MASSAGE OF PREGNANT WOMENAND OF CHILDREN

Ayurveda is the science oflife. It considers life processes in all its aspects right from conception to the death of an individual person. Ratherthan cure it stresses upon the preventive aspect of medical science and henceyou will find detailed information upon the daily regimen to be followed by allindividuals.

However it is evident thatall the processes explained therein need to be further refined and adjustedaccording to the individual need of each person. One such category, whichrequires separate and special attention, is that of pregnant women and ofchildren. Ayurveda consists of eight specialized fields one of which is calledas “kaumar-bhritya”. This field concentrates on matters concerning children anddeals with all the processes to be done right from conception to the birth ofthe child and thereafter in order to ensure a strong and healthy progeny.

Also in the fields dealingwith medicine special reference regarding the maintenance of the health ofwomen and the treatment of their diseases in all stages of life is found.Evidently one of this stage is that of a pregnant women. Unfortunately due tounavailability of authentic texts relating to this fields and also due to the factthat whatever references are found are scattered over various texts it isimpossible to find all the references at one point only.

However over the years thetraditions which were followed in the rural parts of India have helped preservethe practical aspect of this field to retain the unique features of thisscience which can be said to have sprung originally from the practices whichwere followed at that time and which were textualised in these ancient texts.

In this part we will bedealing with one part of daily regimen mentioned in the texts namely  “abhyang” which can be loosely translated asmassage.

While mentioning thequalities of a good massage it has been said - “Massage (rubbing with oil) should be done on a daily basis. Itrelieves physical strain, improves eyesight (is beneficial for the sensoryorgans) and is useful in having a good and healthy skin. Besides it alsonourishes the body and ensures sound sleep and a long life (it wards off oldage).” 

It is evident that if oneperforms massage daily he will reap all the benefits mentioned above. Howeverthis description is that of a general massage and it is evident that the personwho is expected to undertake this massage is a normal healthy individual.

It has to be kept in mindthat massage is not only a simple procedure in which oil is smeared all overthe body and rubbed for a little while. The process of massage in which the oilis expected to penetrate the body evidently produces a little amount of heat inthe body, which is also contributory in obtaining some of the qualities ofmassage mentioned above. Also a mild irritation of the body parts not onlyexternal but also internal is expected. In such case the question ariseswhether the massage procedure which is performed on a normal individual couldbe performed on a pregnant woman.

Ayurveda considers that forthe first three months after conception the foetus is a jelly like formationdevoid of any solid matter. Hence it is very feeble and unable to undertake anytype of shock or irritation or face sudden changes in environment. Thereforethe woman is advised complete rest and is not expected to perform any type ofwork that will cause a physical or mental strain and to avoid extremes of anykind. For e.g. eating very hot food or very cold food, taking bath with veryhot or very cold water etc. In such a case even the gentle massage whichproduces many a benefits in the normal individual will prove harmful to thehealth of the woman and child.

Also as the pregnancyprogresses as various parts of the body are being formed it is necessary thatbesides the internal nourishment provided by the food intake, externalnourishment corresponding to the formation of various organs (according toayurvedic texts) should also be provided.

One of the procedures thatcan be followed in such case is that of massage (after initial 3 months). Insuch case care has to be that while providing the external nourishment no harmshould befall the foetus. Also massage procedures can be beneficial in easingthe pre-natal and post-natal pain experienced by the women. After birth bothmother and child are exhausted by the process of labour. In such case massageprovides instant physical and to some extent mental relief to both mother andchild. However the process of massage cannot be performed in isolation and hasto be done as a part of well-planned procedure the description of which isfound in ayurvedic texts and also in the traditional practices of vaidyas(doctors) and dais (mid-wives) over the ages.

It is evident from thedescription above that the massage procedure to be followed in the case ofpregnant women and of children though conceptually similar is practically verydifferent and must be performed with utmost care.

In our lecture we willprimarily deal with the massage procedure to be followed and also briefly theother procedures, which are to be followed in order to, get a holistic view ofthe entire process.

For better understanding wewill divide this description in to the following parts:

• Before conception.

• After conception  (till 3 months).

• From 4 months to labour.

• During labour.

• Immediately after labour.

