Reproductive Health United Kingdom Project #53779

Ayurveda Mother and Infant (AMI)

by International Association for Human Values (UK)

Project Report | Feb 16, 2026
AMI supporting a Ukraine orphaned family

By Ann Revington | Director Ayurveda Mother and Infant

With thanks to all our supportive donors, we continue to give aid to Anna, our unwavering, courageous woman living just 90 km from Kiev.

As you may know, Kiev is being heavily bombed for some time. Now, her city has also come under attack, and every day I always feel relieved when I see that she has been online.
She tells me that this week they only have electricity for 2 hours per day and that the heating system in their apartments is really affected. The bombings are targeting the essential supply systems, so affecting everyone. As I write to you on the 10th of February, the temperature in Kiev is -11°C. We complain in France if it dips below zero!

Yet still Anna doesn’t complain. She is unable to rent her studio for her pregnancy meetings due to the lack of heating, but she and a small group are supporting a very impoverished young family. The parents are both orphans. The father, Vlad, is 20, and the mother, Liliana, is just 17. They have one baby boy, Bogdanchik, of 14 months, diagnosed with cerebral palsy, and Liliana has just returned home from a neonatal unit with her 3-month-old premature baby girl called Emilia.

Anna asked me if it would be fine to use our donation money to support them. Your generosity is helping this family with funds to buy the expensive milk required by the little boy and other essential support, which they cannot claim from the state. They are waiting for registration documentation for the children to ease the costs, but the wait is long, as many are in need of help.

Thank you all for being there and easing the suffering of these young people. Anna asks me to send you all her love and gratitude, and the little family are, of course, extremely grateful.

I am sorry I have no photos of the family as yet.

With love from the AMI team

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Oct 8, 2025
October Report

By Ann Revington | Project Leader

Ghee (Clarified Butter) — A True Superfood

Ghee is one of Ayurveda’s most prized foods. Known as a rasayana, it nourishes the body, promotes vitality, and supports longevity.

For many years, fats—especially saturated fats—have been unfairly blamed for poor health. In reality, it’s the wrong kinds of fats and excessive intake that cause problems. Trans fats, hydrogenated oils, and oxidized fats are the true health hazards.

It’s also important not to confuse pure ghee from butter with vegetable ghee.
Vegetable ghee was introduced in the 1960s to imitate traditional milk ghee. However, it’s made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and can contain up to 40% trans fats. Though praised for its long shelf life, high smoke point, and neutral taste, its hydrogenation process creates harmful fats that damage health.

According to Ayurveda, healthy fat intake depends on both quality and quantity.
The amount each person needs varies by constitution and balance. As a general guideline:

Thin, wiry, or anxious individuals, or those who tend to overheat easily: 1–2 teaspoons per day
Heavier body types: about 1 teaspoon per day

The best option is to make your own ghee from high-quality, organic, unsalted butter. A batch made from 3 kg of butter can last for many months. Ghee keeps well in a cool, dark place and does not require refrigeration.

When buying ghee, choose organic varieties—and, when possible, Desi ghee made from A2 milk for its superior quality.

Health Benefits of Ghee

Ghee made from milk offers many wonderful benefits:

Naturally lactose-free, suitable for those sensitive to casein
Detoxifies the body by penetrating cells and removing impurities
Acts as an excellent lubricant for the body
Has a high smoke point, making it one of the safest fats for cooking
Supports hormonal balance and overall vitality

This last point is an essential ingredient of Ayurveda’s diet plan for postpartum mothers as it supports the rebuilding of a new mother’s hormonal system, the strength of her digestive system, and the reduction of the air and space(Vata dosha) produced in the early stages of postpartum, helping to prevent fatigue which, if not corrected, can lead to lethargy and potentially post-partum depression.

“When we cook with ghee, we cook with love.”

A big ,big thank you to all of you who donated to the funding for Anna in Ukraine, we raised nearly £1000 for her, which is helping to provide a much more extensive support programme for pregnant and postpartum mothers in her area near Kiev.

With all love, the AMI team

Feel free to contact us at Ami if you wish to obtain more pearls of wisdom from Ayurveda.

Attachments:

PDF Report (DOCX)

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Jun 12, 2025
AMI June 2025

By Ann Revington | Project Leader

Swaddling:

Ever imagined going from a nice warm dark snug womb where food was supplied without your effort, to suddenly being in open air, your arms and legs flailing around without boundaries nor you knowing how to control them, your eyes opening for the first time to lights and lots of unmuffled noise?

Welcome to the world everyone cried with joy! And you? You breathed in for the first time and cried out with surprise and fear at the newness of it all!

Enter the swaddling cloth. A nice soft warm blanket, usually of cotton, that some kind soul wrapped around you so you felt snug, warm and contained again! Yeah, you felt safer now! And slowly in your own pace, you can learn how to move your arms and legs.

The swaddling cloth is an ancient worldwide practice for newborns. It helps the newly born baby feel safe and cuddled. When babies are fussing, and you know they are not hungry or cold or have a soiled nappy, giving them a nice swaddle, and holding them lovingly is all they need to feel comfortable and happy again.

You might remember seeing old drawings or photos of Native Americans with a papoose for their new babies. Mothers could prop their swaddled babies against a log or rock and get on with their duties like grinding corn or scraping hides.

Likewise, in India swaddling cloths are still used to settle fussing babies, like this young chap. He looks content, wouldn’t you say?

In fact, swaddling a fussing baby is found in cultures and countries all over the world, from ancient to modern times. I remember my daughter, who was born with her arms over her head, crossed under the back of her head. She never wanted her arms swaddled (you can swaddle without the arms), but she loved the gentle comfort of the rest of her body and legs being contained in the swaddling cloth. If she had been fussing, after I swaddled her, she would peacefully go to sleep. There is something so soothing about feeling the cloth pressed up against you all over your body. You settle down. You feel loved and cared for.

Then, in time, you outgrow it. But that is after you have learned muscle control! It is disconcerting not knowing how to move your limbs, trying but not getting the desired result. That is why part of post-partum care in ancient cultures the world over is a daily baby massage and baby yoga / neuromuscular exercises. Soothing nourishing touch and someone helping you move your limbs and body so you learn how to move them yourself. AMI has so many good tricks up our sleeve to help the new baby adjust to its new life! Let’s get this beautiful knowledge out to everyone who needs it!

*Example images in the report file

Attachments:

Read more in our report here! (DOCX)

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