishment and ease
in your movement practice and in your life. COMMON IMBALANCES DURING
PREGNANCY
As your body shifts and changes to accommodate your growing babe, many
challenges can arise, including certain health dif ficulties that Ayurveda lists
as common in pregnancy: weight loss, nausea, dryness of mouth, vomiting,
edema (swelling), fever, anemia, retention of urine, and diarrhea. These
things may be hard to avoid, though the wisdom of Ayurveda can support
you in your attempt to stay balanced throughout the journey. Any woman who has been challenged through her pregnancy will tell
you how defeating it may feel when health dif ficulties af fect daily life. Some women feel so nauseous during their first trimester that they can
barely eat; they become skinny and malnourished, and their digestion is
affected. Many women in their third trimester will have a list of complaints:
their feet are swollen, they feel heavy and tired, they get heartburn or acidreflux when they eat certain foods, they have to pee all the time, their
digestion is af fected, their pelvic bones may hurt when they walk or turn
over in bed, they may not be sleeping well; the list can go on. Other women
feel vibrant, vital, and healthy throughout their entire pregnancy, with no
digestive upsets, swelling, or any discomfort at all. Ayurveda approaches health with a perspective of prevention first. In
chapter 2, we discussed the importance of cleansing your body of any
imbalances prior to conceiving, and then nourishing and rebuilding with the
proper diet and nutrition before conception—this preparation is a means not
only to ready your body, mind, and consciousness for the time of
conception, but also to best prevent dif ficulties from arising during your
pregnancy. However, you may be living with chronic imbalances that have
accumulated over years and years because of environment, lifestyle, and
diet. Cleansing for a few weeks or even a few months may not be enough to
fully pur ge these deeper imbalances. Nonetheless, any level of cleansing
before conception will help improve your situation for a healthier
pregnancy. I wrote this chapter (and much of this book) with the intention of
honoring traditional Ayurvedic wisdom while also providing practical
solutions to things that may still arise because of life influences you face. Sometimes the challenges that come up are out of your control, or due to
factors that are not easily af fected by diet and lifestyle, and you need some
tools to move forward with practical and helpful solutions. ACID REFLUX/HEARTBURN
As the size of the baby increases, the space for mama’ s intestines and
internal or gans decreases. For this reason, it is common for a pregnant
mama to experience heartburn or acid reflux and digestive problems
(constipation, gas, and indigestion) toward the last stage of pregnancy. Acid
reflux and heartburn are conditions that arise from pitta dosha. Avoiding
pitta-aggravating foods will prevent heartburn. (See chapter 1 to understand
the qualities of pitta, and follow the pitta-pacifying lifestyle tips and dietstarting at this page ). Here are some tips to alleviate heartburn and other
digestive symptoms:
Eat smaller meals, more often (making sure your previous meal is
fully digested before eating the next one). Drink diluted buttermilk with a pinch of cardamom daily. Remain upright for at least two hours after eating. Take a gentle walk after meals. Reduce oil and salt in your diet. Make a warm tea with equal parts cumin, coriander, and fennel to sip
with your meals (see the recipe for CCF tea on this page ). Sip yogurt lassi. Drink anise and fennel tea. Carry soaked, raw almonds with you to chew as a snack when
you’re feeling symptoms. Consume amalaki (Indian gooseberry) by mixing 1 teaspoon in 1 cup
of warm water to drink as needed. Consume guduchi by mixing ½ teaspoon in 1 cup of warm water as
needed when you experience heartburn. Consume shatavari by adding 1 teaspoon to your spiced milk before
bed. Use licorice to help with digestive issues by either adding ½
teaspoon of powdered licorice to your spiced milk or making it as a
tea by itself. ANEMIA
Anemia arises when the amount of hemoglobin in your blood dips below
normal, which can cause headaches, weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite, and
insomnia. The increase in blood volume during pregnancy commonly leads
to mild anemia, but anemia may also be the consequence of a diet lacking in
the right combination of foods or of living a life so busy that mealtimes are
hurried and feature too many processed foods devoid of nutrition. With the
high nutritional demands of pregnancy, falling short can especially lead to
anemia from folate or iron deficiency. Here are some ideas for helping to counter mild anemia caused by
increased blood volume:
Eat a handful of soaked black raisins daily. Eat two to six dates with ghee daily. Eat green veggies and beets. Always add lime, as citrus makes the
iron in these foods more bioavailable. Eat foods or herbs high in vitamin C such as citrus, rosehips,
elderberries, blackberries, Schisandra berry, pomegranate, and
amalaki fruit. Take 1 teaspoon of the Ayurvedic herbal jam chyavanprash, twice
daily. Take 2 teaspoons of spirulina or alfalfa powder daily. Take 1 tablespoon of brahmi-infused ghee in hot milk or water each
evening. (See this page  for a recipe for making ghee. ) Anemia caused by deficiency in folic acid can be countered by eating
the following folate-rich herbs and foods:
Watercress
ParsleyChicory
Dandelion
Amaranth
Whole grains
Leafy greens
If you are diagnosed with iron anemia, the following iron-rich herbs and
foods can help restore healthy red blood cells:
Yellow dock root and dandelion root (in small amounts)
Parsley
Nettles
Kelp
Amaranth greens
Beets
ANXIETY
In Ayurvedic medicine, the Sushruta Samhita  describes anxiety as a
derangement of bodily doshas that af fects the nerves and thereby produces a
distracted state of mind. Simply put, aggravation of vata dosha in the
nervous system and the mind can cause anxiety, insecurity, and fear. And
during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester when so much change is
happening and there may be too much lightness, coolness, dryness, and
mobility in your diet or lifestyle, vata commonly goes out of balance in this
way. To treat acute anxiety, Ayurveda calls for reducing vata dosha. Keeping
in mind the principle of like increases like and opposites balance, the
