This offers a list of guidelines for would-be parents. This aim of any parent is to bear and nurture a healthy, capable child who can face the pressures of our increasingly complex lifestyles. An Ayurvedic solution to this situation has slowly gained momentum — a process called Garbha Sanskar.
Garbha Sanskar is both a medical practice and a ‘culture’. Just like a person brought up in a musician’s house imbibes a musical culture, the child is conditioned within the womb. The practice has been developed over four decades of research and medical practice.
What Garbha Sanskar involves
Traditional diet planning, the use of herbal preparations, yoga, music, behavioural suggestions, and ayurvedic medicines are all used in harmony. The idea is to enhance every aspect of the mother’s life. Ideally, preparations should start at least a year before conception. Garbha Sanskar covers pregnancy, childbirth and guides parents until the child is two years old. Parents who have followed these instructions say their babies are able to hold their heads up, turn on their side and begin speaking earlier than other babies. They sleep soundly for several hours and have far fewer health concerns than their peers. In some cases, they show extra-ordinary development.
Preparing for conception in Garbha Sanskar
A healthy diet and lifestyle is recommended so the couple achieves peak physical and psychological health. The reproductive cells are the most potent cells in the body and need special nourishment, so health tonics such as panchamrut, are vital. Seminal fluids are also an indicator of the health of reproductive cells. If either partner suffers from deficiencies of any kind, an Ayurvedic Pancha Karma is recommended before conception. The process aims to cleanse the body of toxins. Its therapies lubricate the body internally and use techniques to expel toxins naturally. This is followed by therapy for specific problems as individually required.
During pregnancy
Ancient descriptions of foetal development are surprisingly accurate. A month-by-month diet that supports every development, and health tonics are advised to keep up strength and provide essential nutrients. Yoga and oiling the body is a must. Use oil that is cultured with herbs such as bala, sahachar and ashwagandha to reduce stretch marks and prevent breasts from sagging.
Several food and behavioural precautions are listed for the mother. Mixing fruit and milk can be particularly harmful, as it causes allergies in the baby. Around the fourth month, the mother will experience food cravings. These are to be adequately satisfied and sensitively treated, as they are the cravings of the foetus and will help it develop better.