Explore Ayurveda diet, lifestyle, and procedures for 8th & 9th month to support Sukha Prasava (easy labor).
Dr. Swetha S. Suvarna
In this video, Dr. Swetha Suvarna discusses essential factors for normal childbirth, from diet and lifestyle to specialized Ayurveda therapies. She explains how Asthapana Vasti in the 8th month and Matra Vasti in the 9th month supports the birthing process and use a vaginal tampon to prevent tears during labor and reduce pain and bleeding. Discover how these traditional treatments can contribute to a more comfortable and natural birth.
Hello I'm Dr Swetha S Suvarna, Lead consultant in Stree roga and Prasuti tantra at Apollo AyurVAID hospitals, Bangalore. Sukha prasava or a normal easy normal labor is a procedure where the mother delivers her baby without much assistance. Labor is a natural process so how do we help in promote this natural process. In Ayurveda the process for a normal easy delivery starts from the pregnancy- it includes the diet regimens as well as certain procedures or the regimens that the mother needs to follow during the phase of pregnancy. Diet regimen starts from the first month which are Masanumasika garbhini paricharya that the Ayurveda physician will be able to guide you through and the procedures start basically from the eighth month of pregnancy which is known as Asthapana vasti or a rectal enema with some of the herbs which will help the descent of the baby in the uterus. The baby will move down and get itself fixed in the pelvic bone, So this is the first sign of easy labor where the head of the baby gets fixed into the bone of the pelvis. The enema will help in this process easy descent of the baby. Then the ninth month of pregnancy there are two more procedures which will further help for a natural labor. So one is Anuvasana vasti or a Matra vasti which is again a rectal enema but with a oil. So what this does is, this specifically helps in the
engagement of the baby in that pelvic girdle, also helps the cervix to thin and
start going up which will help the baby to move down in the mother's pelvic area.
And the other procedure is the vaginal tampon a a tampon is dipped in a medicated oil and is inserted into the vagina of the mother in the ninth month of pregnancy. This basically lubricates the whole perineal area or the vaginal part of the mother which prevents the tears during the delivery because the 10 cm baby's head has to push through the vagina. So when this process is happening there can be tears and cuts which will lead to heavy bleeding in the mother and also painful situation. So by doing
this vaginal tampon we can prevent this cuts and bleeds which can happen during the labor and also because of the tampon that is inserted it initiates a reflex in the cervix called as Ferguson's reflex which will send signals to the pituitary to release the oxytocin hormone. Oxytocin is a hormone which will help in the proper contraction of the uterus so when there is a proper contraction the mother will go through a easy phase of labor because there is proper contraction and the baby is being pushed down and with the lubrication that we have provided through the tampon, it will help the baby to easily efface the cervix and the baby to come out, and the whole process of labor is assisted so that the mother has a easy normal labor.