treatments for anxiety will be grounding, lubricating, and nourishing and
will include oleation and heat, both internally and externally. Use thedietary and lifestyle suggestions in chapter 1 to balance vata dosha (starting
on this page ) to reduce anxiety during pregnancy. Herbs such as
ashwagandha, chamomile, lavender, oatstraw, and skullcap can also help. CONGESTION
Runny nose and congestion are common symptoms during pregnancy as a
result of excess hormones and blood volume causing the blood vessels in
your nose to swell and produce more mucus. To clear your nasal
passageways, try the following:
Start your day with a warm, steamy shower. Drink plenty of hydrating fluids such as mineral water, coconut water,
and fresh juices. Soak a washcloth in hot water and then put a few drops of essential
oils such as rosemary, tea tree, or eucalyptus on it. Hold the hot
washcloth toward your face and take deep inhales through your
nose. During the day, get mild exercise such as yoga, swimming, or
walking. At night, use a vaporizer or humidifier in your bedroom. Use a dif fuser for essential oils of eucalyptus, tea tree, rosemary, or
peppermint. Sleep with your head slightly elevated. CONSTIPATION
Many women experience constipation at dif ferent stages in their pregnancy. Sometimes constipation is the result of hormonal shifts that cause digestion
to slow down, or sometimes it is related to an excess of vata, which causes
coolness and dryness in the colon. Later in pregnancy, the growing uterusmay be putting pressure on the intestines, constricting the movement of
waste through the colon. Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of daily
bowel movements for vital health, and going to the bathroom each day
remains important during pregnancy. The following tips can help maintain
regular elimination:
Drink warm water throughout the day. Add 2 teaspoons of ghee to your warm water first thing in the
morning. Eat four prunes that have been soaked overnight before breakfast. Follow a vata-pacifying diet. Have ojas milk (see recipe on this page ) with 2 tablespoons of ghee
at bedtime. Eat a teaspoon of roasted fennel seed with a glass of warm water at
bedtime. Have 1 tablespoon of amalaki in warm water once per day. Try to fit in a gentle walk each day to help waste move through your
intestines. EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS
I have been asked by quite a few mamas who have experienced previous
miscarriages what to do to protect the little one they are now carrying. Many women experience miscarriages in their first trimester, so although
that is never easy, please know that you are not alone. Your individual
biology cannot be generalized, so doing everything “right” and still losing a
pregnancy is not the fault of your body or necessarily caused by anything
that you did or did not do. Ayurveda is a highly individualized science, but I will attempt to
generalize with some Ayurvedic tips to nourish your body and mind beforeand during pregnancy in ways intended to help prevent miscarriage: The
main focus is to strengthen and stabilize an aspect of vata called apana vata,
the downward movement of ener gy (such as evacuation, ejaculation, and
menstruation), as well as vata’ s ability to hold, so you can retain your little
babe within your womb—and also so you don’ t experience incontinence. (This is especially important in your first and third trimesters. ) The
Ayurvedic approach to strengthening apana vata includes the following:
Maintain a vata-pacifying diet and lifestyle, including regulation with
your eating and sleeping times; seek things that are warming,
grounding, nourishing, stabilizing. Focus on grounding yoga poses that strengthen your legs—for
instance, chair pose, warrior poses, and squats. Avoid dry, light, and cooling or cold foods. Move slowly. Eat slowly. Be slowly. Avoid fast-paced activities and exercise, as well as intense
conversations. Consume ghee, dates, spiced milk, and soaked almonds, which are
ojas building and supportive. Avoid (or greatly reduce) sexual intercourse. Sex disperses the
energy of vata throughout the body, moving it from its most stable
place in the pelvis. Start connecting with this little soul; bring your hands to your belly
throughout the day and send at least ten deep, intentional breaths to
your little angel daily, with as much presence, love, and attention as
possible. Let this little soul know
that they are wanted,
safe,
loved,and so cared for. And then, allow. Whether it is forever or for now. This little soul is so blessed to have you as its mama. EDEMA
Edema (swelling) is a fairly common condition in pregnancy and is often a
result of the pressure of the uterus pressing on the draining lymphatic fluid
from the legs, resulting in swelling. However, if it is associated with any
other signs, especially hypertension (high blood pressure), then you should
consult your physician. According to Ayurveda, swelling during pregnancy
can also be due to lack of exercise, lack of iron, or lack of protein. Try the
following approaches to reduce the swelling of mild edema:
Make sure that you are drinking ample water with minerals and
electrolytes to help flush the lymphatic system and keep the fluids
moving in your body. Take Epsom salt baths (see “Edema Foot Soak” on this page ). Practice abhyanga massage (see this page ). Drink CCF tea (see the recipe on this page ) and ginger tea. Walk every day for twenty to thirty minutes to improve circulation. Raise your feet above your heart (to help drain lymphatic fluid). GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Gestational diabetes is a condition in which women without previously
diagnosed diabetes exhibit high blood-glucose levels during pregnancy. Often, diabetes is a kapha disorder that arises when agni, your digestive
fire, is impaired. Ayurveda recommends these traditional practices to
support agni and reduce the risk of gestational diabetes:Follow a kapha-pacifying diet, especially avoiding overconsumption
of sweets. Eat more fresh veggies, lightly steamed or baked so that they are
easier to digest. Put 1 cup of water in a copper vessel overnight and drink it in the
morning. Consume turmeric—which is supportive for stabilizing blood sugar—
either in capsule form or as a turmeric tea. (Add a pinch of black
pepper to tea, to make the medicinal qualities more bioavailable. ) HYPERTENSION
(HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE)
