Caring For Mother and Baby
Date Posted:3 June 2014
Here we consider the needs of mother and baby, tonics, diet and daily routine.
The foods a mother eats becomes available in a broken down and easy to digest milk that nourishes the baby perfectly. The quality of what is ‘taken in’ helps to determine the quality of the milk.
When considering what is taken in, the definition of food from an Ayurvedic perspective includes all that is taken in through the five senses - all that is heard, felt (physically and emotionally), seen, smelt and tasted, are metabolised into the mother’s milk.
From this perspective both what we eat and how we live become important ways of nourishing the mother and baby.
Dietary
Favour a Vata Pacifying Diet. The warm, nourishing and grounding qualities of Vata settling foods reduces discomfort from gas for the baby and mum.
Vata foods support a healthy milk supply and promote healthy formation of tissue, resulting in a healthy weight gain for the baby. Favouring warm food and drink and fruit that has been ripened on the tree is recommended. Nourishing stews and milky puddings are particularly helpful!
Lifestyle
Favour a Vata Balancing Daily Routine to recover from the stress of birth and to ease the effects of disturbed sleep over the first few months.
Mother
It is important after the birth (for 6 weeks) to keep the mother warm and to ensure she is able to get adequate sleep to recover from the stress of birthing. Where possible having the mother practising Transcendental Meditation is very helpful for creating a settling influence for both mother and baby.
Baby
Where possible it is good to establish a settled environment for the baby for the first 6 weeks and also to reduce or avoid outings away from home.
After the first two weeks gently establish a 2 hourly feeding pattern. This allows the previous meal to be digested before further milk enters the stomach and also helps to reduce gas, indigestion and reflux.
After two weeks, or when the cord has fallen away, then it is good to give the baby a gentle oil massage using sesame oil or Vata Massage Oil prior to the daily bath.
Herbals
The herbals of choice for best nourishment are Amrit Kalash Nectar and Amrit Kalash Ambrosia. These formulas are best taken together and help nourish from the deepest level of the cell.
If budget is an issue, then Nervous System Support and Energy Plus are an excellent alternative In the Vedic tradition the birth of a baby is considered a ‘cosmic event’ and every baby is thought to be divine. A new baby in the family is a very special event and although it does require many changes, it provides great happiness.
Wishing you all the bliss of balance,
Linda Sinden
Maharishi Ayurveda Practitioner
Get Balance Team