Originally Posted by sogno
I know that it is all in my mind although it does feel so real.
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Sogno, it isn't just "in your mind". Giles is absolutely right; the changes taking place are in both your mind and your body. They're not imaginary. Take comfort in knowing that for most women the lion's share of the unpleasant hormonal changes occur during the first trimester. Once you get past that 12th week the fluctuations are somewhat less and your body has learned to adapt itself better to the changes yet to come, so you get relief in two ways.
I have a niece who is currently carrying her second child. During both the current as well as the first pregnancy she was subjected to very prolonged morning sickness which, as she told me, is a terrible name for it since it started in the morning and lasted until she fell asleep at night. She's only just recently passed into her second trimester and found the discomfort is largely relieved. Till now we've spent much time with her stimulating the various acupuncture points to help bring relief. Let me suggest a couple that might help alleviate some of the changes you're going through.
Below is Pericardium 6 or "PC6", known as Nei Guan. There's probably not a better point on the entire human body for relieving nausea and upset stomach, whether it comes from morning sickness, motion sickness, flu, or because you just ate something you shouldn't have.
If the point is very sensitive as it sometimes is when you're really nauseated, just press lightly on it for 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off. Do this about 3 times. You'll probably notice relief within just a minute or two. After it loses some of its initial sensitivity try pressing slightly harder and massaging it using small circles. You can also tap on it lightly as though using EFT. This is also effective.
The next point helps when you're feeling anxious, agitated, upset, or just out of sorts. This one is Heart 7 (HT7), known as Shenmen, or the "Spirit Gate".
HT7 is best used with either a steady pressure of with the 10 seconds on, 10 seconds off method. It's very easy to stimulate this point without anyone even knowing you're doing it which makes it useful if you're at work or elsewhere in public, but you can also work it while you're relaxing or just watching television. This point will help you to feel more calm and generally peaceful.
You'll probably benefit if you use these points even when you're feeling fine. Think of it as preventative acupressure that will assist in keeping unpleasant feelings from building up in the first place.
Give them a try and see if they make pregnancy a bit more pleasant. Both of these points, by the way, are considered safe for use during pregnancy. Not all points are, so if you're going to experiment on your own with acupressure be sure to look up your references in reputable material that gives contraindications and will spell out clearly whether a particular point is or is not recommended during pregnancy.
