Hang some good and beautiful pictures in bedroom, which will have an effect on the (unborn) child also, reads another advise. New Delhi: In yet another moralistic sermon plucked right out of a moral science textbook, the AYUSh ministry of the Government of India has asked pregnant women to abstain from sex. As foolery is hard to stop, the idealistic booklet also tells them to desist from taking non-vegetarian food and to harbor spiritual thought.
Even as the medical fraternity rebutted and rubbished it, union minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik released the booklet during the National Health Editors' Conference on Yoga on June 9 in the run-up to the International Yoga Day.
The booklet asks women in the family way to read life histories of great personalities, stay calm, and avoid anger or lust. "Pregnant women should detach themselves from desire, anger, attachment, hatred, and lust," the booklet published by AYUSH Ministry-funded Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy says.
"Hang some good and beautiful pictures in the bedroom, which will have an effect on the (unborn) child also... during pregnancy, women have to do self-study, should have spiritual thoughts, should read the life histories of great personalities and should keep themselves in peace," it added.
Medical experts, however, have contradicted what the booklet says. Alka Kriplani, professor and head, gynecology department, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, here, said unless there was a specific reason, a pregnant woman should continue with all activities she routinely indulged in, including sex, 'unless there is a high-risk factor.'
Regarding consumption of non-veg food, she said fish and chicken were good for health while (red) meat increased cholesterol levels. "But there is no such thing that one should avoid meat during pregnancy. It is a good source of protein and those who consume it can continue to do so," she told IANS.
"Also, protein intake should be higher during pregnancy. While I am not saying that those who are vegetarians should start consuming non-vegetarian protein, but those who usually consume it should continue to do so to fulfill their protein intake," Prof. Kriplani added.
Suneeta Mittal, director and head of gynecology, Fortis Research Institute, agreed and said expectant women should continue to follow the same dietary pattern that they followed otherwise.
"However, during the first trimester, we ask pregnant women to avoid drinking and smoking. In terms of dietary advice, we tell them not to consume too much fried food," she said.
"But we don't give them any specific advice regarding non-vegetarian food. Whatever is their dietary pattern, they should continue with the same," she told IANS.
However, Dr. Mittal said there may be some allergies vis-a-vis which they need to be careful. Regarding sexual intercourse during pregnancy, she said it was best avoided during the first three months. "After that, unless it is medically indicated, there is no need to avoid it during normal pregnancy," she said.
