Dr. Thajed

Are you worried about the labour pain? It is perhaps the most difficult phase of a woman's life. But today, there is no reason to worry for. Thanks to epidurals, you can give birth to your baby without experiencing the pain involved.

Epidural is the new age anaesthesia. It is used to block pain in a specific region of the body. A patient is not made unconscious fully at the time of any surgery. He or she is given epidural for regional anaesthesia. Its use has become popular during childbirth. A pregnant woman is given epidural at the time of labour or c-section. It provides relief from the pain rather than cutting off the patient's feelings or senses.

Although it has become a widely accepted technique, women worry about the safety of epidurals. They are concerned about the safety of the baby and their health. But it is absolutely safe.

• How do these work?: There are nerves in our body, which carry the pain signals to the brain. These nerves pass through epidural spaces. Therefore, anaesthesia is injected into these spaces to stop the pain signal from reaching the brain. This blocks the pain. If you are pregnant and thinking whether to go for epidural or not, you will have a lot of questions in mind. Here's all that you need to know about epidurals:
• Effect on baby's and mother's health: Use of epidurals tends to increase the time of labour by 20 minutes approximately. The mother may develop fever. However, it blocks the pain. This is some relief to the mother. As there is no pain, stress hormones are not released. Thus, blood will not be diverted from uterus and placenta. Baby's supply of nutrients and oxygen will remain intact.
• How painful it is?: Women mostly worry about the painful insertion of the epidural needle. However, this will not hurt you. A small needle is first inserted to make the area numb. Thereafter the bigger needle is inserted. You may feel the discomfort for five seconds. The epidural medicine starts functioning just after 5 minutes of insertion.
• Procedure: First the patient is made to take the suitable position. While some may be asked to lie sideways, others may be asked to sit straight. The area is cleaned with a solution. The small needle is first inserted to create numbness in the area. Once the area is numb, the bigger needle is inserted. You might feel a pinching sensation. Thereafter, a catheter is threaded to the epidural space, where the nerve carrying signal of pain passes through. Epidural medicines are pushed into the region via the catheter. Epidurals don't affect your nerve endings or spinal cord. They are pushed into the epidural space.

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

Once you have got the happy news of a little one coming soon in your life, you should start taking some special care so that you can enjoy the journey of pregnancy and get a healthy baby (learn about Dietary Dos and Don'ts for Pregnancy)

These are some pointers you have to follow during pregnancy:

1. Maintain good hygiene during pregnancy. Take bath regularly. Warm shower or sponge bath is considered better than tub bath.

2. Brush your teeth regularly and have a regular dental check up. Caries tooth can be extracted after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

3. Avoid wearing tight clothes and shoes with high heels. Wear loose and light clothes.

4. Take lots of fluid, fresh fruits & vegetables.

5. Take a diet which is light, nutritious, easily digestible & rich in protein, less fat, minerals and vitamins.

6. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. It can cause miscarriage, defect in the development and growth of the baby.

7. Avoid jerky travelling, especially in 1st 12 wks and last 6wks of pregnancy. Prolonged sitting in a car or plane should be avoided. Air travel is not advisable to women who have high blood pressure, less hemoglobin (anemia) and low lying placenta.

8. Avoid taking any unprescribed drugs, exposure to X-Ray & chemicals especially in the 1st 12 weeks of pregnancy.

9. Take adequate rest in the lateral position and relax 1-2 hrs in the afternoon & 8 hrs at night.

10. Start taking folic acid at least 3 months before planning pregnancy & continue it till the 1st 12 weeks of pregnancy.

11. Start taking iron & calcium after 12 wks of pregnancy and continue it throughout pregnancy and 6 months post delivery.

12. Exercise regularly during pregnancy. Walking is the best exercise, but long periods of walking should be avoided. Also avoid heavy weight lifting and prolonged standing. Diving, water sking, gymnastic, netball, hockey, horse riding, cycling, rock-climbing, & scuba diving exercises should be avoided during pregnancy.

13. If you have any of these symptoms - vaginal bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, watery discharge from vagina, less or no fetal movement, severe headache, swelling on hands, face & feet, fever, dizziness, blurring of vision, double vision, spots before eyes, painful urination and diarrhea, immediately consult your gynecologist.

What is matcha green tea?

Matcha green tea is a premium green tea from japan. Since hundreds of years the zen used matcha green tea to help in meditation as it helps in calming the mind. Matcha is shade harvested, steamed, air dried, destemmed and hand pounded green tea. There are no artificial colours or preservatives added. It is sugar free and gluten free thus can be consumed by most of the people around the world. Stone grinding retains matcha’s peculiar taste.

