Antenatal care means the care to be taken during pregnancy each month. In Ayurveda, it is called as Masanumasiki chikitsa. The word masanumasiki means month-to-month treatment. According to Ayurveda, there is different medicinal treatment for each month of pregnancy. Thus there are 9 different groups of medicines i.e. herbs for each month of pregnancy. If there are vitiated doshas, these should be purified with the help of panchakarmas. Then only, the couple is suitable for conception. This purification is called pindshuddhi. After conception, oral medication is started according to the month of pregnancy. As per Ayurvedic concepts, in each month a separate dahtu (body building substance) is formed in the body of baby. To help this dhatu to grow in normal way, medication is started. E.g. in the fifth month of pregnancy, the intellect of the baby begins to develop. In sixth month, it gets sharper. So, specific medicines which act on the intellect are given to the mother in fifth and sixth month. Medicinal treatment is not the only thing which is stressed upon in Ayurveda.

Apart from treating the course of normal pregnancy, different illnesses which may occur can also be treated with Ayurveda. Hypertension (high blood pressure) in pregnancy which is very common now a days, hyperacidity, excessive vomiting, diabetes in pregnancy, edema, premature birth, intrauterine growth retardation are some of the problems in pregnancy which can be treated with the help of Ayurveda.

Regarding diet, pregnant lady should eat satvik food (which is not very hot, spicy, sour, or which does not vitiate the doshas), like milk, ghee, rice, wheat, and fresh and homemade food. Furthermore, diet should be planned according to individual prakruti (constitution). To know your prakruti and get appropriate diet consult, email at drthite@ayurvedicrx.com

One may wonder if panchakarma could be done during pregnancy. The answer is yes, and, there are some panchakarmas like basti that are mandatory. Mild panchakarmas could be done to treat some illnesses during the pregnancy. As mentioned above, body of the mother should be cleansed even before conception.

When the baby is growing in the womb, it is exposed to emotional and physiological changes of mother and her surrounding. In Ayurveda, the importance of proper behavior of the couple before and after conception is emphasized. The couple should stop consumption of alcohol, tobacco, or other harmful substances. The couple should have affection and respect for each other. Garbhasanskar is done in order to make the atmosphere blissful. Part of this is done with listening to different ragas in classical indian music and some mantras for baby development.

There is another major problem many women of today’s world are forced to face. This is the problem of depression, which can occur during pregnancy and also after delivery. Depression, if neglected during pregnancy can lead to serious trouble during postpartum period. Parent counseling is very much necessary to avoid this. According to ayurveda, this is due to the imbalance of vata dosha. The vata dosha should be treated carefully during pregnancy. Yoga, meditation, listening to calming music, mantra chanting, and pacifying herbs, and panchakarma are the different means which help to control depression. The medicines, i.e., the herbs which are used to treat depression act on vitiated vata dosha. These herbs pacify the mind, give strength to mind, and help the brain to think rationally.

This is just an outline of antenatal care. This is a vast subject and every point can be elaborated to great lengths. I would like to tell every mother that this is a very noble responsibility given to us and we should be proud of being mother and should try to give all the love and care to the baby.