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12 Factors for Baby’s Development

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Ayurveda defines 12 factors contributing to the quality of baby’s development. Visualize if you can, how nutrition can influence all these 12 factors:

1) Paternal influence

2) Maternal influence

3) Soul/ past life karmas (aatmaja)

4) Agni – Tejas (physical and mental digestive strength)

5) Soma – Ojas quality (immunity strength)

6) Vayu – Prana (vitality — life force strength)

7) The 3 mental Gunas – Sattva, Rajas & Tamas and their influence on mood and character

8) The 5 senses (strength of vision, hearing, smell, touch and taste)

9) The Mind – (stability and strength of focus)

10) The Buddhi (intellect or intelligence)

11) Smruti (memory and ability to retain and recall)

12) the 5 elements (the quantity of earth, water, fire, air and ether in a person’s constitution)

In a nutshell, shukra (sperm) and artava (egg) contain the maternal & paternal elements of heredity. These include components of the: 5 elements, 20 qualities of nature, 3 mental gunas (SRT), three doshas (VPK), 7 dhatus (tissues), and refined essence of the three doshas (ojas, tejas and prana–OTP), all of which shape the embryo  and are known as “basic units of hereditary.”

Within the first 2 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta is working, giving oxygen and life force to the baby. The prana taken in by the mother must be refined and delicate, not intense or jarring. Rasa dhatu (plasma) should be sattvic for this intricate process which means it needs to be clear of ama (toxins) or anything that may obstruct the tiny but critical developments. Pitta toxins and kapha phlegm both morning sickness which blocks the flow of prana. The invisible work of mothers in pregnancy is to provide a supportive harmonious energy field and nourishment for her developing baby’s body and blueprint. Proper nutrition of mind and body (the 12 factors) are what create this environment.

To learn more about the 12 factors for Baby’s development check out the following class:  Enhancing Fertility, Pregnancy and Birth with Ayurveda

 

Ojas: The Essence of Baby’s Development

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cute white baby

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.