Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
AIAPGET Points
Development of fetus in 9th month – Ayurveda
– Charaka Samhita – Prasava Kala – period of parturition ranges from the first day of the ninth month to tenth month. Retention beyond this period is abnormal. The nourishment of the fetus occurs through UPASNEHA and UPASWEDA from the mother. Abnormalities in Matrujadi Bhavas lead to the child not being born.
– Sushruta Samhita – The parturition takes place in the ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth months.
– Ashtanga Hridaya – The child is born anytime, even one day after the completion of the eighth month. Abnormalities or disorders would occur in both mother and child when the fetus may be retained in the abdomen for a period of one year by Vata.
For expectant women – Foods mixed with ghee should be given along with meat juice. Yavagu should be given with Sneha and Anuvasana Vasti should be administered. Pichu soaked in medicated ghee should be kept in the vagina. Water processed with vata mitigating leaves should be used for bathing. She should always anoint her body with medicated oil.
– Features of a woman who would give birth to a male child – she gets milk first in her right breast, uses the right side of her body for all activities, sees masculine objects in her dreams, and her abdomen is elevated on the right side and is round in shape. (Ashtanga Hridaya)
– Features of the woman who would give birth to a female child – exhibits opposite features of those of a woman who would give birth to a male child, desires company of men, fond of dance, instrumental music, vocal music, perfumes and garlands. (Ashtanga Hridaya)
– Features of a woman who would give birth to a hermaphrodite – presents with a mixture of features of those present in a woman who would give birth to male and female child. Her abdomen is more elevated in the centre. (Ashtanga Hridaya)
– Features of a woman who would give birth to twins – has bulging of the abdomen on both sides and her abdomen is depressed in the middle, like a trough. (Ashtanga Hridaya)
– Ashtanga Sangraha – Time for delivery of a child has been mentioned from the first day of 9th month to 12th month.
– Kashyapa Samhita – Delivery of the child occurs from the ninth month onwards. The child remembers all the deeds of previous life. It also remembers sorrow and happiness of the intra-uterine life, only until it does not get new sustenance.
– Harita Samhita – All chestas are established in the 9th month. The 10th month is the Prasava Kala.
– Garbhopanishad – Sarva Sampurna Lakshanas are evident in the ninth month.
Modern Embryology
9th month –
– Week 33 – bones get hardened, except cranial bones
– Week 34 – vernix gets thicker.
– Week 35 – brain continues to grow, is ⅔ of what it should be at birth
– Week 36 – loss of lanugo, the fetus has hairs on its head
10th month –
– Week 37 – toenails reach the end of toes, woman feels the fetus coming down into her pelvis
– Week 38 – fetus is getting to its final size, 0.5 pounds weight added per week
– Week 39 – the fetus is at full term, ready to get delivered,
– Week 40 – due date week for delivery
The fetus is about 18-20 inches in length and about 7-9 pounds in weight.
In this article we shall have a look at different opinions of different acharyas regarding the development of the fetus in the ninth month of pregnancy, in Ayurveda treatises.
Charaka Samhita
तस्मिन्नेकदिवसातिक्रान्तेऽपि नवमं मासमुपादाय प्रसवकालमित्याहुरादशमान्मासात्|
एतावान् प्रसवकालः, वैकारिकमतः परं कुक्षाववस्थानं गर्भस्य||२५||
एवमनयाऽऽनुपूर्व्याऽभिनिर्वर्तते कुक्षौ||२६||
मात्रादीनां खलु गर्भकराणां भावानां सम्पदस्तथा वृत्तsस्य सौष्ठवान्मातृतश्चैवोपस्नेहोपस्वेदाभ्यां कालपरिणामात्स्वभावसंसिद्धेश्च कुक्षौ वृद्धिं प्राप्नोति||२७||
मात्रादीनामेव तु खलु गर्भकराणां भावानां व्यापत्तिनिमित्तमस्याजन्म भवति||२८|| (Cha.Sha.4/26-28)
Prasava Kala – the period of parturition ranges from the very first day after the eighth month i.e. from the first day of the ninth month till the tenth month. The delivery of the child would take place during this period. If there is retention of the fetus in the uterus after this period, it is considered abnormal. The fetus thus grows and develops sequentially in the mother’s womb.
There are six factors i.e. Matrujadi (maternal factors etc) factors which are responsible for the production of the fetus i.e. matruja – maternal (ovum), pitruja – paternal (sperms), sattvaja – mind, satmyaja – adaptability, rasaja – nutritive fluids and atmaja – personal / individualistic. With the normalcy of these factors along with the compliance to the code and conduct of dos and don’ts by the mother in the period of pregnancy, the fetus obtains its nourishment. The nourishment is obtained through Upasneha (perfusion or osmosis, active and passive transport) and Upasweda (warmth) from the mother and as a result of passage of time and own nature, the fetus obtains growth and development in the uterus.
On the other hand, the abnormality in the matrujadi factors leads to the child not being born.
Sushruta Samhita
नवमदशमैकादशद्वादशानामन्यतमस्मिन् जायते । अतोऽन्यथा विकारी भवति ।।Su.Sha.3/29)
The parturition takes place either in the ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth months of conception. If the child is not delivered in one of these months one should think that there is something wrong with the fetus.
