For many women, the first trimester is tough, as it can come with nausea, tiredness, morning sickness and worry about having a miscarriage. Your body is going through some very profound changes – like growing the foetus, the placenta or increasing blood volume. This time can also feel like a ride on a rollercoaster. Finding out you are pregnant can be very emotional in the first place, and it also takes some time to let it sink in that you are going to be a mother and enter a new stage in your life.   

According to Ayurveda, Pitta and Vata tend to increase in the first trimester. It is out-of-balance pitta that usually causes unpleasant pregnancy symptoms of the first trimester like nausea, morning sickness, headaches or migraines. If you then fall into the trap of constantly snacking to keep morning sickness at bay, you might also develop heartburn. Your stomach needs to work constantly and produce more digestive acids trying to process all the food at different stages of digestion which can cause fermentation, feeling of bloatedness or fullness, more acidity, indigestion and eventually heartburn.   

As almost always in Ayurveda, digestion is an essential factor for sailing smoothly through this period and for providing your body with all the resources for carrying a child. Ayurveda recommends regularly taking cow’s milk in the first trimester as it helps to keep Pitta and Vata at bay. In Ayurveda, cow’s milk is sweet, heavy, unctuous, cooling for the gut, and nourishing. At the same time, it supports your digestion and bowel movements. Milk is best served on its own or in simple preparations like rice pudding. Please do not have straight-up cold milk, as it can create mucus, heaviness, and put out your Agni (digestive fire). We have added a recipe for an Ayurvedic cow’s milk drink at the end of the article.   

Another component of healthy digestion is our thoughts and emotions. In Ayurveda, undigested thoughts and emotions can also create blockages or gunk, which can hinder the optimal flow of our doshas. Having healthy digestion on a physical level already supports our emotional and mental ability to digest the events in our lives. However, in this special time of new beginnings, take some time to rest and sit with what is, to create the space for emotions and thoughts to come up and acknowledge and release them.    

Delicious milk recipes and a home remedy for morning sickness and nausea. 

Ayurvedic Cow’s Milk Drink

Ingredients: 1 cup full-fat milk (ideally organic and grass-fed) and 1 cup water in equal quantities, spices like dried ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, etc. 

Mix the milk and the water, bring to a boil and let it simmer until the total quantity has reduced to one cup. While the milk simmers, add the spices according to your preferences. You can also add a little bit of ghee to increase the laxative effect if required. Et voila! Now sit down and mindfully sip your hot milk.  

Rice pudding  

Ingredients: ¼ tsp saffron strands, 1 l whole milk (ideally from organically raised and grass-fed cows), 10 green cardamom pods,  50 g basmati rice Sweetener (e.g. jaggery, whole dates or maple syrup), 1 tsp pure rosewater (optional),1 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted 30g raisins, soaked in hot water  

Pour the milk into a large, heavy-based pan, add the cardamom and saffron.  If you are using dates as a sweetener, add them from the very start so they can soften and dissolve into your rice pudding. You can also soak the dates, blend them and stir the blended dates into the rice pudding towards the end.  Bring the mix to a boil, then tip in the rice and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 40 mins, stirring regularly to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. Cook the rice until it is soft and starts to break down.  Now you can mix in your jaggery or maple syrup and stir on the hot hob unit it has dissolved. Take out the cardamom pods at the same time.  To finish stir in the rosewater (if using), almonds and soaked raisins. Bon appetit!  

Ginger – Onion Juice for Nausea and Morning Sickness

Ingredients: Onion, Ginger

Pound the onion and press the juice, put to one side. Do the same with the ginger. Then mix the two liquids together in equal quantities. Take one teaspoon 2-3 times a day.