Dhanya's 'Garbhopadrava'

Hi.. That was a long pause of course.. In fact, Unniyettan asked me, "what' happened.. initial activism stopped?" Doesn't matter, I'm back again.
What brought me back again is my friend Dhanya’s second pregnancy. Good news. The not-so-good news is that she's in the hospital for the last few days.

That's 'Garbhopadrava'. Ayurveda discusses in detail about various Garbhopadravas, such as nausea, vomitting, anorexia (loss of appetite), retention of urine etc. So there's nothing uncommon and absolutely nothing to worry if she vomits a little. But the problem is she vomits more than what she eats.. That landed her in the hospital.

'Garbhini Vyakaran' describes the Ayurvedic way of managing pregnancy. The physician attending to the ‘Garbhini’ has to be very careful as he has to keep in mind the protection and nourishment of both the foetus and the mother. The pregnancy period, totally 40 weeks or roughly 10 months, can broadly be divided into three stages, the first stage being 1-12 weeks, second 13-28 weeks and the last 29-40 weeks. Ayurveda prescribes special routine for each month during the period of pregnancy. However, one has to be utmost careful during the first stage and the last. During the initial three months, importance is given to stabilize the pregnancy and it is advisable to take juicy fruits, tender coconut water etc. for the nourishment of the embryo. It is during this period that the baby forms its various organs.

This being her second pregnancy, Dhanya knows the importance of taking nutritious food, going for light exercises, keeping herself happy always etc.. But unfortunately, she’s forced to take all the ‘nutrition’ through pipe!! Yes, she’s not able to eat properly due to excessive vomiting. This is normally controlled by tablets or sometimes injections. She must include a lot of green & leafy vegetables in her diet to ensure the required supply of Vitamin B 12, Vitamin C, and Calcium. If not able to eat, probably she can go for homemade soups made of fresh vegetables. Stress is given to ‘home made’ because, the ingredients in the soup powders available in the market which are added for taste & smell and the preservatives therein are not all that good for Dhanya, especially during this period. She must, as far as possible, avoid colas, tinned food products and maida products, such as porota, bread etc.

Let’s wish her good times ahead..