What Did Meghan Markle's Pregnancy Guru Teach Her Before The Birth Of Lilibet Diana?
In case you missed it — but really, how could you? — Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana, on June 4. Lilibet's birth comes on the heels of a remarkable year for the couple.
In March, Meghan and Harry sat down for a highly-anticipated interview with Oprah, and the interview turned out to be even more explosive than royal experts predicted. Meghan alleged — and Harry backed her up — that she was denied medical help for her declining mental health. Furthermore, she claimed that certain members of the royal family had several discussions with her husband regarding what color their then-unborn son's skin would be.
Right before the interview, stories began to circulate that Meghan was a "bully" and difficult to work with (she vehemently denied these allegations through her spokesperson, who claimed the stories were suspiciously timed).
As you can probably imagine, there was considerable blowback against the royal family after the Oprah sit-down, and all media attention has been directed at the couple ever since. It was under these circumstances — and a good deal of stress — that Meghan gave birth to Lilibet. Thankfully, she had her trusty birth coach by her side (virtually) to help relieve the stress.
Here's what Meghan learned from the experience.
Meghan Markle has to stay inside for a long period of time
Dr. Gowri Motha, a world-renowned daula and doctor, called into the hospital room from 5,000 miles away to be with Meghan Markle while giving birth to Lilibet Diana in June.
Meghan was eager to have Motha by her side, especially because the doctor played an important role in her pregnancy journey with Archie. Motha explained to People that while she couldn't help Meghan prepare "physically," she did help her mentally prepare via classes and one-on-one consultations. Motha uses a mixture of yoga, massage, reflexology, reiki, and nutritional advice in her program.
As for what Motha told Meghan to do in the wake of Lili's birth, she was influenced by her home country of India. Motha advocates for new mothers to stay indoors for 40 days after giving birth, massaging their bellies and eating specific foods.
Additionally, Motha recommends eating "kedgeree, rice and mung daal, rice congee, chicken broth and light vegetables," or an Ayurvedic diet. "Nothing gassy like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower. Butternut squash is good and asparagus, too." We're can't say for sure what Meghan has been eating, but at least we know she hasn't been too, ummm, gassy since giving birth.