Ancient Ayurvedic texts by Vagbhat describe–in detail–embryonic nourishment at conception and for gestation by the 5 elements. They describe the seat of the soul as a sixth tissue (the nervous system), which is the next to last tissue in the sequence of tissue nutrition in the body. The quality of mind and connectedness to this life are dependent upon the quality of the nervous tissue. Vagbhat explains that ojas – the finest product of maternal and paternal digestion and contained in the reproductive seed material — is the essence of the embryo and fetus, and the first component for baby’s tissue formation, and Ayurvedic teachers explain that stem cells are nourished by ojas.

Nourishing mama’s ojas throughout pregnancy (and postpartum) is a central topic in Ayurveda. The many refinements on healthy digestion and transformation of food that is spelled out in Ayurveda are about creating good quality ojas — because ojas is the finest product of digestion. It is the foundation of good health.

When a mother enters pregnancy with a healthy diet and lifestyle, making the necessary changes to enhance ojas is straight-forward — and she can easily make proactive choices that will help build the best quality body for baby. But when she has pitta or kapha ama (accumulated wastes from incomplete digestion or toxicities in the body), or excessive rajas or tamas in the mind (anger, depression, and so on) these conditions can tend to vibrate at odds with gestational priorities, and undermine the baby’s development.