THE GIFT KNOWN AS MORNING SICKNESS

BY JENNIFER GRIFFIN

Morning sickness as a gift? What?!!! Well, I hear you and I am surprised to write that myself, but now as I look back 20 years after my first pregnancy with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe nausea and vomiting in pregnancy that requires some sort of medical intervention, I finally feel grateful for the experience.
 
Spending the majority of my pregnancies feeling nauseous, with too many days in bed holding on for dear life, I became a nausea expert for myself. When I shifted my belief from “life is not fair” to recognizing this adversity as a chance to change, I realized that “disease is a conversation starter with the soul,” alerting me that there was unresolved issues in my life to further examine. As I shifted my perspective into taking responsibility for my life and challenges, I was more than halfway there in healing myself. When I combined my answers from within my soul with DIY healing techniques, I took back the power that I had lost when I had experienced the trauma that had manifested into this illness.
 
Here are seven powerful techniques to help...

1. ACUPRESSURE/ACUPUNCTURE. These techniques operate on the principle that relieving blocked energy reduces symptoms. You can do treatments with a practitioner, or if you are a DIY person, you can even learn to do some on your own or with a partner by studying acupuncture online. Acupuncture/acupressure is incredibly beneficial, especially if you can do it frequently. There are community acupuncture clinics sprouting up that make this more financially viable.
2. BARLEY TEA. Take sips of Korean barley tea throughout the day to reduce nausea. This tea is filled with multiple vitamins and minerals that are nourishing and effective in containing nausea.
3. EMDR. This powerful technique helps reestablish the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. When we experience trauma, we shut down and only access one side of our brain. During everyday life, we are often triggered, especially with morning sickness by specific sounds, sights, smells and noises, that unconsciously remind us of a previous trauma that is not yet fully resolved.
4. HIGH PROTEIN and DIET. Try to eat as much protein as possible and limit your carbohydrates, which can increase your nausea. After failing to keep anything down for two weeks, I ate ten pieces of chicken after having been a vegetarian for nine years. Also, let go of any artificial sweeteners, such as Nutrasweet, and additives, such as high fructose corn syrup.
5. HYPNOSIS. This technique unlocks unconscious patterns that are contributing to the morning sickness. Hypnosis is the most researched alternative technique for HG. Find a qualified practitioner in your area or someone who does videoconferencing. You can also learn self-hypnosis from a book. Sometimes there are free ones available if you type “free hypnosis book” into your searches online.
6. MAYAN ABDOMINAL MASSAGE. This ancient technique helps to release a tight diaphragm—an often overlooked fact is that a tight diaphragm leads to nausea.
7. REST and REDUCE STIMULATION. Spend as much time without any stimulation. My favorite was to rest alone in a dark room to reduce my nausea.

Since each morning sickness experience is unique and requires an individual approach, try to mix and match techniques — what works one day may disappoint next time so keep a list of what you have tried and the different outcomes you have had. Please comment below and share what techniques have or are currently working best for you!

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Jennifer Griffin overcame hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) in her fifth pregnancy after writing her Master’s thesis on HG and healing unresolved trauma with nutrition and alternative healing techniques. She has thirty years experience guiding children and adults on their relationship journeys and is an author of the #1 new release Understanding Morning Sickness as a Gift and Understanding Your Child As A Spiritual Gift.