post natal care

[Guest guest]

Dr Venu Gopal Rao has given a complete prescription. You can follow

it in every word.

 

This author wishes to add a few paragraphs on first six weeks post

natal treatment only. Author has number of siblings and has seen home

births and post natal care in a large joint family.

 

The objective of the schedule is to delay the menstrual cycles as

long as possible. Nature itself takes care that they will be delayed

as long as baby receives adequate breast feed. Breast feeding is one

medicine to reduce sutika vata disorders.

 

A general principle of ayurveda is that Vata takes the space created

by loss of dhatus. The mother has expelled a 4-9 pounds of fully

developed body made from sapt dhatus. This space is taken by Vata

immediately after delivery. While men have seven Vata seats, woman

body has one additional, the uterus. Perhaps that is the reason,

women suffer more in old age as compared to men. This is perhaps the

strongest reason we should support our parents till they survive.

 

While a pregnant mother should not eat anything which increases

warmth or pitta, the situation reverses totally after the child

birth. Now eat as many warm dishes as possible. The first thing the

mother is fed within 4 hours of delivery is a gravy made from Bajara,

jaggery, ghee, ginger, ajwain. Keep seeping this warm sweet payasam

daily once or even twice till next fifteen days.

 

Daily massage by an experienced ayah or elderly lady is a must to

return the belly to proper shape. Special oil using garlic, ginger,

ajwain, turmeric etc can be made for this purpose. Oil massage is

external treatment beneficial to return the tone of entire repro

system. The massage should be on entire body, including spinal area.

Several nadi vigyan points are known to elderly ladies in villages.

This author could get a treasure of such knowledge from an elderly

lady in the neighbourhood, as a token of appreciation, when he used

to run some errands for her.

 

A hot water bath following the massage and fomentation thereafter is

routine programme in villages even today. Hot water may contain neem

leaves also, if easily available nearby. A tight cloth strap tied on

belly after the bath is used to bring belly to shape.

 

In childhood days, author has seen women being given special cot

under which a cow dung cake fire will be kept to keep bed warm and

both mother and baby receive good warmth. This fire is also used to

create smoke by adding garlic skin to simmering fire and the smoke is

inhaled in uterus to return it to shape. It is very difficult to

communicate how it is done.

 

Jatyadi ghrutam, aswagandha tailam are the well known tools in the

bag of post-natal helth provider, to heal any surgical scars, promote

milk production. A special oil, absorbed in a cotton wick and wick

used as a tampoon, helps birth canal to contract to original shape

and tightness, in say just six weeks.

 

A mixture of Aswagandha and Piprimul, when boiled

with milk, and taken at bed time, promotes milk production.

For those who find boiling etc tire some, no help available, can take

Aswagandhrishtam and Dasmularishtam 15+15 ml with equal water added,

three times a day.

 

Other than that a special treat to mother is 'Gond ke laddu', 'Methi

laddus', a special dry fruit mixture to be added to Payasam/Seera

(Rave kesari) etc. to reduce the belly to normal size, to reduce the

back pain.

 

The complexity of this post-natal regime depends on loving grandma or

mother-in-law's presence to take care of the mother and baby. In

Indian custom, many relatives visit the house and bless the baby, and

offer something to see that baby is well taken care. The idea it

conveys is: Do not worry about costs, but give adequate attention to

baby.

 

The menu can not be complete without mentioning 'Janma Ghuti' to

baby, starting say 3rd week, to eliminate gas, indigestion, stomach

pain. The number of herbal roots and fruits added in this is about

thirty. In most Jadi-buti or herbal shops, we get them as a set

neatly packed in a platic tin. It needs to be noted that this Janma

ghuti takes care of two types of jaundice which babies are likely to

develop if baby has to be formula fed instead of breast feed. Breast

feed has all Janma ghuti medicines in it, right from day 1 of baby.

 

And now something unpallatable but important. Some of the hormones

present in Indian cow urine (Prostaglandins mostly) are beneficial

and promote contraction of uterus to normal shape. 2 tsp diluted

three times by water, or 2 tsp cow urine distillate diluted with

three times water is highly beneficial to bring Vata to equilibrium.

Those who experience nausea with this, can take Ghanvati, a tablet

made from residue during distillation.

 

Cow ghee is already present in sweet laddus prepared for mother. But

additional generous serving in the food takes care of milk secretion

for baby. What baby cant take in first six weeks, mother takes, makes

it easy to digest and gives to baby.

 

Dr Bhate

 

 

ayurveda, Sraboni Dutta

<sraboni_muk> wrote:

> Could anybody post something on post natal / after delivery care.

How to take care of one's body for the first six weeks after

delivery , so that the body heals up properly and also the milk

production increases to enable mother breastfeeding.