Because a woman’ s blood volume increases dramatically during pregnancy,
blood pressure is likely to increase as well during this time. Hypertension is
the term for higher -than-normal pressure in the veins and arteries as your
blood pumps through them. Ayurvedic medicine typically views high blood
pressure as reflecting an imbalance in vata and pitta doshas, but in
pregnancy, hypertension often results from an increase of kapha. Vata is
responsible for narrowing of the arteries, whereas kapha is responsible for
fatty deposits that make their home in the artery walls and increase blood
viscosity. To reduce high blood pressure, apply the following Ayurvedic
recommendations:
Tame the physical and emotional stress that may increase blood
pressure through practices such as yoga nidra  (a form of guided
meditation also known as “yogic sleep”) and meditation. Practice breathing exercises such as nadi shodhana (see this page )
or sitali (see this page ). Let go of unnecessary responsibilities. Restrict salty, spicy, sour, fatty, and fried foods. Drink half a cup of fresh cucumber juice daily. IRRITABILITY OR MOOD SWINGS
Pregnant women are known for their mood swings. The high levels of
hormones in your body may cause your emotions to feel more intense than
you are used to. In addition, you are going through a huge shift in your life
(physically, mentally, spiritually, relationally), and as you process these
shifts, so many feelings can come up. Although this shift can be challenging, please do not look at your mood
swings as a negative symptom of pregnancy. Instead, see your fluctuating
emotions, reactions, and triggers as insights into what you most need. Your
sensitivity right now is a gift. Your ability to feel everything right now is
your strength. You are becoming crystal clear about what works for you and
what does not, what serves you and what does not. When you are feeling
strong emotions, ask yourself: What needs do I have that are not being met. What is this emotion here to teach me. It is important to allow yourself to feel, though it is also important that
you express your feelings in a way that is ef fective. Being pregnant is not
an excuse to become bossy or unkind or to allow your emotions to run the
show. If you are feeling resentful, unsupported, frustrated—how can you
express your emotions without making the other person “wrong”. You are
not the victim of your experience. Use your superpower of feeling deeply  to
support you in rearranging what needs to be shifted in your life and to
upgrade your all-around experience during pregnancy. To be proactive in
balancing emotions, consider these tips:
Practice meditation and pranayama exercise. Use af firmations. Journal. Receive counsel from someone you trust, or gather your closest
women friends and meet weekly to connect and share your hearts. If your emotions are af fecting your daily life and leading to depression, try
the following:
Cut out white sugar and moderate sugary foods (excess sugar—
especially when eaten without protein—can lead to blood sugar
swings, fatigue, and depression). Eat high-protein snacks like soaked nuts, yogurt, raw milk, or raw
cheese. Take 5 drops of motherwort tincture in a glass of water (motherwort
restores emotional balance). Drink skullcap tea (to support your nervous system). According to Ayurveda, the desires of the pregnant mama are the desires
of the baby in her womb. You are intrinsically in tune with your child’ s
needs and wishes even before you have met them. Ayurveda teaches that it
is important that mama stays happy and feels supported, and that her needs
be fulfilled, in order to grow a happy, healthy child who knows that this
world will provide them with everything that they need. MORNING SICKNESS
Nausea, or “morning sickness,” during early pregnancy is common. More
than half of women experience some degree of nausea or vomiting during
their first trimester. For some mamas, nausea will start by the fifth or sixth
week of pregnancy and may be the worst toward the beginning of the third
month. Morning sickness usually disappears around the start of the second
trimester, though for a small percentage of women, the nausea may last
longer. For some, it is merely a food aversion—a strong reaction to certain
smells or tastes. For others, it is periodic queasiness, often peaking in themorning and dissipating after lunch. For a few, it is an overwhelming
feeling that lasts all day. According to Ayurveda, these symptoms occur mainly due to the
aggravation of pitta dosha. The hormones estrogen and progesterone are
both essential to the progression of pregnancy, but they are also high in pitta
qualities. In order to minimize nausea, the aggravation of pitta needs to be
brought back into balance. Morning sickness might also be related to low
blood sugar. Ayurveda of fers these recommendations to help bring pitta into
balance and ease nausea during pregnancy:
Start the day of f with a little food. Eat an energizing snack when you feel nausea coming on to help to
raise your blood sugar. Eat smaller, more frequent meals that are high in protein. (An empty
stomach has more acid secretion, which can cause stomach irritation
and nausea. ) Roast black cardamom seeds, grind them, and eat small pinches
throughout the day. Sip on ginger tea throughout the day. Drink a cup of boiled milk each evening to which you’ve added a few
drops of rosewater and a teaspoon of ghee (to prevent nausea in the
morning). Inhale the scent of mint, lemon, or orange essential oil to help
alleviate nausea by placing a cotton ball or tissue infused with the oil
under your nose (or put these essential oils in a dif fuser). Sip on coconut water with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
See if exercise helps your symptoms: take an extra walk during the
day, go for a swim, or join a prenatal yoga class. Slow down: clear your schedule and take time to relax. Practice sitali, also known as cooling breath ( this page ), which helps
reduce pitta dosha and ease the stomach. PELVIC PAIN
Toward the end of pregnancy, a hormone called relaxin begins increasing in
your body, which loosens the joints, muscles, tendons, and bones in order to
make it easier for your body to open up during childbirth. During the third
trimester, as the pubic and pelvic bones begin to loosen, you may
experience pain in those bones when walking, getting out of bed, turning
