Two Hearts as One (2)
Pregnant women around the globe experience the influence of fetus. Thoughts of the unborn child cause the pregnant mother's desire for wholesome food, liquors, or strange foods and drinks. Following birth, these desires express themselves as the child's "proneness to virtues or vices" according to Harold W. Percival.
Certain cultures believe that the child in the womb is asking for the special foods because they provide important nutrients for the growing child. A pregnant woman's culinary cravings express the unborn child's needs and preferences. Careful attention must be given to gratifying her sense of taste. In many cases, no food is taboo.
The mother's recognition of her cravings as a reflection of the unborn child's nature serves as a psychological turning point in the pregnancy as explained by Murshida Vera Justin Corda. For the first time, she acknowledges the child "as a separate yet attached extension of herself. This realization is the first preparation for the physical separation of the infant from her body at birth."
Pregnancy Cravings -- Multi-Cultural Reports
The following examples represent a range of cultures.
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USA -- Isadora Duncan: "If people ask when I began to dance I reply, 'In my mother's womb, probably as a result of the champagne and oysters she ate -- the food of Aphrodite.'"
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Thailand -- Sawayi Promsin: I developed a daily craving for noodles with soup and tamarinds during pregnancy with my son. Interestingly, my son Bongkuch's favorite foods are noodles with soup.
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Italy -- Giovanna Maria (Zanetta): The night before I birthed my first son, I developed a craving for shrimp. My son Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-1798) had an unusual fondness for shrimp.
Some reports even suggest that the child imposes appetites and attitudes related to a previous life upon his pregnant mother.
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Sri Lanka -- I noted a change in my accustomed behavior when I was pregnant with my daughter. I became unusually devout and desired to listen to monks chanting more than before. As a young child, my daughter Disna expressed a precocious piety. Funnily enough, Disna recalled her previous life as Babanona, a woman who had meditated a lot.
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Burma -- My desire to drink alcohol became almost overpowering during pregnancy with my son Maung. I controlled the desire with great effort during the latter part of pregnancy. My altered appetite corresponded to my young son's cravings for alcohol. More than that though, he recalls being an alcoholic in a previous life.
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Thailand -- I normally enjoy mild gambling in card games with friends. Surprisingly, I found it difficult to continue gambling during pregnancy. Once baby Ornuma was born, I resumed gambling activities taking my baby along. When I tried to play cards, however, Ornuma interfered by crying so much that my friends insisted that I go home. Her objection towards gambling typified that of a devout Buddhist. My daughter showed other signs of precocious piety as well.
Pregnancy Cravings -- An Ayurvedic Perspective
Pregnancy cravings were no mystery to India's Ayurvedic embryological texts based upon seers who cognized the subtle relationship between the pregnant mother and the fetus.
By the end of the third month, the body parts of the fetus become differentiated, sensory perceptions and motor reactions start developing, heart starts beating and expresses its desires through the mother's blood. The fetus develops emotions. The child's emotional or spiritual heart -- the seat of consciousness -- becomes active. This is the period when the woman craves certain foods/flavors. Her cravings should be fulfilled as far as possible, if not contraindicated.
The unborn child cannot fulfill his own needs, but the mother senses his desires as though they were her own. Arteries of the fetus conduct its emotions to the placenta. These messages travel from the placenta to the mother's heart through additional arteries. The umbilical cord functions somewhat like a telephone wire connecting the consciousness of mother and child. From this moment, the mother experiences two seats of consciousness, known as Dauhrda ("bi-cardiac" -- mother's heart and child's heart.
At this stage of fetal development, the fetus supposedly is beginning to remember past lives and subsequently experiences specific desires. In turn, the link between their emotional hearts gives rise to a synchronicity of feeling. The heart of the pregnant mother mirrors the fetal desires and she suddenly craves various smells, tastes, objects or activities.
Due to this intimate mother and child connection, a pregnant woman requires special care. It is important to honor the fetal desires as reflected through the pregnant mother's wishes within reason, since they have a real, though subtle origin, which can affect the child's growth. The unborn child depends upon the mother and senses the fulfillment or frustration of his needs. If the baby's desires are suppressed or ignored, the fetus experiences a disturbing emotion like fear or jealousy. The slightest disregard for fetal desires can create abnormalities in the fetus.
The pregnant mother must be given whatever she desires. Of course, care should be taken not to give anything harmful. However, if the longing becomes unrestrainable, wholesome ingredients can be added in order to neutralize the injurious effects. The mother must set aside her prejudices and satisfy the baby's urges as an act of compassion and love. Even if the mother has been a vegetarian, for instance, she should gratify a desire for animal protein if that desire arises.
When the mother fulfills the baby's desires, the baby learns to trust and has faith that his needs will be met. Fulfilling a pregnant woman's favorite wishes is as good as taking care of the fetus itself. She will then birth a healthy, strong, virtuous child with a long life-span.
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