Should I eat plain food while breastfeeding and avoid turmeric for the baby?

Like everybody else, breastfeeding mothers need to eat a balanced diet. In general, there is no need to change food habits. Babies are exposed to their mother's food preferences from the time they are in the womb. If a mother perceives that her baby reacts to a specific food she eats, it is best to consult a specialist. (Source : UNICEF)

Some women get severe leg cramps and calf muscle pain during pregnancy. Are there any solutions to relieve those problems?

During pregnancy, pain in the calf muscles and cramping are very common problems. Again, physical activity is very important. Those who are more physically active experience fewer of these problems during pregnancy.

However, if these crampings and muscle pain occur during exercise, then we advise mothers to do leg stretching exercises for a few minutes before going to bed at night or one can even do oil massages to soothe their pain. Here we can ask their partners to support them and help them to massage their feet which can provide both physical and emotional comfort during pregnancy.

And at times, dietary roles also play an important part. Some women may be having calcium deficiency so they can consult their doctors to increase their calcium dose. One can take a lot of nuts and include other magnesium-rich foods in their diet.

But despite doing everything, sometimes women suffer from severe pain in calf muscles, so we recommend and prescribe some medicines to the mothers. However, we do this only as a last resort and when the pain is very serious. Otherwise, as I said, simple home remedies, massages, and dietary improvements usually will decrease a lot of pain in many cases. (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

Most women suffer from pain in the pelvic areas during pregnancy, which makes it hard for them to move around a lot. Is there anything one needs to be concerned about or are these pains normal during pregnancy? What can one do to ease such pain?

During pregnancy, the hormones make the joints and ligaments relaxed and the pelvic area joints are more affected. So moving and changing positions in such a case cause pain in these joints and ligaments. So to some extent, these pains are considered normal.

One can ease and reduce such pain by being very active and doing pregnancy exercises by taking help from physiotherapists or yoga instructors. One can learn from them to do some particular exercises to ease the pain and these exercises can benefit a lot during pregnancy.

However, sometimes there can be severe pain where even exercises cannot help ease the pain. So in those conditions, we advise mothers to take a rest in the position that they’re comfortable in and avoid resting in positions and areas that are painful. At times, we recommend mothers to wear belly and pelvic areas supporting pregnancy belts. Using such belts can ease a lot of pain (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

A lot of people are concerned if certain foods lead to miscarriage like papaya, pineapples, red and black peppers, mint, etc., or are they just myths?

Those are the most commonly asked questions that we get from pregnant couples. They ask us about what foods they can eat and what foods they have to avoid during pregnancy.

So a lot of concerns about food during pregnancy are myths. These myths usually come from our homes and the history of our society and its culture and people usually get incomplete information on such myths. For example, if you take papayas and pineapples raw, then according to Ayurveda, it can cause contractions in the uterus and there can be a possibility to cause miscarriage. So the myth about papaya causing miscarriage could have stemmed from this information. But if you take ripe fruits, healthy and organic fruits, even if it's papayas or pineapples or any fruits, then it will not cause any harm during pregnancy. Similarly, if we talk about mint or any herbs, it will not cause any harm if you’re taking it in small amounts as a seasoning to your food.

So these are all myths. So I advise mothers to avoid taking anything raw and uncooked food. And if you are doubtful about any food then avoid eating that in large quantities. Just take small amounts. (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

Can mothers take caffeine during pregnancy?

Although this is not a common question, I do advise mothers to limit their tea or coffee intake to a max of 1 or 2 cups a day. But it’s even better if you can avoid drinking it entirely.

Green tea is also known as a healthy drink but green tea has a little more caffeine so it is also better to avoid green tea. Drinking it can affect the baby’s growth and can have a possibility to hamper the overall growth of the baby. (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

When can one resume exercising after C-Section?

So normal exercises like walking, treadmill, aerobics, cardio can be continued after 6 weeks. This applies in normal delivery as well. But ab exercises where you want to reduce your tummy should only be done after 6 months if you’ve undergone C-Section as the wounds might be weak. The extensive and vigorous ab exercises will affect the wound and cause a hernia, also called an incisional hernia where the wound might come apart and can cause complications. So it’s best to wait for 6 months to continue the ab exercises.  (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

Can you mention more about hyperpigmentation during pregnancy?

Hyperpigmentation is a big issue during pregnancy. It is because of the hormonal changes in the body, that the hyperpigmentation tendencies increase. The main areas affected by hyperpigmentation during pregnancy are the around your nipples or areolas, which can get darker, a vertical dark line may appear in the growing belly, the axillary areas, the neck, the genital, pubic, and thighs will also get darker. Many women get hyperpigmentation in their faces as well.

So to ease the hyperpigmentation especially in your face, avoid going out in direct sunlight and use a very good skin moisturizer and sunblock. Usually, many of these skin changes and pigmentation are reversible. After the pregnancy is over, you will get back your color, it’s not going to be there permanently.  (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session )

Should we visit the gynecologist as soon as we test positive for pregnancy or should we wait for few more weeks so that the fetus is more visible in the ultrasound?
We advise you to visit your gynecologist once before you’re pregnant. You should always have a pre-pregnancy checkup. And if you haven’t done it or even if you have done it, as soon as you knowyou’re pregnant, you have to visit once immediately. The doctor may ask you to do the ultrasound later or when feasible after the checkup. If history suggests, you might have to do an ultrasound immediately. So one should not delay their visit. You should go visit your doctor as soon as you know you’re pregnant. Visiting the doctor soon has many advantages as so many tests can be done and we can immediately correct if we come across some issues. But when you arrive late, then sometimes it can already be too late for certain conditions to be diagnosed and treated. (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session)

Is it common to have pubic and lower belly pain during pregnancy?

Pain in the lower part of body, in the pubic area, or joint pain in the hips, are very common during pregnancy. There are so many hormonal changes that are happening in your body as the body is getting ready for the baby to be born. The muscles are relaxed to make way for the baby so having pain during pregnancy is natural. However, if it’s causing a lot of discomfort then we teach them some prenatal exercises which provide some relief to the joint pains. They can also use the tummy supporting belts found in the market. Oil massages will also help to some extent, right posture and diets will also help you. Taking adequate calcium supplements along with all mentioned advices will help you to relieve the pain. But even after doing all these things, sometimes you may not get relief from all the pain so you will have to adjust with some discomfort but do what makes you comfortable and find ways to relief the pain.  (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session)

I have a high LFT level in 32 weeks. Is there any specific food I must eat?
High LFT level during pregnancy could be caused due to several reasons, most probably you are having a condition called obstetric cholestasis of pregnancy. This means that you pregnancy hormones are affecting your liver as a result of which your Liver enzyme level is high. It has nothing to do with the food that you eat. You can consume balanced nutritious diet and for the treatment of your condition you can consult your doctor. You will be prescribed some medicines for your condition. (Source : Q&A with Dr.Nira from Yoma's insta live session)