over in bed, or bending down to put your pants on. Severe pain of this type is referred to as symphysis pubis dysfunction
(SPD). A few things can be done to avoid making the pain worse, but
unfortunately it’ s not always possible to relieve the pain completely. Also
unfortunately, this pain may continue after childbirth, so maintaining some
level of treatment for stability is important for long-term relief. If you are
experiencing SPD, ask your care providers about regular visits to a physical
therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, or craniosacral therapist. You can also
use these tips to get you through your third trimester:
Stabilize your pelvis by using a belly belt, a Mexican rebozo, or a
scarf wrapped tightly around your pelvic bones to help hold them in
place. Take a warm Epsom salts bath daily (using 2 cups of Epsom salts)
for twenty minutes or longer. Adapt your daily activities to increase your comfort: sit down while
putting on pants, hold your knees together while turning over in bed,
lift your legs with your hands when getting in and out of the tub or the
car, have someone help you get out of bed in the morning, move
slowly, and so on. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time; keep moving. Get physical therapy to learn exercises that can help create more
stability in the pelvis and relieve some of the pain. (Ask your midwife
or doctor for a reference to a physical therapist or a pelvic floor
therapist who works with pregnant women. ) Find a chiropractor who does adjustments for SPD. (Ask your doctor
or midwife to refer you to a chiropractor who is familiar with these
specific adjustments. ) Get acupuncture or craniosacral therapy treatments. Exercise in gentle ways like swimming or walking. An important note about birth positions and SPD:  If you are suf fering from
SPD, certain birthing positions will make your labor much more dif ficult
and painful, and some positions should be avoided because they bring the
risk of permanently damaging your pubic bone. Ask your doctor or midwife
about birthing positions safe for SPD, or do some research on your own. PREECLAMPSIA
Preeclampsia is a specific kind of high blood pressure some women get
while pregnant or after giving birth. Also known as metabolic toxemia,
preeclampsia is one of the most serious complications during pregnancy. The condition is signaled by edema (swelling), hypertension, and protein in
the urine. Other signs and symptoms of preeclampsia may include severe
headaches, changes in vision (including temporary loss of vision), blurred
vision or light sensitivity, upper abdominal pain (usually under the ribs on
the right side), nausea or vomiting, decreased urine output, decreased levels
of platelets in the blood (thrombocytopenia), impaired liver function, and
shortness of breath. Sudden weight gain and swelling—particularly in the
face and hands—may occur with preeclampsia, but these also occur in
many normal pregnancies, so they’re not considered reliable signs of
preeclampsia on their own. Preeclampsia usually occurs in the third trimester, but it can also arise
earlier in pregnancy. Although the medical model of care does not recognize
any one cause of preeclampsia, traditional medicine sees a connection to the
mother ’s diet and teaches that it is the result of malnutrition during
pregnancy. If you are showing signs of preeclampsia, be sure to manage this
condition with your doctor, as it can be serious if not monitored properly. The following is a list of tips for preventing and treating preeclampsia from
Susan Weed’s Wise W oman Herbal for the Childbearing Y ear. PREVENTING PREECLAMPSIA
Eat salt. Insuf ficient salt intake during pregnancy can lead to
preeclampsia. Consume 60–80 grams of protein daily; see recipes in chapter 8 for
spiced milk ( this page ), kitchari ( this page ), dal ( this page ). Eat 2,400 calories per day. Take 1,000 grams of calcium daily. Drink raspberry leaf tea, nettle tea, and dandelion tea throughout
pregnancy. Add fresh or cooked dandelion greens to your meals. TREA TING PREECLAMPSIA
Drink mint tea, chicory tea, and dandelion tea for a potassium boost. Drink 4 ounces of raw beet juice daily to balance sodium and
potassium. Grate raw beet and raw apple together for a daily snack. Take a supplement of 100 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily. Take 3 tablespoons of spirulina or chlorella daily. Eat seaweed daily. SLEEP
At various times during your pregnancy, you may experience dif ficulty
either falling asleep or staying asleep—perhaps because of an excess of vata
dosha leading to restlessness or an active mind, or perhaps because you
can’t find a position you are comfortable in. You have many traditional
approaches to choose from if you’re trying to achieve more restful sleep:
Engage your body in healthy activity during the day. Do yoga, take
walks, swim. Avoid taking naps during the day. (According to Ayurveda, this
makes for a lazy child. ) Drink plenty of fluids during the day. Meditate before bed. Do a head and foot massage before you go to sleep. Your head and
your feet have many marma  points (see “Mama Marma Therapy” at
this page ) similar to pressure points or acupuncture points. When oil
is applied to your feet and massaged in, your entire nervous system
will calm and help prepare your mind and body for sleep. Drink warm milk with nutmeg before sleep. Nutmeg’ s sedative ef fect
will help you relax and fall asleep, and having this light snack will
help prevent you from waking up hungry in the night. Sleep on your left side to improve blood flow to your baby. Use support pillows between your knees, under your belly, and
behind your back. Focus on your breathing as you fall asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night, it may be your baby waking
you. Try talking to your baby and soothing them back to sleep. If heartburn is waking you up, avoid eating a couple of hours before
sleep and avoid spicy, oily foods. If you feel active at night or have a sensation of restlessness in your
legs at nighttime, try massaging your legs with warm oil or taking a
warm bath before going to sleep. Also check to make sure you are
not iron or folate deficient. If your partner tells you that you have been snoring and you are just
exhausted throughout the day (more than you would expect),
consider getting checked for sleep apnea. Sleeping on your side and
propped up can help temporarily. Get to sleep before 10 p. m. Avoid stimulation such as movies and social media after sunset. Take magnesium baths or take a magnesium supplement. STRETCH MARKS
