Ayurveda and Breastfeeding

Ayurveda emphasizes the importance of breast feeding, which ideally should be continued until the baby is at least 18 month of age or longer. Breast milk is the ideal and most natural food for the human baby.

For most mothers it will be a joy watching your baby thrive and grow because of your milk. Breast milk is affected by the mothers lifestyle.  What she eats, drinks, her behaviour and speech habits are some of the factors that influence the breast milk and ultimately the baby. In Ayurveda herbs such as Shatavari are recommended to increase the quality of the milk.

In Ayurveda Breast milk is called Stanya (a sanskrit word). Charaka (An Ayurvedic Author) says that stanya should be clean, thin and at body temperature (not warmer). It should look white and a have a shine like a pearl, sweet in taste. To test the purity, a few drops of breast milk are added to a glass of clean water. Imbalanced breast milk will not mix well with water.

Breastmilk stimulates the digestive power and increases the body's resistance to various disease. To ensure adequate production the mother should include in her diet, milk (goat or cow) with Shatavari kalpa, ahleev kheer, jaggery semolina, pumpkin, coconut, ghee, dates. To purify the breast milk, spices such as turmeric, hing, fenugreek, cumin and Ajwan are very beneficial.

Low milk supply, excess milk, imbalances due to Vata, Pitta or Kapha dosha can be treated with Ayurveda.

If you are expressing milk or once your baby is older and you are giving him/her some water to drink I would very much recommend to avoid plastic bottles.

Wonderful news for all parents looking for the perfect milk bottle and sippy cup for your baby.

I am sure there are many Mum's who have spent lots of time and money looking for the best bottles and probably have a whole cupboard full and are still not totally satisfied what you have got. After trialling many different products out on the market I have finally found something just right.

As I am not keen on using plastic these wonderful glass bottles are just perfect, the glass is made of high tempered borosilicate glass which can withstand up to 600 degress celcius and has a unique thermal shock resistance. My lovely pitta predominant toddler has dropped the bottles many times over and over on the floor and they do not break. The beautiful bottle is covered with a food grade silicone sleeve. The silicone sleeve comes in a rainbow colour selection and if the milk is too hot (above 42C) the silicone sleeve will become white. The bottles can be adapted to a sippy cup as your baby grows.

These beautiful glass bottles are now available at Lakshmi Ayurveda. You can visit our shop or purchase them online.