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Healthy Mother and Baby through Ayurveda

Ayurveda and Babies

From birth each baby is individual, has already a personality, waiting to become more visible to others. One baby may sleep well and sooth easily, while other may be restless even when not hungry, wet or in pain. There is a science explaining why people are different, and, by its individual approach, “recommends” a specific lifestyle for a healthy life. This "science of life" is Ayurveda (ayus = life, longevity, veda = science, knowledge), and originates in India more than 5000 years ago.

According to Ayurveda every single person is intimately connected to his environment and therefore, experiences, relationships and behavior have a very direct influence on one’s state of health.

Ayurveda explains people’s unique state of mind and body by three fundamental, mind body principles known as doshas. These elements - vata, pitta, kapha - govern all the psychological, physiological and disordered (imbalanced) functions of a person’s constitution. The specific proportion of the doshas within an individual is determined at the time of conception and governs each person's particular mental and physical style of functioning. This is why even babies have their individuality coded already deeply inside, but a proper lifestyle is needed to maintain healthy mind and body.

According to Ayurveda, each individual inherits a particular proportion of the three doshas that determines one's constitutional characteristics. Most of us have one or two doshas which are most lively in our nature, with the remaining one(s) less significant. Rarely, all three doshas are relatively equally represented.

Vata Babies and Toddlers
Babies and small children with a predominance of Vata find it hard to gain weight, and have a tendency towards wind, constipation and colic. They may eat well one day and refuse to eat at all on the next. They are nervous or fearful, their sleep is easily disturbed. When learning new things, they are great – easily remember what to do with those building blocks. Learning baby thymes and songs is easier for those children, too, but they more often than others forget.

Too much Vata in a baby or toddler can create colic and weak digestion, trouble settling and poor sleep, tendency towards constipation, dry or flaky skin, a tendency to be fearful

To balance Vata dosha you may try a warm oil massage, warm food and drinks, to avoid exposure to wind and cold, establish regular sleep and eating routines, and play gentle, soothing music. Vata is decreased by cooling activities like swimming or being in nature, sweet taste in the diet (but avoiding sweets and chocolates; natural occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables are the ones to eat), nice gentle words, and regular meals times.

Pitta Babies and Toddlers
Babies and toddlers with more Pitta in their nature have an average baby weight for their age. They may have heartburn and diahorrea more often. Their appetite is strong and their body build is rather muscular. They have moderate sleep through the night, and are very active through the day. But be careful with Pitta babies – they are impatient and irritable, especially if they miss a meal, and can get angry easily. Their skin is sensitive and they have a tendency towards skin rashes and eczema.

Too much Pitta in a baby or toddler can create temper tantrums, skin rashes and eczema, diahorrea, and feeling hungry all the time.

To balance Pitta avoid spicy, sour or acidic foods, give him more fresh fruits or milk (but don’t combine them together), bathing in a warm-lime water, going out more often and being in nature, provide regular meals.

Kapha Babies and Toddlers
Babies and toddlers with a lot of Kapha in their constitution are like those cute fluffy babies. They gain weight easily, and are somehow slower than the Vata and Pitta babies. They are constantly hungry, which is tiring for a first-time mother, but theirs sleep is deep and sound, so you can they relax and have some sleep, too. Kapha babies have big eyes, mild face expression. They usually say their first words later than Vata and Pitta babies, and as grown-ups are not quite talkative either. They are extremely attached to their parents, and especially mothers, but would show they love silently. They would not have lots of toddler tantrums to get what they want, and are usually calm on the playground and great with sharing toys with other children.

Too much Kapha in a baby or toddler can create excessive mucous, lethargy, excessive weight gain, coughs and colds, and sinus problems.

To balance Kapha avoid excess sweet, heavy and oily food, give plenty of opportunities to play or crawl around, avoid cold, wet environments, and favour stimulating activities, fresh air and daily walks.

By knowing your baby and toddler you will be able to determine which one of his doshas becomes imbalanced. But baby’s emotional condition is often influenced by his mother’s state of mind. Being anxious of stressed can usually lead to unsettled baby, and when the mother is feeling calm and relaxed, her baby cries less and soothes easily. So if you determine your own dosha prevalence and balancing your constitution will positively affect your baby’s temperament and health. This is especially important in the very early days when an infant relies purely on her mother, and dosha balancing is not possible though the baby’s diet as he is being breastfed exclusively.

Ayurveda and a Breastfeeding Mother

According to Ayurveda, illness is a sign that life is not being lived in balance. Most diseases are due to poor digestion. There are six tastes. Each taste is governed by a dosha. These tastes may either aggravate or pacify the doshas.

These six tastes originate from the five elements – water, air, fire, earth, and ether – transmitting their properties: sweet, salty, sour, pungent, bitter, and astringent. No food consists only of one taste, so when it is said that a food has a certain taste (e.g. bitter), that taste predominates.

We all need some for each of the six tastes in our diet. However, depending on one’s constitution and the season, people need to adjust their tastes to balance their doshas. When doshas are in balance, people need to maintain this balance by having a moderate amount of each taste.

So how to maintain a healthy diet? -
When we say “diet” we don’t mean that a breastfeeding mother should be dieting. Actually, she must not. It is all about the quality of the food she is having, the quantity throughout the day, and the combinations.

Quality
Best food is organic, fresh, homegrown, and raw. It is advisable to avoid foods which are under- or over-cooked, burnt, unripe, over ripe, junk food, canned, artificial, and prepared with additives, preservatives, or artificial colors. Foods that contain steroids and chemicals (milk and animal products if not organic usually have steroids, chemicals, and preservatives in them) should not be eaten.

Quantity
The key is moderation and regularity. As a general rule Vata doshas need to eat every 3 - 4 hours, pitta persons generally have good digestive fire, and Kapha individuals need to eat less. While breastfeeding eating more often in moderation is advisable for all doshas, and it is better to start with a healthy breakfast, including fruits (but not combining fruits with grains), have your bigger meal at lunch time, and reduce the quantities for dinner. Try to take the same amount of food and drinks in each mealtime - drink freshly squeezed juices between meals and take lassi (1 part plain probiotics yogurt mixed with 1 part water) with meals to aid digestion.

Combinations
Combining vegetables with fruit or milk can cause digestive problems. Like everyone, breastfeeding mothers need to be careful while eating or choosing food, according to their predominating doshas. If you are a Vata person, the fewer combinations the better. Pitta mothers can tolerate combinations, and Kapha individuals are between Vata and Pitta.

While cooking, don’t forget about the spices. Delicious tastes improve digestion, strength, senses, complexion, and a healthy weight. The use of spices stimulates the secretions of digestive enzymes.

Another rule to follow is to eat foods and herbs according to season. Do not eat cold and dry items in the winter or hot and pungent items in the summer.

To find out which dosha type you are, click here.

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