Stretch marks are a result of the body’ s fascia, or connective tissue,
stretching thin and spreading out. The inner layer of the skin then cracks or
splits. Stretch marks occur from the inside out and therefore are prevented
from the inside out, starting with nutrition. Ayurveda recommends eating
lots of healthy fats—like nonhomogenized milk, raw butter, and ghee—to
prevent your skin from cracking. Daily abhyanga massages followed by a
warm shower or bath will also help prevent stretch marks as the oil seeps
through the pores into the inner layers of your skin. You might find it
helpful to treat the dryness or itchiness that comes with a stretched belly by
using belly butter, but do make sure that you are using one that is either
homemade or has all clean, or ganic ingredients. WEIGHT GAIN
There is no “one size fits all” approach to pregnancy weight gain. The
amount of weight any particular woman should gain generally depends on
how much she weighed before she became pregnant. That said, a vata
mama (thinner body frame) is suggested to gain 25–40 pounds over the
course of her pregnancy; pitta mamas (average body size) should put on
25–35 pounds; and a kapha mama (lar ger frame) may only need to gain 15–
25 pounds. If you are carrying twins, what is considered healthy weight
gain is much more. The most important thing is to keep your weight gain to
a safe and healthy level for you and your little one. Ayurveda suggests that the most important guideline is to maintain a
steady weight increase while eating wholesome and healthy foods. If your
diet is high quality and you are really listening to your body, you shouldn’ t
have any worries about whether the weight gain is too high or too low. Along these lines, don’ t worry about “eating for two” during pregnancy. What is important is that you really tune in to your body and recognize
when you are hungry or when you are in need of some other form of
nourishment (perhaps a bath, an oil massage, or loving touch). Only some of the weight you gain during pregnancy will be body fat. The other factors causing weight gain will include the extra weight of your
baby, the placenta, amniotic fluid (the water surrounding your baby), your
growing breasts, increased blood, and natural fluid retention. The main thing, not surprisingly, is that you want to make sure vata is
pacified. Believe it or not, when vata becomes exacerbated, you can
actually gain unhealthy weight. Most people associate high vata to weight
loss, but let me tell you why some pregnant mamas (and people in general)
may gain an unhealthy amount of weight even if they are hardly eating or
are eating light foods like salads, working out for hours a day, and staying
super busy. Vata weight may stay on in order to ground a person who is airy and
scattered. A high level of mental stress, irregular meal times, skipping
meals, unhealthy food choices, or eating too many foods that are dry, cold,light, or raw increases vata dosha in the body and can severely impact your
metabolism, causing it to be sluggish and unresponsive. Because of this,
you may accumulate ama (toxins) in your body, which leads to clogged
channels. When ama blocks the channels of digestion and the channels that
circulate nutrients throughout the body, metabolism slows down and weight
gain results. When the channels are clogged, nothing can move in or out
and you start to hold on to weight. You may then become even more active,
trying to lose the excess weight, and thus create an acidic environment in
your body. At this point, your body will need to hold on to even more fat to
protect the tissues from the acid…and so begins a cycle. I have seen, time and time again, people coming to my gentle yoga
classes and saying, “I was going to the gym for two hours per day and
couldn’ t lose those last ten pounds. But as soon as I started attending
restorative yoga classes, the weight just fell of f. ” When you pacify vata
through slow movement, relaxation, routine, and warm, cooked, nourishing
meals eaten at regular times throughout the day, the channels in your body
relax and open, your digestion regulates, and any excess weight is able to
leave the body. Many of us are acculturated to seeing food as a major source of
comfort, because it gives an immediate sense of feeling grounded and
satisfied—but too often that tendency leads to overeating or to eating when
we are not actually hungry. We may also get caught up in the many
“shoulds” around what and when to eat—so caught up that we for get to
listen to our own bodies. Ayurveda suggests that you are not actually what
you eat, but rather what you digest. And in order to digest anything, there
has to be real hunger. Try to stay tuned in to your real hunger before eating, and then to eat to
your satisfaction. Let yourself be nourished by what you’re eating by
staying present with your food, chewing and really tasting each bite, and
actually enjoying it. Believe it or not, this will have a drastic ef fect on your
ability to digest, absorb, and assimilate food ef ficiently. Aim for regular
mealtimes, as vata thrives with routine (and so does your digestive system). Eat foods that are easy to digest yet nourishing. Sip on warm water andhydrating teas throughout the day, which will open the channels in your
body and gently stoke the digestive fire. Warm food and digestive spices
will nourish vata and also help pacify excess kapha in your system. Since pregnancy is already a time when vata dosha is increased, use this
time to invite more grounding, nourishing, and stabilizing routines into your
life. Rather than doing high-intensity fitness classes or a lot of cardio, opt
for yoga classes, long (perhaps brisk) walks, and conscious relaxation. When the channels in your body are open, and when you are truly
nourished, your body knows what it needs or does not need and can find its
optimal state of well-being. A LATE-PREGNANCY BLESSING
Traditionally in the last months of pregnancy there would be the following
ceremony to honor the pregnant mama and to bless her with the necessary
strength, surrender, and confidence to enter this next season of her life. Simantonnayana: Parting of the Hair Ceremony
Simantonnayana  is a traditional ceremony held in the third trimester
of pregnancy meant to invoke blessings and auspiciousness for the
final stages of gestation and the upcoming moment of birth. The
