5 Tips to Ensure a Safe, Happy, and Stress-free Pregnancy

Pregnancy is among the most important phases of a woman’s life. She’s nurturing a life within her body and everything she does impacts not just her, but her baby as well. According to Ayurveda, Apana Vata, the downward moving energy should be balanced when a woman is pregnant. This helps fulfill the needs of the baby. Here are some tips you should keep in mind when it comes to the nutrition, lifestyle, and self care of a pregnant woman.

Satisfy Your Dietary Cravings:

Apart from following a well-balanced diet, expecting mothers should eat what they naturally crave. Include adequate amount of proteins, starch and vegetables in your meal plans. At the same time, avoid foods that are spicy, undercooked and raw, or anything that has added preservatives and artificial flavors.

Balance Your Vata:

Vata is the energy of the nervous system. Balanced Vata assures a healthy pregnancy. A diet rich in vegetables, sprouts, whole grains, and unprocessed foods will help in balancing your Vata. Warm, freshly cooked food with healthy oils, like ghee and coconut oil are also good. Vata can also be balanced by including the three tastes i.e. sweet, salty and sour.

Drink Some Cow’s Milk:

Cow’s milk is well-known for its amazing properties. It’s especially beneficial for pregnant women, since it helps boost immunity. Also, pregnant women require an increased amount of calcium, especially during the second trimester, and fresh cow’s milk will take care of your body’s calcium requirement. Drink it twice everyday, warm and with a teaspoon of ghee added to it.

Massage with Herbal Massage Oil:

Herbal oils calm the sensory nervous system. You can either massage yourself or get someone else to do it for you. Although massages are not recommended until the fifth month, during the eighth and ninth months, abdomen massage is extremely important. Nipple massage also helps prepare the mother for breastfeeding.

Mild Exercise Always Helps:

A great way of exercising during pregnancy is to walk for 30 minutes everyday, while breathing slowly and deeply. You can also practice yoga under an expert’s supervision.

Most importantly, remember to stay happy. A lot of emotional care along with physical attention is required during pregnancy, so surround yourself with people and things that bring you joy. Your pregnancy is, after all, something to be celebrated and you shouldn’t let stress and worry bring you down.