Dr. Geetha Sri

Labour signs are pretty important. This is the time when your baby is ready to come out of the womb. This is the most anticipated yet dreaded moment for a woman. Here is a list of 10 signs that will help you to identify labour symptoms and prepare yourself accordingly:

1. The baby drops: A couple of weeks before the labour, the baby starts descending into the pelvis. This is the way how the baby prepares the exit. This makes a woman waddle more than ever before. The good thing is that it gives more breathing space to a woman as the lung slowly frees up due to the baby’s downward descent.
2. The cervix dilates: The cervix prepares for birth too. It slowly starts to open and thin out few days before the baby’s birth. This becomes very evident during the weekly check-up before the birth of the baby. That said, some women tend to dilate slowly.
3. Cramping and back pain: With the advancement of labour, a woman tends to face more cramps in the back and groin. This happens due to the preparation of the joints and the muscles for the baby’s arrival. There is no reason to be tensed as this is a normal symptom before birth.
4. Loose joints: Relaxin hormone is responsible for making muscles and ligaments to loosen up throughout the period of pregnancy. Before the labour begins, all the joints of the body might feel a little loose. There is no reason to worry since this is the way the body prepares itself for the birth of the new one.
5. Diarrhea: As the uterus muscles relax, other musles too relax. The relaxation of the rectum muscle can lead to irregular bowel movements. This might feel like a little gross, but from the baby’s birth point of view, this is a very good sign.
6. Weight gain stops: During the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, a woman might not gain any weight at all, infact weight loss is witnessed during this period. This happens due to lower availability of amniotic fluid. Rest assured the baby is safe and is still gaining weight.
7. Feeling of tiredness: Feeling tired and exhausted is a common phenomenon during this period. An active bladder along with sleepless nights during the last week can wear out a woman. The trick is to rest as much as one can.
8. Vaginal discharge: An increased amount of vaginal discharge is typically witnessed during the last few days of the pregnancy. Loss of mucus plug and pinkish discharge through the vagina is a common sign of labour.
9. Frequent contraction: Contraction becomes a frequent occurrence before the labour. This results from the tightening of the uterus muscles. These contractions don’t go away and start from the lower abdomen. They are more painful compared to the earlier ones.
10. Water breaks: This is the final sign of labour. But, this is witnessed in less than 15 percent of all pregnant women. Water breakage is instantly felt and is a sure sign of the baby preparing to come out of the womb.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Unlike the allopathic form of treatment, ayurveda contains more than a few tablets and capsules. Ayurveda is a way of life that looks into what you eat, how you breathe, your exercise regimen etc. According to the ayurvedic texts, the air you breathe and the condition of your nasal passage through which air enters your body has a big impact on your health.

Nasya is the ayurvedic practice of lubricating your nasal passages. This not only keeps the nasal passages and sinuses clear but is also beneficial for the cervical lymph which maintains the immunity (learn more to improve the immunity system) of the ear, nose and throat. Nasya is especially beneficial in the winter months and can be practiced by both children and adults.

Some of the other benefits of nasya are:

1. It promotes hair growth
2. It enhances the functioning of sense organs
3. It boosts immunity
4. It shows down the aging process.

Nasya is best practiced after neti or the ayurvedic nasal cleaning procedure. After the debris in the nasal passages has been cleaned by neti, allow the passages to air dry for a while. You will need specialized herbal oil also known as nasya oil. You can buy this online or at any ayurvedic chemist. some of the common herbs used in nasya oil are pippali, apamarg, vidanga, vacha, saindhava and hingu.

Nasya can be varied by the type of oil used and the amount of oil used. Some common types of nasya include Virechana nasya, Pratimarsha nasya, Avapeedana and Dhooma Nasya. the optimal time to practice nasya also varies according to the disease or condition being treated. the best time to practice nasya to relieve Kapha disorders is in the morning. Practicing nasya in the afternoons is beneficial for pitta related problems and practicing this in the evening can help treat vata disorders.

To practice nasya, lie down on your back and tip your head backwards. Put a few drops of the oil in your nose and inhale sharply. You should be able to feel the oil hit the back of your throat. When practicing nasya on a child, use minimal oil. You could also dab the oil on with a cotton swab as their nasal passages are very delicate.

Nasya can also be performed by blowing dry powders into the nose rather than oil. This is known as pradhamana nasya. This is used to treat a number of diseases including cervical lymph adenitis, tumors, epilepsy, drowsiness, certain skin diseases, sinusitis and headaches.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

• As this new year begins (first month is half over) let's not just make fake resolutions to break them every sunday blinging on foreign desserts like cheesecakes or waffle instead dear friends let's blinge on till (sesame) and gud (jaggery) ladoos, nariyal (coconut) ki burfi. These are far more healthy and connects us to our roots. Our genes respond them better as we are grew up consuming them. These indian Super foods are rich source of nutrients and they even help us cut down our super cravings. 
• Don't starve yourself, eat wisely and enjoy life.
• Have a gadget free day day once a week. Owners of multi million dollars tech firms have confessed that they gave their children gadget free upbringing. Why aren't we learning our lesson? let's wake up before it is too late.