mantras are said to release lifetimes of past trauma from the baby so
that the new child can enter the world with a deeper connection to
themselves. During this ceremony, the expectant partners gather together with
friends and family. The father of fers mama his af fectionate attention
as he parts her hair down the center line three times, each time with
different objects (traditionally, darbha grass, a porcupine quill, and a
stick of viratara wood). Each time, he recites dif ferent mantras. He of fers flowers to her and feeds her sweet and nourishing
fruits, to symbolize her nourishment and happiness and to honor herfor carrying their child during this sacred time in their lives. Other
mantras are recited to give mama confidence and mental strength. Mama and baby then receive individual blessings from each mother
who is present for the ceremony. After the simantonnayana  ritual and until the birth, the woman is
expected to not overexert herself and her partner is expected to be
near her and to not travel to distant lands. SKIP N OTES
*1 See for example Bum Jin Park et al. , “The Physiological Effects of Shinrin-yoku
(Taking in the Forest Atmosphere or Forest Bathing): Evidence from Field
Experiments in 24 Forests across Japan,” Environmental Health and Preventive
Medicine,  May 2009. *2 John Douillard, LifeSpa website, “Get High on Massage,” December 19, 2021,
https://lifespa. com/health-topics/stress-management/get-high-massage/. OceanofPDF. comPreparing for Birth 4 
For far too many, pregnancy and birth is still something that happens
to them rather than something they set out consciously and joyfully to
do themselves. —Sheila Kitzinger, The Experience of Childbirth
Doing everything that you can to prepare for your labor and birth allows
you to show up fully for your own unique, empowered birth experience and
to surrender completely to the process as it unfolds—from a place of deep
trust and confidence. Where do you plan to give birth. How do you want to
give birth. Who will be there. How will you prepare. Is it possible to feel
prepared. A million questions may be buzzing in your mind as you
consider the many options of how you will birth your little one. How you
choose to give birth takes consideration, thought, and research, whether you
prefer a free birth at home with just you and your partner; a home birth with
attending midwives, doulas, and family; a vaginal birth at the hospital; or a
plan to schedule an induction or C-section. How and where you give birth matters. The people present; the ener gy
in the space; mama feeling empowered or subservient, trusting or fearful;
who receives baby; what happens immediately following birth—it all
matters. The environment that your babe is born into is their first
impression of the world outside of the womb. Before deciding on your birth
plan, reflect on the beliefs that you have around birthing. Do you believe
that it is powerful and beautiful. Do you think it will be unbearably
painful. Do you trust that it is a natural process, designed to go well. Do
you feel that things often go wrong. Perhaps you have heard stories of your
family and friends giving birth, and you think that your experience will be
similar. Maybe you have seen a woman in labor on TV or in movies and
think that your water will break, then you will be rushed to the hospital and
scream the whole way through. If the beliefs that you have surroundingyour birth cause fear or anxiety, you may want to take some time to reframe
your thoughts and open up to other possibilities. Every single birth is
completely and utterly profound. Your birth story will not be like any other
birth story you have ever heard. Every woman should have the opportunity for a healthy, safe, and
empowered birth. Giving birth can be a deeply positive and transformative
experience. In an oft-cited quote from her book A Bun in the Oven: How the
Food and Birth Movements Resist Industrialization,  the sociologist Barbara
Katz Rothman emphasizes: “Birth is not only about making babies. Birth is
about making mothers—strong, competent, capable mothers who trust
themselves and know their inner strength. ” I suggest reading stories of
positive birth experiences and researching facts and statistics on dif ferent
methods of birth and birth interventions. From there, make an informed
decision from an empowered place rather than a fearful one. Ina May’ s
Guide to Childbirth, by the renowned professional midwife Ina May
Gaskin, is perhaps one of the most valuable books a pregnant mother can
read before making her birth plan. In this chapter, I share information that will support you in preparing
your birth plan, home, body, mind, and life to welcome your little one into
the world. I share my personal plan for my home birth along with my
hospital transfer plan, which includes my own personal choices in the case
that I needed to be transferred to the hospital during labor. I hope that
sharing my choices will inspire you and give you some practical direction
while thinking of what to research when creating your own birth vision. I
share this information solely from my personal experience and not to give
any medical advice. This little cabin,
the little window,
that little table surrounded by the biggest trees
and the biggest love I know. We left from San Francisco airport this morning:him on United Airlines: a plane to New York City. Me on Alaska airlines: flying back to Florida. On the way to our terminals
little tears were rolling down my cheeks,
and once I got off at my terminal,
leaving him on the sky train to continue his journey,
I started sobbing. Like wrinkled face, hard to catch my breath typa’  tears. As I rode down the escalator
I looked back up at the train and saw him through the window
as his train drove out of sight. I know it sounds like a melodramatic movie scene. To me too. This is new to me. We’ve said goodbye, or “see you soon,” a thousand times. I’ve prided myself in not needing to talk every day,
or being able to go weeks without seeing him
and not really missing him. But since little bun has been in the oven,
things are so so different. I missed him for the last two days that we were together,
knowing we would be leaving. I want to be with him all of the time. I don’t want to miss out on this special time together;
your conversations with him,
reading to him,
checking in on him,
or just resting your hand on my belly as we drive. Also, just how special I feel when we’re all together,
