One of the most spiritually powerful processes that we as women can experience is the journey to motherhood. If you are trying to conceive and want to learn more about Ayurveda pregnancy and motherhood, today's post is for you. So, let's unpack all things women's health, pregnancy and what I like to call, conscious conception.
As we think about how to navigate our lives in ways that align with the earth and ourselves, we should include conception in our consideration. Now, you might be thinking, "What does Lauren mean? What does wellness coaching have to do with conception?" Well, when you are fertility planning it is important to be conscious of how you are treating your body, mind and spirit. Still confused? Let's get into it.
Fertility Awareness: The First Steps Toward Motherhood
One of the key considerations in conscious conception is how your choices affect your body. Why? Because a baby will be growing inside you for nine months! In earlier posts, we've discussed women's health, understanding our menstrual cycles and the benefits of natural birth control methods. These discussions all contribute to your body's overall health, wellness, and ability to welcome in new life.
In order to ensure that you are spiritually, emotionally, physically and mentally ready to become a parent, I encourage anyone trying to conceive to prepare for at least 3 to 4 months before conception. If you're wondering how best to prepare for your Ayurveda conception, consider some of the aspects in your life that may be harmful to a baby.
The Challenges of a High Stress Work Environment
When my clients express difficulties with fertility, I will often ask about their work environment. When we are dealing with extreme stress we can become infertile. In fact, at least 1 in 10 people trying to start families are struggling in this day and age. This is because our culture highly emphasizes non-stop work.
Whether you are struggling to conceive or already pregnant, you can take steps to reevaluate your work life. Think about it - how will you have time to raise a child if you work 100 hours a week? Work-life balance is key when it comes to starting this next chapter in your life.
The Harmful Effects of Neglecting Your Health During Pregnancy
If we are bringing a baby into our bodies when we aren’t healthy and aligned, we risk harming the child. The most obvious example is fetal alcohol syndrome but there are more subtle difficulties that the fetus can encounter. If mom’s coming into parenthood with physical or mental trauma, these qualities can be passed onto the baby.
Similarly, if you are eating a lot of dead foods like fried or canned goods, those products will not nourish you or your baby. When I write "dead" I am referring to foods that lack Prana or life force according to Ayurvedic teaching.
How to Prepare for Your Ayurveda Pregnancy
There are two major things in our control when we think about fertility awareness and planning:
The moment of conception
The time the baby is in our womb
These are the steps you can take to prepare for both Ayurveda conception and pregnancy:
Track Your Cycle
When looking at cervical mucus during the ovulatory stage of your cycle, women hoping to achieve pregnancy should consider the 5 days prior to ovulation and 1-2 days after as a "fertile window". This window of time can be identified with clear, stretchy, lubricative or egg-white like mucus.
Make Space
Whether they are already pregnant or in the middle of my recommended 3 to 4 month planning period, I always tell my clients to start reevaluating their space. If you’re living in a tiny, crowded living space, then you can accidentally send mixed signals to the baby about a lack of room for them in your life.
This idea can translate to your work life, emotional wellbeing and/or mental space. I invite you to make space in your mind, body, spirit when preparing for a child. This can mean finally addressing emotional difficulties you've been putting off or repairing damaged relationships with loved ones. It's all about creating a warm and healthy environment for your baby.
Eat Foods With Prana
If you are trying to conceive, be sure to eat food that cleanse impurities in the body. This can start with the containers that hold your food. It may be time to reevaluate the plastic tupperware you use or the food you consume that you buy wrapped in plastic. The chemicals in mass produced plastic products will not serve your body or your baby.
Ask yourself, "Am I eating food that supports fertility?" Life giving foods, or foods with Prana include:
fresh fruits and veggies,
nuts and seeds,
dates,
saffron, cardamom, nutmeg, and
good quality dairy
These foods bypass the 7 tissues and go right to the reproductive tissues. Nourishing foods like these can also help you later on when you're producing milk to breast feed your baby.
To return to the importance of planning, I encourage you to engage in healthier food consumption habits during the months you leading up to your conscious conception. These foods may not penetrate the layers of tissue in an effective way if you're changing your habits the week you decide to get pregnant.
Communicate With Your Partner
If you are embarking on this journey with a partner, make sure you are engaging in open communication in regards to your needs. Remember you are raising a child together. Having open dialogues about planning will create a smooth supportive path toward parenthood.
The Beauty and Strength of Your Journey to Motherhood
For all of you independent, powerful mamas and future parents, remember this: It's not all on you to take on parenthood. You may be strong and powerful as you are but you need to feel nourished and supported by your community in order to show up as your best self for your child. The phrase "it takes a village" encapsulates the importance of giving yourself resources of support during this time.
I’m not a mama yet but my sister is on the journey toward parenthood, and I've helped many women on the TTC (trying to conceive) journey. I am always amazed by the process. It is one of the only times in your life that you’ll carry two or more souls inside of you instead of just one. Please treat your body as the temple that it is when you welcome a new life inside of it.
Are you starting the journey toward parenthood? Curious about conscious conception? Perhaps you've been thinking about incorporating Ayurveda into your parenting philosophy. Schedule your free breakthrough session and we can devise a plan for your healthy, empowering pregnancy and a plan for Ayurvedic parenting together.