Ashtanga Hridaya
तस्मिस्त्वेकाहयातेऽपि कालः सूतेरतः परम् । वर्षाद्विकारकारी स्यात्कुक्षौ वातेन धारितः ॥ ६६ ॥
शस्तश्च नवमे मासि स्निग्धो मांसरसौदनः । बहुस्नेहा यवागूर्वा पूर्वोक्तं चानुवासनम् ॥ ६७॥
तत एव पिचुं चास्या योनो नित्यं निधापयेत् । वातघ्नपत्रभङ्गाम्भः शीतं स्नानेऽन्वहं हितम् ॥ ६८ ॥
निःस्नेहाङ्गीं न नवमान्मासात्प्रभृति वासयेत् ।
प्राग्दक्षिणस्तनस्तन्या पूर्व तत्पार्श्वचेष्टिनी ॥ ६९ ॥ पुन्नामदौर्हृदप्रश्नरता पुंस्वप्नदर्शिनी । उन्नते दक्षिणे कुक्षौ गर्भे च परिमण्डले ॥ ७० ॥ पुत्रं सूतेऽन्यथा कन्यां या चेच्छति नृसङ्गतिम् । नृत्यवादित्रगान्धर्वगन्धमाल्यप्रिया च या ॥ ७१ ॥
क्लीबं तत्सङ्करे, तत्र मध्यं कुक्षेः समुन्नतम्। यमौ पार्श्वद्वयोन्नामात्कुक्षौ द्रोण्यामिव स्थिते ॥ ७२ ॥ (A.Hr.Sha.1/66-72)
The child may be born anytime after even one day after the completion of the eighth month. On the other hand, the fetus may be retained in the abdomen for a period of one year by Vata. This would lead to abnormalities / disorders in both the mother and child.
Diet – During the ninth month, foods mixed with ghee should be given along with meat juice. Alternatively, Yavagu – thick gruel mixed with more quantity of fat (ghee) and Anuvasana Vasti mentioned earlier should be administered.
After this, a pichu – a diaper or sterile cotton swab / wick soaked in medicated ghee should be kept in the vagina every day. For bathing, water processed with vata mitigating leaves and cooled should be frequently used. The expectant mother should never remain without anointing her body with medicated oil.
Features of the woman who would give birth to a male child –
– She gets milk first in her right breast
– She prefers (uses) right side of her body for all her activities
– She is greatly interested and indulged in enquiring about the above said
– She sees masculine objects in her dreams
– Her abdomen is more elevated on the right side and appears to be round
Features of the woman who would give birth to a female child –
– She exhibits the opposite features (mentioned above, i.e. opposite of the features of a woman who would give birth to a male child)
– She desires the company (copulation) of males
– She is fond of dance, instrumental music, vocal music, perfumes and garlands
Features of a woman who would give birth to a hermophrodite (eunuch) –
– She presents with mixture of features mentioned in both contexts above (male and female child)
– Her abdomen is found more elevated in the centre
Features of a woman who would give birth to twins –
– Her abdomen appears bulged in both its sides
– Her abdomen is depressed in the middle, like a trough
Ashtanga Sangraha
तस्मिन्नेकदिवसातिक्रान्तेऽपि प्रसवकालमाहुरासंवत्सरात् । अतः परं विकारी भवति ॥१५॥ (A.San.Sha.2/15)
Even one day after the completion of the eighth month should be considered as normal time for the delivery of the child. The time extends up to the end of one year (12 months after conception i.e. 9th to 12th months are ideal months for delivery of the child).
Kashyapa Samhita
From the ninth month onwards, the delivery of the child occurs in due course of time. The fetus remembers all the deeds of previous life and also sorrow and happiness of the intra-uterine life, only until it does not get new sustenance.
Harita Samhita
In the ninth month, all chestas are complete – organ systems are able to function properly (established activities)
In the tenth month, it is Prasava Kala i.e. onset of delivery of the child
Garbhopanishad
Sarva Sampoorna Lakshana – In the ninth month, all features are completely manifested
According to Modern Embryology
Development of fetus in the ninth month of pregnancy
In the ninth month, the fetus continues to grow and mature. At this point, the lungs are on the verge of being fully developed. Growth and brain development are almost under completion.
Week 33 – Bones are getting hardened, except cranial bones. This is because the skull bones need to be soft for the fetus to descend easily into the birth canal.
Week 34 – The vernix which protects the skin of the fetus starts getting thicker.
Week 35 – Brain continues to grow and still weighs ⅔ of what it should be at birth.
Week 36 – There is loss of lanugo in the fetus. The fetus has hairs on its head.
The fetus in this month is about 17-19 inches in length and weighs about 6-7 pounds.
Development of fetus in the tenth month of pregnancy
In the tenth month (weeks 37-40), the woman can go into labor at any time. The position of the fetus at this point of time might have changed to prepare for birth. The child will ideally be in its head-down position in the uterus. The woman would feel very uncomfortable as the fetus drops down into her pelvis, preparing to be born. The ‘kick counts’ would help the woman to track how much the fetus moves.
Week 37 – The toenails reach the end of the toes of the fetus. The woman would start to feel the fetus come down into her pelvis.
Week 38 – The fetus in this week is trying to get to its final size with 0.5 pounds of weight added per week.
Week 39 – Now, the fetus is full-term and ready to get delivered.
Week 40 – This is the due date week for delivery. If the woman finds any signs of labor, she should call her doctor or care-provider.
In this month, the fetus is about 18-20 inches in length and about 7-9 pounds in weight.
