Sociocultural, Healthy Nutrition & Eating, Exercise Pattern and Use of Ayurvedic Medicines in Pregnancy

Abstract

Pregnancy is a convoluted process in women's life. We still do not understand all the intricacies of pregnancy, in terms of both foetal development and a mother's ability to adapt to and provide for a foetus. For better results the main aim is to maintain good health of mother and her baby throughout the pregnancy. For that antenatal care is most important, in which all the necessary tests and findings are performed to ensure healthy outcome of pregnancy. Proper weight gain is a symbol of healthy pregnancy, which directly affects on neonatal birth weight. So by gaining proper weight in pregnancy we can avoid risk of delivering the high or low birth weight baby. There is major risk of delivering Intra Uterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) babies which is one of the complications in pregnancy. So that proper weight gain can avoid the risk like IUGR. Needs of the body are increases in pregnancy because mother requires extra food, supplements for her baby, so healthy diet must require for mother. Also supplements like iron, calcium, protein etc. are essential at this stage because these supplements also have specific role in proper growth of baby and also for mother's body requirements. From ancient times in India, there is use of the ayurvedic formulations in pregnancy was seen. Ayurveda helps to cure many diseases or disorders in pregnancy. Also some herbal drugs may be used during pregnancy for many problems. So these all issues are helpful to maintain proper health in pregnancy and its outcome.

Keywords: Pregnancy; weight gain; IUGR; nutrition; ayurvedic medicine; diet; exercise