Ayurveda And Morning Sickness
More than half of pregnant women experience some form of morning sickness so here is the Ayurvedic perspective. Ayurveda offers three causes of nausea during pregnancy. I'll do my best to translate these!
Vaatha Vaigunya
Malfunction of Vata, the air/space energy in the body. This is the same thing that causes travel sickness, Vata moves around the body in the wrong way pushing other dosha's along too. This is why women with a Vata constitution (thin, dry skin, intellectual) are more likely to get morning sickness. And this is why travel sickness can really be compounded by early pregnancy.
Dauhidra Avamaanana
Give the woman what she wants! So long as it is not detrimental to mother or her baby all her cravings must be satisfied. Unsatisfied desires cause morning sickness. This includes what you want emotionally, physically, spiritually...
Garbha Nimittha
This means the embryo/feotus is pushing upwards which is what makes the mother feel nauseous or vomit.
The first trimester, diet for a pregnant woman advises lots of liquids, the embryo is still in a liquid form and the mother's body is building blood, amniotic fluid and fat. An increase in water element (Kapha) is very helpful. However fluids can be hard to keep down!!
Try and eat every two hours. You'll know what your worst time of day is (and it's not always the morning) so make sure you have food ready AT LEAST every two hours for that time of day. Don't wait until you are hungry.
My Favourite Snacks:
apples, bananas, grapes, pears
rice crackers
salty crackers with cottage cheese (pasturised of course, soft cheeses are fine if they are pasturised and kept in the fridge)
plain bread, scones, chapati's
Blanched almonds, walnuts
Cold milk with ANZAC biscuits (cold milk is generally recommended by Ayurveda during early pregnancy)
Try and catch up on some fluids at your easier time of day, not when you are feeling your most sick. Try cold water or cold peppermint tea or cold juice, but don't bother with drinks when you feel gross. Water is no good if it comes straight up again.
If you find liquids difficult to tolerate too, try and increase the liquid in your diet in other ways. A bit of extra fat these days is very grounding and nourishing, like ghee or unsalted butter or coconut.
