Pragya Bhatt | yogawithpragya

Pregnancy/Parenting Notes Asana Yoga

Conception to Postpartum in a Series of Weekend Yoga Workshops

July 16, 2024
I've taken this picture so many times at Bellur, and never thought one day I'd be posing with my daughter.

I’ve taken this picture so many times at Bellur, and never thought one day I’d be posing with my daughter.

I spent the past weekend in yoga workshop with Murlidhar sir, a yoga teacher who played an instrumental role in my pregnancy journey, from conception to postpartum.  This blog was supposed to be about taking a 3.5 month old to a yoga retreat.  But as I wrote it, it became a game of connect the dots.  It turned into a blog about how I attended a weekend yoga retreat in 2019 and met an impressive but little known yoga teacher who would one day have a profound impact on my life.

My journey has been nothing but magical or, as my gynaecologist would say, ‘a miracle’.

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Pregnancy/Parenting Notes Postpartum

9 Things New Moms Should Stop Feeling Guilty About

June 28, 2024
Luxuriating in the water while my baby sleeps.

Pregnancy is often projected as a glow-y, rosy time.  Very little is written about postpartum.  Pregnancy is a time when everyone is extra careful and kind to the expectant mother.  This often changes very quickly post delivery.  For me it was as though within only a couple of hours reality changed beyond recognition.  Sudden it’s all about the baby, and as the mother you’re at the receiving end of unsolicited advice and stifling opinions.  With the fireworks of hormones that’s going on in your system, most women I know (including me), have found this time stressful and difficult, compounded by feelings of mom guilt.

The best advice I received when I was pregnant was to maintain balance.  To not let the baby consume everything, including me.

But new mom-guilt is real, and not something we can wish away easily.  But, there are certain things I feel we should stop feeling guilty about.

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Pregnancy/Parenting Notes Newborn Travels

5 Tips for Traveling With a Newborn

June 18, 2024

Enjoying a ride in a vintage Ambassador in Hampi.

Traveling with a newborn is an adventure.  When I fell pregnant our friends told us to travel in the first three months of the baby’s life.  They stay exactly where you left them and as long as they are fed, clean and rested – things are good.  While I agree with this, it’s not so simple.  A crying baby in the car, dirty diapers, bored baby….how do you manage all this and still enjoy the trip?

We’ve been on two trips with Kalindi (so far).  Both trips were between 2-4 nights long.  We planned these holidays such that we would have family time interspersed with some sightseeing.  Which brings me to my first tip.

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Postpartum Books Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

My Postnatal Repletion

June 5, 2024
Many women swear by ajwain water and silver glasses. It tastes good!

Many women swear by ajwain water and silver glasses. It tastes good!

The strangeness of postpartum isn’t written about enough.  There are few books about the state of new motherhood.  It’s as though the mother is pushed into oblivion by mountains of dirty diapers and midnight feedings.  No one talks about learning to inhabit the postnatal body and mind.  A mind that is usually bewildered.  A body whose contours are unfamiliar.  A depleted body.  In need of postnatal repletion.

I recently read ‘The Postnatal Depletion Cure‘ by Dr. Oscar Serrallach.  In it he describes postnatal depletion, and validates the millions of women struggling to find themselves postpartum.  Postpartum depletion comprises all the symptoms a woman experiences post delivery, such as the change in sleep cycle, the psychological strain and the emotional disturbances, social isolation and the hormonal changes.  He argues that the postnatal body is nutritionally depleted, especially if the mother is breastfeeding.  This depletion combined with a lack of sleep and the expectation that a woman seamlessly slip into her new role contribute to women experiencing long-term health problems even years after birthing their babies.  He suggests post delivery women focus on postnatal repletion.

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Postpartum Newborn Pregnancy/Parenting Notes

My First Mother’s Day

May 12, 2024

It’s 8 pm and it’s the first time I’ve sat down today. By the time I publish this blog it might be after midnight.

I have been planning my first mother’s day for the last week. I washed my hair and chose an outfit. I googled the Water Monkey Cafe and imagined having coffee and a chocolate muffin with the Bangalore rains in the background. Maybe even taking some Instagram worthy photos with my munchkin.

This morning I finished packing for our first trip with Kalindi. I spent a few hours going through Kalindi’s clothes so that she’s nice and cozy in Coorg. I’d contemplated swim diapers, then decided a chlorinated pool was too risky for a one and a half month old. I imagined two restful days with Kalindi and Animesh in the verdant Coorgi hills with its crisp, inviting weather. Continue Reading