Benefits of matcha green tea powder –

Benefits of matcha green tea are more prevalent than general green tea. Matcha tea is powdered and mixed with water unlike other green teas which are just dipped in water and removed. Consuming powdered leaves helps in more availability of the antioxidants present. Hence matcha green tea benefits more than the general green tea.

Matcha is an antioxidant storehouse:

It contains 137 times more poly phenol than regular green tea. Epigallocatechin gallate (egcg) is the major poly phenol present. Egcg is believed to burn the fat stores in the body for energy. It also increases the body’s immunity towards the diseases. Studies show high antioxidant levels in matcha helps in fighting cancer. Ecgc also detoxifies the body and removes all the unwanted waste materials from the system. This improves the skin texture and health. Read – sources of antioxidants 

Matcha is a mind relaxant:

The amino acid l- theanine present in matcha relaxes the brain activity. It helps in sharpening the alertness and concentrating ability of an individual. This was mainly why the zen used matcha for meditation. L theanine also helps in enhancing the mood. L theanine along with chlorophyll imparts distinct taste and creamy texture to the product.

Matcha helps in weight loss:

Benefits of flax seeds on weight loss:

Matcha increases the body’s thermogenesis by 20 -25 % than normal. Increased thermogenesis raises the body’s metabolism. This burns the body fat and reduces the weight. Stone pounding of matcha green tea retains the fiber in the tea. High fiber content as we all know is beneficial in weight loss.

Matcha reduces blood cholesterol:

A study in american journal of clinical nutrition, says that matcha helps in reducing the ldl cholesterol and lowers blood pressure. The high antioxidant property also plays a vital role in enhancing heart functioning. Read – how to reduce triglycerides 

Matcha controls blood sugar:

Benefits of bitter gourd on diabetes:

The high fibre content maintains the blood sugar levels. The chromium present in the tea aids the insulin activity in the body. Matcha tea is sugar free and hence allows diabetics to consume it without worrying about the increased sugar.

How to select the best quality matcha green tea?

Now that you know about the benefits of matcha green tea powder on health, you would want to buy this immediately. Each and every individual has a different taste. Some prefer a neutral light taste, some prefer sweet or some prefer strong taste in green tea. Selecting matcha becomes very easy if we know our taste buds. The light colour green tea is more on sweeter side whereas the darker ones taste more astringent and strong.

Your selection of matcha green tea will also depend upon how you want to take it. Different recipes require different types of matcha green tea. Kitchens and cafes use the lighter green tea. Baking requires the stronger matcha green tea, as it is more stable in high temperatures. With baking, the taste of matcha green tea powder becomes very subtle. So, use a stronger green tea for baked products like cakes, muffins, cupcakes, macarons etc.

Where can I buy matcha green tea in india?

This questions seems to be breaking all google search records lately. Well, you can buy matcha green tea online on amazon. Unlike other green teas, matcha is actually been used in baking cakes and macarons. Matcha is also used in making smoothies and latte. If you like the cold pressed juices, you can also order your “lights “from raw pressery.

Where and how can I use matcha green tea?

You can use matcha green tea powder in various sweet and savoury preparations. Matcha compliments and enhances the taste of lattes, macaroni, smoothies, cakes, icing, milkshakes or soups.

Did you know? 

Traditionally japan uses matcha as usucha or koicha tea. Usucha is a thin consistency tea made of second best quality of matcha green tea. We just have to sift the tea powder in a bowl, add hot water and whisk till tea becomes frothy.

Whereas, koichais thick consistency liquid. It is made by adding half the amount of water to double the amount of highest quality powder. Generally, cafes serve koicha tea.

Recipes for using matcha green tea powder:

Here are some recipes in which you can use this and avail the wonderful benefits of matcha green tea.

1] Matcha iced tea

Ingredients:

• ¼ teaspoon – matcha green tea powder
• 3 teaspoon – hot water
• 1 teaspoon – honey
• 5-6 pieces of ice cubes

Method:

• Make a paste using matcha green tea powder and 2 – 3 teaspoons of hot water
• Add honey in the paste
• Fill the glass with ice cubes and pour the green tea paste over the ice
• Garnish with lemon rind and mint leaves and serve

2] Custard apple smoothie

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon – matcha green tea powder
• ½ small – custard apple
• 150 ml – milk (skimmed)
• ½ teaspoon (optional) – sugar

Method:

• Mix matcha with few drops of hot water and make slurry
• Blend custard apple, green tea slurry, milk and sugar (optional)
• Blend again with few ice cubes and serve it chilled
   

3] Latte

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon – matcha green tea powder
• 150 ml – milk

Method

• Mix matcha with few drops of hot water and make slurry
• Whisk the slurry till frothy
• Pour hot milk on this frothed green tea and serve hot
   

Apart from these recipes, you can use matcha green tea powder in macaroni. Add ½ teaspoon in white sauce of macaroni to get green gravy macaroni.