Can a pregnant woman go out, eat or use a knife during a grahaṇa (eclipse)?

her health and her doctor’s advice come first; many families ask her to rest and pray indoors, which is harmless, but she should never skip food, water or medicines.

Many families have traditions for pregnant women during an eclipse: staying indoors, not cutting or sewing, keeping a tulasī leaf or dūrvā near, and chanting a mantra quietly. These come from a protective instinct and from the general rule of turning inward during grahaṇa.

Modern medicine does not find that an eclipse harms the baby, and the Dharmasindhu and similar texts themselves relax eclipse rules for the ill, children, the elderly and pregnant women. So if she needs to eat, drink water, take medicine or use the bathroom, she should do so without guilt. Never fast through a long eclipse while pregnant.

A balanced way: let her rest comfortably, listen to a calm chant like the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra or Viṣṇu’s names, and bathe afterwards only if she feels well. Looking directly at a solar eclipse is unsafe for everyone’s eyes — that part is plain science.

Texts relax eclipse rules for pregnant women, the ill and children · Source: Dharmasindhu; medical advice first

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