Baby Business Part 1

Of all of Krishna’s earthly gifts there’s nothing sweeter than a baby, a baby with whom you can rediscover all that is wondrous and joyous in life. With every child you can live each day as if it were your first. A child is someone you can grow up with and tell stories to and sing to and tell about Lord Krishna to...In these ways children are treasures. They are the flowers of the world. Life without them would be very dull. And raising nice children for Krishna's service is an important way to satisfy Him.

Srila Prabhupada described his own mother who gave him affectionate care, chanted prayers and mantras for his protection, fed and groomed him, scolded dutifully, and how she “never stopped her duties.”

The Supreme Lord also has mothers whom appear in His childhood pastimes to set wonderful, inspiring, unprecedented examples of maternal love.

PREPARING FOR CHILDREN AND PREGNANCY
First of all, it helps to have good consciousness at the time of conception. The Bhagavatam gives a lot of advice in this regard such as having a home to care for the child, a peaceful life and a settled mind.

"The Vedic literatures are not only full of spiritual instruction but are also instructive in how to prosecute material existence very nicely...Everything needed is mentioned in the scriptures—what sort of house and decorations there should be, what sort of dress the wife should have, how she should be decorated with ointments, scents and other attractive features, etc. With these requisites fulfilled, the husband will be attracted by her beauty, and a favorable mental situation will be created. The mental situation at the time of sex life may then be transferred into the womb of the wife, and good children can come out of that pregnancy...She (Devahuti) wanted him (Kardama) to instruct her in that way, and she also requested that he arrange for a suitable house because the hermitage in which Kardama Muni was living was very simple and completely in the mode of goodness, and there was less possibility of passion's being aroused in his heart....(Also) because she had become skinny, she feared that her body might have no attraction for Kardama. She wanted to be instructed how to improve her bodily condition in order to attract her husband."--SB 3.23.11p

Also many devotees plan for and pray for a child that they can help go back to Godhead, but in my case at least, it's a better idea to pray for children who can deliver us all back to Godhead.

PREGNANCY
Pregnancy is a special time because along with the building of the new baby's body comes a rejuvenation of the mother's entire system, and that's probably what Canakya Pandita meant when he wrote that a lack of sex ages a woman. It's a good time to pamper and take care of yourself, too. Here are some suggestions:

• Try to get some sort of light exercise everyday, especially walking is a good idea. Also check the library for a book about yoga for pregnant women.
• Find a reliable midwife and see what herbs she recommends for an easier labor.
• Avoid protein in the urine by drinking lots of water, which is very important for digesting protein.
• Keep iron levels up by eating plenty of green, leafy vegetables and iron rich foods. Personally, I never had to take any supplements, since my diet was excellent. This impressed my midwife very much when she'd check my iron levels.
• Avoid overly spicy, pungent foods. Srimad Bhagavatam (3.31.7) describes the disturbance this can cause for the child while in the womb.
• Practice relaxation and breathing exercises. Ask your midwife about these.
• Keep always in good spirits. Be careful what you look at, read, whom you associate with, and what you think about. A mother’s mentality affects the child both during conception and while in the womb. Ever wonder why a woman's purity is so much stressed in Vedic culture? Well, there you go. There's a whole science given that physiologists should look into.For example, it's best not to work yourself up in a state of fear or excitement by watching frightening movies and such. This will create more anxiety in a child's makeup. More specifically, a soul is attracted with that sort of passion and ignorance karma, and if you want to attract a child in the mode of goodness or pure goodness, then activities in goodness must be cultivated. 
• Therefore, keep yourself as pure and peaceful as far as possible.
• Read aloud to your baby in the womb Krishna book and so on. This is beneficial for both you and the child, hearing the Lord's pastimes. 

CHILDBIRTH

• Bring along your favorite kirtana tapes and other forms of support.
• Labor can be endured by looking forward to meeting your child and the child's release from imprisonment in the womb. Release for the child from the womb and the relief felt by the mother, makes for a joyful day of celebration indeed!

BREASTFEEDING

• Feeding a child breast milk is best for the child. Numerous studies support this.
• Basically nurse on demand and use the breast that feels the fullest. “The importance about making sure that babies nurse long enough to get the hind milk. Let baby nurse on one side until he comes off. Then burp or change him.. If baby still seems hungry, you can offer the other side and let baby have what he wants. Then start on that second side for the next feeding. By nursing mostly on one side per feeding, the baby gets all the calories he needs in less volume of milk. When the mother’ body adjusts to this way of feeding, she only makes milk to replace what the baby takes. So she is more comfortable and less likely to leak. Her baby may be less colicky and often gain weight at a better rate. He is less likely to fight the breast since he is no longer nursing the “fire hydrant” And he may go longer between feedings if he is having a “meal” that includes both the “appetizer” (foremilk) and “dessert” (hindmilk)”--LaLeche League
• Sore nipple? Change the holding position and thereby how the baby latches on. Try the football hold, for example, until the sore spot heals. Also rub pure lanolin on it in between times, but make sure it is removed when baby feeds once again.
• If baby bites while nursing, gently push her head against the breast until she stops biting.
• Drink plenty of water during lactation. Herbal tea is also nice.
• Also pregnant and nursing mothers must take plenty of milk or milk products.
• Continue to take good care of your health, get plenty of rest and be sure to eat properly since your baby depends on it.
• When mother and or baby are sick, mother's milk contains antibodies passed on to protect and help baby recover sooner. The mother may also take some bitter herb at that time to aid the recovery process.
• Do not be quick to wean a baby. Better is to let baby wean himself.
• New mothers (or their relatives) may complain when a breastfed baby fusses, saying that he is “always hungry” (implying that there's not enough breastmilk to satisfy the child). Yet, babies often just want to suck, so the fussing is more about wanting the closeness and comfort of the mother rather than nourishment. Sometimes in the early months especially, a mother may therefore feel like a human pacifier, but it is a temporary phase as children grow up very quickly and begin to take other foods and a mother learns other methods for soothing her fussy baby.
• This is probably the most important thing for successful, full time sufficient milk production- a mother needs to keep herself relatively stress free and not too busy for this very important service (which is so temporary, that soon you'll be wishing for that closeness with the child once again.)
• Many mothers choose to continue as long as possible, up to the age of five. By then breastfeeding is just a quick snack and comforting for the child, but they never forget. Prabhupada says that then a woman's breasts appear motherly to them, making it easier to respect women as mother instead of sex objects.

MORE REASONS TO BREAST FEED

• It costs nothing- no bottles, no formulas...
• It is convenient, especially during the night, and it is always ready to go when traveling.
• Breastfeeding burns up calories which helps one regain her pre-pregnancy figure quickly. You can also eat all you like without having to diet (That is, if you are normally not overweight) .
• It delays the return of your menstrual period.
• It reduces the chance of ovarian and breast cancer
• Breastfeeding is relaxing and provides warmth, intimacy and bonding between mother and child.

"Breastfeeding- your chance to gaze at, stroke, smell and touch your baby, ten-or-so times a day."

LIQUID LOVE

In Vedic culture especially, children are a source of great joy, and so much affection is lavished on the child. Vedic signs of affection include the smelling of the child's head. Another is milk leaking from the mother's breast simply by thinking of her child. In this connection, breastfeeding nourishes children not just physically, but the motherly affection involved feeds the child's heart. I have read from the Ayurveda that drinking the mother's milk gives the child not only strength, but also courage and confidence. It is so satisfying for both mother and child that you'll want to continue for as long as possible, and when the child is grown, you'll look back at those breastfeeding days as some of the most significant in your lifetime.