Today every decision we take in our life is carefully guarded and calculated. One such decision is when to start a family? We are always waiting to have a bigger house, a fatter salary check but that may never happen or might take a while. One must understand that delaying pregnancy has significant risks to the health of the mother and the child. Did you know that if you have a child before the age of 30, the body takes twice the amount of the pregnancy time to recover ; if you have a child between the age of 30-35, it takes the body 5 years to re-coop; if you have a child between the age of 35-40, it takes the body 10 years to re-coop; and if you have a child after the age of 40, you may never recover!
It is said that when you conceive, the universe will conspire for you to have all the abilities to provide for this new bundle of joy in your life. I would like to bring your attention now to the fourth limp of Ayurveda called Kaumarbhritya that deals with the study of prenatal, postnatal baby care with special emphasis on the care of the mother even before conception. The common practice is to visit a doctor after you have a conceived but the ideal thing for the couple trying to start a family is to visit their doctor or practitioner before even trying to conceive. An Ayurvedic practitioner can help the couple to understand if there are any imbalances in their bodies, and assist them with dietary and lifestyle changes that would greatly impact the physical, emotional and mental well being of the child yet to be born.
Everything the 
mother does, touches, smells, eats has a great impact on the well being of the unborn child.There are very specific recommendations by Ayurveda that bring about a state of balance in the consciousness, mind, body, behavior, and environment of the pregnant woman. These days, women work till the day before their scheduled delivery date and get back to work sometimes as soon as two-weeks. This does not provide the mother enough time to heal, rest or even connect with the new born. Some of the guidelines described in Ayurveda not only helps a couple to have a healthy baby but also helps the mother to recover and return to normalcy sooner.
Ayurveda also describes several methods for conceiving a child. So if you are struggling to conceive, then even before you opt for expensive fertility treatments, do visit your local Ayurvedic practitioner. The practitioner may also introduce you to the last two limbs of Ayurveda called Vajikarana (Science of Aphrodisiacs), which deals with the means of increasing sexual vitality and efficiency; and Rasayana (Science of Rejuvenation) ,which deals with prevention of disease and promotes healthy living. For achieving healthy and intelligent progeny, the therapy of Rasayana and Vajikarana are closely related.
In my next blog, I will be providing some basic guidelines you could follow if you planning to have a baby or are already pregnant. Stay Tuned!
