28 September, 2012

Banantana..........

For those trying to figure out what it means, its postpartum care. After pregnancy if you have your mother or your grandmother by your side then I would consider you to be blessed.I had my mother. She is one lady who can go about from 5AM to 11PM with no grumpiness or tiredness on her face.What I am about to share is specific to what my mother followed. So, I am not sure if this would help everyone who wants to know as to what needs to be done post pregnancy.
Usually postpartum care extends up to 3-4 months after delivery. So I will be sharing details in parts.
All medications usually start after 10 days of delivery. What my mother followed is
1. I had to take Dashamoolaristha for 1.5 months. This is an ayurvedic tonic which builds immunity. I guess this is given so that we don't catch cold, cough, fever and similar viral infections. Its very essential for a mother to remain healthy if she is breastfeeding her baby.
2. Always eat items hot and drink lukewarm water.
3. Take bath in very hot water(Mother used to say that doing so helps in lactation) and tightly tie up your stomach either with the traditional cotton cloth or the now available belts.
4. Before the bath massage yourself well with a good medicated oil(we call it Bananthi Thaila) mixed with turmeric and black cumin seeds. This too helps in lactation and helps in faster recovery.
5. On the 13th day, black cumin's decoction  was given. Follow this for 3 days and drink this first thing in the morning. This helps in throwing away any left out impurities from the uterus.
6. Lots of ghee, milk and thick curd is advised in our diet. Not sure why this is done. But I did follow.
7. Usually our diet consists of items made of black pepper, cumin seeds and ajwain seeds. My mom had prepared a powder out of these three and used to mix it with rice along with ghee.
8. Along with this, rice is eaten with banana flower preparation. Refer Banantana Preparations .
                          Meanwhile, when elders ask you to take proper rest, PLEASE do pay heed to their advice. It's very important for you to get rest. Sleep straight keeping your legs close together and cover them with a blanket. Drink lots of water and eat food containing iron and Vitamin C. After 2 months you might have terrible hair fall. Stop panicking and get on. Its absolutely normal.

9. Getting back, after 40 days started with shunti lehya (refer Banantana Preparations)
10. You can start with normal diet henceforth but do make it a practice to eat your food hot.
11. After 2.5 months started taking Shatavari lehya( available in ayurveda medical stores), Kade Maddu (refer Banantana Preparations) and antina unde (refer Banantana Preparations). You can continue these for another 1.5 months.

This should take care of it. Happy parenting and do take care of yourselves and most important 'Listen to what your elders have to say' ;)

Banantana preparations

Banana Preparation
Ingredients:- Bale huvu(Banana flower, poombe), Garlic, Jeera(Cumin seeds), Pepper, Oma(Ajwain, Carom seeds)
Method:- Soak lots of garlic in water and remove off its skin. Grind it with jeera, pepper, oma to a fine paste. Later add the paste with finely chopped banana flower and heat it well until its cooked. You need to cook this well as this needs to be stored for at least 40 days.

Shunti Lehya
Ingredients:-Shunti(Ginger), Jeera(Cumin Seeds), Kalsakkare(Crystal Sugar), Bella(jaggery), Ghee
Method:- Soak ginger overnight and peel off its skin in the morning. Ginger is ground to a fine paste and heated with remaining ingredients.

Kade Maddu
Ingredients:-

Pippali - Long pepper (Piper longum)
Jayikayi Patre - Nutmeg flower
Ona Shunti - Dry Ginger
Sogadeberu - Ashwagandha, winter cherry
Dry Black Grapes
Kalsakkare - Crystal sugar
Jeerige - Cumin seeds
Vayuvilanga - Vidanga, Embelia
Gasagase - Poppy seeds
Ghee
Method:- The above herbs are powdered and mixed with ghee and prepared into small balls for the ease of consumption

Antina Unde
Ingredients:- Antu(Edible gum), almonds, dry grapes, gasagase(poppy seeds), jaggery, dates, cashew
Method:- The items are slightly heated and powdered. Now reheat this with antu and jaggery and make balls. Use slight more of jaggery.