the way you love me and care for me in this whole new way. And perhaps a part of me knows that after bub comes,
things will never be the same. Of course there will be a trillion times more love,
but it’ s not just us anymore. It’s not us
doing what we want
when we want
and how we want. It’s not me and you as the center of our love story. Everything is changing,
and I want to hold on to this time forever. In a way, it almost feels like a death. I’m afraid I’m gonna miss it:
miss the us
that we were
before babe was here. Miss the era,
the life that was before. And I love you no less, little one. You’re making everything more special. With more love there is more heartache,
because the heart opens to feel it all. It’s heartbreaking
and so beautiful
all at once. PRENATAL TESTING
Several common prenatal tests are recommended to pregnant women as
routine procedures—though many women for get they have the power to say
“no” to these tests if they believe it is not best for themselves or their baby. Medical procedures have their place, and every circumstance is dif ferent. Depending on your unique pregnancy, your medical history, your family
health history, and your personal preferences, you may decide that certain
tests will benefit you, though you may also decide that some of them do
not. Make sure you are informed and educated on the process of these tests,
the possible risks and complications, the benefits, and the potential reasons
for doing them. Prenatal tests to research and make decisions about include ultrasounds,
chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein
screening, screening for gestational diabetes, group B strep, and prenatal
rhoGAM. It can be confusing for a pregnant mama to familiarize herself
with all these medical procedures, and many mamas end up just deferring to
the recommendations of their care providers. Ina May Gaskin’ s Guide to
Childbirth  gives a comprehensive guide to prenatal testing, summarizing
the medical procedures and listing the possible benefits, risks, and
complications, and I highly recommend it for women who are deciding
which prenatal testing to consent to. PREPARING YOUR
ENVIRONMENT
CHOOSING WHERE TO BIRTH YOUR BABE
There are three common choices when considering your birthing location:
at home, at a birth center, or at the hospital. Each of these environments haspros and cons. Envision where you will feel the most relaxed, as you will
give birth with more ease wherever you feel the most comfortable. Wherever you choose to birth your babe, the birthing space should be as
soothing to vata as possible. Create an environment where you feel
completely at ease, with the right people, dim lighting, soft music, and
anything else that makes you feel at home. Find ways to bring in warmth,
both emotionally and in temperature. Traditionally, caregivers would light a
fire in the corner of a delivery room. Adding softness, heaviness, and
oiliness to the birth experience will calm vata and assist the downward
energy (apana vata), crucial to the delivery of your little one. Throughout labor, your fight-or -flight response needs to be essentially
turned of f so that you can drop into a space of inner connection and trust. Your body has natural systems in place that will actually stop the process of
labor if there are any perceived threats. Ina May’ s Guide to Childbirth
explains that throughout history, only women were allowed to be present
during labor and birth. When male doctors started to deliver babies, the
presence of an unfamiliar man in the room would observably cause a
woman’ s labor to slow, reverse, or stop altogether. Factors such as people in
the room whom you are uncomfortable with, a space you are unfamiliar
with, bright lights, loud and unsettling noises—any of this within your
birthing environment can slow or stop labor if it makes you feel uneasy and
your body registers it as a “threat. ”
A home birth is a suitable birthing option if you are healthy, low risk,
and live in an area that is close enough to easily transfer to a hospital in
case of an emer gency. Birthing at home has many obvious benefits: the
setting is intimate, familiar, and cozy; your family can be present and
involved in the birth if you wish; you can be the director of your birth
experience; you can feel more in your element rather than unfamiliar with
your environment; and, after the birth of your babe, you can relax and rest
in your own bed. Medically speaking, home births have lower risks of medically
unnecessary interventions; they have lower rates of forceps or vacuum
delivery, emer gency C-sections, episiotomies, and so on. It has been proventhat every intervention during labor (starting with the intervention of
leaving your home to go to a new space with loud noises and bright lights)
begets another intervention. If you are considered to have a healthy and
low-risk pregnancy and you and your baby have no underlying conditions,
you and your baby may greatly benefit from giving birth at home. I would
highly recommend looking into this possibility. Along with works by Ina
May Gaskin, books by the board-certified family physician, midwife, and
herbalist Aviva Romm are great sources for learning about statistics
surrounding the safety of home births. Birthing centers are a good option if you live too far away from a
hospital to transfer easily in the case of an emer gency, or if you would not
be fully comfortable at home but still want to have a mostly natural birth
with few interventions. Consider a hospital birth if you have a high-risk pregnancy or if you go
into labor early. Hospitals are best equipped to deal with medical
emer gencies and to keep mama and baby stable throughout labor and birth
if there are any underlying conditions. You may also benefit from giving
birth at the hospital if you tend toward having anxiety and feel safer being
close to medical resources during your labor and birth. For some mamas,
this safety net allows them to relax and have an easier labor. NESTING
During the last month of pregnancy, your mind may shift into nesting mode. The old wives’  tale advises that once the nesting impulse starts, labor is not
too far away. Nesting is a biological response that all mammals have to
prepare for the birth of their babe—it reflects an instinctual need to prepare
not only your home, but also your body and mind to welcome your little
one into the world. If you wake up with an out-of-the-blue desire to scrub your floors, tidy
