A beautiful phase in women’s life is pregnancy. Life of women is not complete until and unless she gets pregnant and gives birth. Birth should not be risky both for mother and child, however, extra care needs to be taken by woman during pregnancy.
Ayurveda considers food to be the best source of nourishment as well as medication for the pregnant woman. The nine monthly diet is singularly unique to Ayurveda. It changes in accordance with the growth of the fetus in the womb and at the same time ensures health of the mother.
Diet for pregnant women
1st month - Sweet, unctuous, liquid cold diet, cow’s milk, butter, ghee, medicated decoction (Bala kshira kwatha I.e Sida cordifolia + milk made into kashaya), water boiled and cooled in vessel made of gold or silver.
2nd month - Medicated milk (Lakshmana kshira kwatha i.e ipomoea marginata + milk).
3rd month - Milk with honey and ghee, rice gruel with milk, medicated milk(brhati dwaya kshira kwatha I.e Solanum indicum + milk )etc.
4th month - Milk, butter, rice gruel with milk, meat soup, medicated milk(amsumati kshira kwatha i.e desmodium gangeticum + milk).
5th month - Rice gruel with milk, cow milk , cow ghee, meat soup, medicated milk (Tinospora cordifolia + medicated milk).
6th month - Cows milk, ghee, gokshura ghee, medicated milk (Solanum xanthocarpum + milk).
7th month - Cows milk, ghee, prthakparnyadhi ghrta, vidarigandhadhi ghrita, medicated milk (lava Isheeta kwatha i.e barley + milk).
8th month - unctuous gruels, meat soup, medicated milk (murva ksheera kwatha i.e Marsdenia tenacissima + milk).
9th month - meat soup, unctuous gruels, medicated milk (shatavari Ksheera kwatha i.e Asparagus racemosus + milk).