Pregnancy

As in all societies, Hindus regard the
impending birth of a child as a time of
eager expectation tinged with anxiety.
Part of this anxiety stems from purely
physical worries that the pregnancy and
birth proceed normally, and that the
mother and child remain in good physical health. Expectant mothers are usually
encouraged to rest and are often given
526
Pravara
food considered especially nourishing
(such as milk products and nuts) to
build their strength. From the mother’s
perspective, pregnancy is an extremely
significant event, since the birth of children (especially sons) will solidify her
status in her marital family; but this
significance also contributes its own
quotient of expectation and anxiety.
Since the mother’s emotional state
during pregnancy is believed to affect
the child, all efforts are made to shelter
the expectant mother from unpleasant
thoughts and situations and to generate
happy thoughts.
Aside from protecting the expectant
mother’s physical and psychological
health, Hindus take numerous precautions to guard her from other sorts of
misfortune. As at other life transitions,
during pregnancy and the child’s first
days the mother and her child are considered particularly vulnerable to black
magic, particularly the witchcraft of
those who might be jealous of the
expectant or new mother. Another
avenue for harm comes from inauspicious events, such as an eclipse, during
which a pregnant woman should stay
inside (away from its malevolent rays)
and remain perfectly still, lest her child
be born with missing limbs. These hostile forces can also be countered by various rites of protection, such as wearing
amulets, charms, or iron (considered to
render one impervious to spells), by cutting back on social interaction to avoid
possible contact with inauspicious people and things, and by attention to religious rites.