up your baby’ s dresser full of onesies, and repack your “just in case”
hospital bag for the—ahem—eighth time, the sweet maternal phenomenon
known as “nesting” might be upon you. Regardless of your ener gy levelsduring pregnancy, there may very well come a time when you suddenly get
bursts of ener gy and focus that seem almost superhuman. This sur ging
vitality and sense of mission is nature’ s way of getting you ready to care for
your little one: an increase in the amount of adrenaline coursing through
your system generally around week 38 or 39 of your pregnancy. Some
researchers have suggested that the nesting ur ge arises from a somewhat
programmed adaptive human behavior stemming from our evolutionary
roots to prepare for and to protect an unborn baby. At its core, nesting is
about doing everything that you can to prepare your inner and outer
environment to assure that you are as ready as you’ll ever be. In the weeks before my baby was born, I had the walls in my house
painted, got new curtains for the bedrooms, completely redid our birthing
room (we had a home birth), and got new furniture for the living room. I did
laundry, deep-cleaned the refrigerator, decluttered every nook of the house,
and put everything in its place. I had this feeling that I could not settle until
everything was just right. I could then hunker down and really focus on the
task at hand: birthing my baby and caring for him once he came. As productive and fruitful as nesting can be, that kind of busyness may
also be a way to distract yourself from any feelings that are coming up
around this huge life transition and your upcoming birth experience. Nesting can be categorized as a vata activity, as there is excess ener gy,
activity, and movement. As you now know, when vata is high, your
activities can stem from an experience of feeling unsettled, anxious, fearful,
and unprepared rather than from a productive, grounded, and even-minded
place. If and when you notice the nesting instincts, be mindful of the
following:
Think about what you need in order to feel completely ready to birth
your babe. What do you need in order to feel totally prepared to put
everything else aside and just take care of them. Make a list. Create a nesting plan. That way, you won’t feel rushed to do
everything all at once. Take time to close your eyes and feel. Are there any underlying
emotions that are moving you to become busy in order to distract
yourself from honoring the big changes that are happening and the
emotions that are coming up around them. Do you feel nourished. Supported. Focus on what you need as well. Take time to nurture yourself as you prepare for childbirth. Practice trust; let go of the need to control; know that your baby will
come at the right time and that you will be ready. More than any
external preparations, it is that inward ability to trust that allows for
ease and connection in the process of birthing, regardless of the
externals. Nontoxic DIY  House Cleaner
Essential oils are Mama Nature’ s gift to us. They are the aromatic
compounds that serve to protect a plant from predators or other
threatening influences, as well as strengthen the plant’ s system to
assure healthy reproduction. Ayurveda teaches that by observing
nature, we can utilize her gifts in a way that supports us in similar
ways without any toxic side ef fects. There is no need to pull out your rubber gloves and surgical
masks when you clean your home. It might surprise you to know that
you can concoct simple and inexpensive nontoxic cleaners from
ingredients already available around your house. The oil blends
listed below are naturally antiseptic, antibacterial, and antifungal. Section summary: 

**Seventh Month:** Develop Sense of Touch

    **Self Care**: Gentle Massages & Yoga Poses | Long Distance Support System| Natural Urinations |

   Discuss key aspects mentioned in "SEVEN THIRTY DAYS"  
          Identify areas requiring further exploration/research


Based on provided content,

Please summarize the guidelines presented regarding SelfCare Practices. Guidelines mention 'abstinence' during Pregnancy. Yes/no/not applicable. Additional observations:


It seems logical to emphasize nurturing oneself physically, cognizively-emotionally/spiritually amid ongoing transformations brought forth by physiological processes occurring amidst fetal development. Key phrases/phrases extracted:



• Not affiliated to the fetus's growth



Summary : Provide concise highlights based on Seventh-month topics addressed concerning Mother-Fetus Development, highlighting principles guiding Fetal Growth 



References listed are asterisk (*) marked numbers [^1], etc. cited. Please ensure accuracy ensuring minimal redundancy among sections summarized correctly.
The text does not explicitly mention a specific massage technique or recommendation for the seventh month of pregnancy. However, it does mention that it is safe to continue practicing abhyanga massages if you have been doing so for at least three months prior to conception, but it is recommended to wait until the second trimester if you haven't started yet.
What is recommended for a massage during the seventh month of pregnancy?
The text does not explicitly provide specific ways to reduce the risk of anemia, but it mentions that it is essential to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle to support the health of both the mother and the baby.
What are some ways to reduce the risk of anemia during pregnancy?
The text suggests that Ayurveda recommends reducing vata dosha and increasing kapha and pitta to address anxiety. It also recommends meditation, pranayama, and other mindfulness practices to manage stress and anxiety.
What is the recommended approach to addressing anxiety and stress during pregnancy?
The text does not explicitly provide specific recommendations for preventing or treating preeclampsia, but it emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, diet, and environment to support the health of both the mother and the baby.
What are some Ayurvedic recommendations for preventing and treating preeclampsia?
The text suggests that Ayurveda advises not to get caught up in the urge to nest and prepare the environment, but rather focus on nurturing oneself and trusting the process of birth. It emphasizes the importance of self-care and inner connection during this time.
What is the recommended approach to nesting during the last month of pregnancy?