Last updated on August 21, 2024 by Dr. Subashri Thanigaivel
Experience the bond!
Mother’s milk is the best defense a child experiences in their lifetime!
It is a well-known fact that breastfeeding is the best nutrition for a newborn. It is a natural phenomenon that benefits both the mother and the child. Ayurveda has many texts that detail the importance of this wonderful source of bonding between the mother and child.
Ayurveda calls breast milk as “The Ahara Rasa.”
The first colostrum of breast milk is filled with nutrients that fortify the child’s immunity. It contains IgA ad lactoferrin, an enzyme that strengthens the child’s immunity system. It also protects the child from a variety of diseases.
Some of the best advantages of being a lactating mother are:
1. Mother’s milk is naturally sterile and comes loaded with nutrients.
2. It is always at the right temperature
3. The various digestive enzymes present in the mother’s milk helps in easy digestion
4. The lactose present in the mother’s milk protects the child from the attack of E.coli and Poliovirus
Ayurveda prescribes that the composition of breast milk is directly influenced by the kind of food taken by the mother.
The breast milk is also known as Upadhatu of Rasadhatu
It is directly affected by the quality of Rasadhatu, which in turn is made up of the food ingested.
Dietetics for a new mother and child:
1. Avoid oily, pungent, spiced, and canned foods as they decrease milk secretion. The best diet would be a bland vegetable diet.
2. Ghee and oils should be taken in larges doses to soothe the traumatized internal organs, tissues, improve digestion, facilitate the easy evacuation of bowels, and subdue the imbalanced Vata dosha that gets aggravated during the process of childbirth.
3. Limit your exposure to polluted and infected spaces as any infection to the mother during the lactational period will be immediately transferred to the child.
4. It is best to avoid any kind of medication during the lactation period.
5. Even when there is milk secretion, the mother should introduce semi-solids to the infant from 4th month. Gradually, they should be given solids from their first year. This ritual is called Annaprashan Samskara in Ayurveda
6. If milk secretion is more than required, then the extra milk should be secreted and discarded. If not, it could lead to a complication of breast abscess.
For mothers whose lactation is inadequate both quantity and quality-wise, Ayurveda has natural formulation like Sowbhagya Sunti and Shatavari granule to improve the quality of mother’s milk- better health and wellness for both mother and child.
Have some more doubts about this subject? Then connect with our LiveRight doctors today to chart for a complete personalized plan for the new mother and child.