1. BEFORE CONCEPTION

This is for both men andwomen. Massage as a part of daily regimen is recommended not only to obtain theregular benefits of massage but also as a nourishment for all the dhatus of thebody which is one of the requirement for a healthy progeny. Massage if doneproperly and regularly ensures the good health of both mother and father whichin turn ensures a good progeny. Oils that increase strength (balya) should beused for this purpose. In fact in the ritual to be followed by husband and wifedesirous of a healthy child consists of massage both for the man and woman.Also having regular massage tones up the body and makes it ready to bear allthe pains and strains both mental and physical, which are caused by pregnancyand labour. This massage being a part of daily regimen requires no particularcaution except that it should be done in a proper manner and done regularly.

2. AFTER CONCEPTION – TILL 3 MONTHS

As explained before afterconception up-to 3 months the foetus is a jelly like substance that is devoidof any solid matter and hence is in a very feeble and unstable state. In such acase even a gentle massage might sometimes cause termination of pregnancyespecially if done by an in-experienced person. Hence according to ayurveda,any action, which may cause even a small amount of physical or mental strain,is to be totally avoided. However there is a point of view that in suchcondition a mild massage of some vital points (marmas) in the body especiallyin the limb areas (soles and palms) might prove beneficial.

Ayurveda believes that bothmother and child are inter-connected and whatever affects the mother affectsthe child also .In ayurvedic texts this fact is used to stress that if themother undergoes a physical strain over some part of the body the foetus alsoundergoes the strain over the same part of the body.

Alternatively this meansthat if some beneficial action is performed over a part of the mothers body thefoetus will also experience the same benefit. Hence for the first three monthsthough the foetus might not be well developed to apply the above theory we cansay that whatever benefit is obtained by gently massaging the vital points forthe mother, the foetus will also receive the same benefit. This theory holdswell during the rest of the pregnancy period especially when the formation oforgans begins to get well defined.

3. FROM 4 MONTHS UP TO LABOUR

Ayurveda believes that theheart is formed in the fourth month and this is the period when the foetusstarts becoming stable. Various rituals and functions are performed at thisstage, which concentrate on improving the health especially the mental healthof the woman. In such case mild massage is beneficial.

However it should be donewith utmost care especially in the abdominal region. Also more than massageprocesses which provide oleation (snehan) to various parts of the body arestressed upon. 

• 4^th month - oilpadding over vaginal region.

• 6^th month  - gentle massage of the breasts especiallythe nipples with medicated or plain coconut oil.

• 7^th month  - massage with application of herbalpaste for itching, burningsensation, stretch marks                             & swelling on feet.

• 8^th  - 9^th month - vaginal massage,medicated oil enema, oil-padding.

As this procedures are to beperformed on the pregnant women they should be done with utmost care and theirmain objective should be to provide the body with oleation and the reproductiveorgans with lubrication in order to minimize the pains of labour and to ensurea smooth and natural delivery.

4. DURING LABOUR

In thefirst part of labour full body (gentle) massage is given followed by hot waterbath. This cleanses the body and the reproductive organs, tones up the musclesand helps lessen the pains of labour.

Duringthe second stage the woman is made to lie down with folded knees. Thereaftermassage/oleation should be performed in the region below the umbilicus. Themassage should consist of downward strokes. Also very mild massage in thedownward direction should be performed on the vaginal opening, especially whenthe foetus is being pushed downward, oil should be applied on the vaginalopening to expand it.

5.IMMEDIATELY AFTERLABOUR

For the mother :- Immediately after labour after the placenta has come out completelythe vagina should be mildly massaged. After that she should be given a generalmassage with oil, especially the abdominal region should be massaged well sothat there is no complication on account of the sudden contraction of theuterus. After the massage the abdominal region should be tightly wound up witha cloth. Also a bath with hot water is recommended. This procedure should befollowed for 2 to 7 days without fail and continued for 40 days.

For the child  :-  The child should be gently but firmly applied a mixture of gheeand salt in order to remove the stickiness of the meconium. After that itshould be massaged gently with oil. Next the umbilical cord should be firmlytied and should be covered with an oil pad. A bath with hot water prepared byimmersing heated gold or silver utensils in water is then to be given. For goodresults the procedure of massage and bath should be performed for at least ayear.