This is Vyshnavi Muralidharan. I was referred by Dr. Vidyamani Boraiah from Sagar Chandramma Hospital to join the prenatal yoga program conducted by Dr. Bijaya Bhattacharya. My EDD was on the 18th of November and on the 17th I delivered a baby girl naturally weighing 3.54 kgs.

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at very early stage in pregnancy and was on insulin since then. Like many of them say that you will have a premature/large baby if you have diabetes and there might be a chance that you will deliver a pre term baby. I was always anxious about these talks and used to pray that everything should go well and still would always be worried.

I first joined Dr. Bijaya ma’am’s session on the August 29th-2023. My very first meeting with her gave me a very positive and confident vibe. I decided to continue with the classes to help keep my mind at ease and also to focus on my physical health.

Her take on prenatal yoga is very classified and well distributed. All her pranayama sessions gave me the confidence of bearing the contractions in the labour room whereas her upper body and lower body exercises helped me with breastfeeding and prep my body for labour and beyond.

Normal delivery and full term pregnancy is something that is not promised/advised to any pregnant women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). With ma’am’s take on pregnancy Affirmation, baby visualisation, self positive affirmations – I gave the confidence to my doctor that I want to try for natural delivery and my doctor waited until I got the labour pain and did not induce before due date.

Her effort of making everybody strong and confident enough to be take and accept everything that comes our way is extraordinary. With her suggestions of walking, I was able to control my sugars in pregnancy and now I’m without any insulin post my delivery.

My only suggestion to my pregnant friends would be that be regular to the sessions, follow her instructions to help you design your own body to get through labour and delivery.

Thank you ma’am for instilling the confidence, courage and determination to make way and accept ourselves for this beautiful journey of motherhood.