• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mothering Spirit

everyday parenting as spiritual practice

  • About
    • About Laura
    • New Here?
    • Popular Posts
    • Contact Me
    • Privacy Policy
    • Insta-Links
    • My Newsletter
  • My Books
    • Grieving Together: A Couple’s Journey through Miscarriage
    • Prayers for Pregnancy & Birth
    • Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting
    • To Bless Our Callings: Prayers, Poems, and Hymns to Celebrate Vocation
    • Living Your Discipleship: 7 Ways to Express Your Deepest Calling
    • Little Rock Scripture Studies
  • After Loss
    • what to do when a friend loses a baby
    • what to do for kids when their sibling dies
  • prayers for pregnancy
    • The Complete E-Books
    • Trying to Conceive
    • Month One
    • Month Two
    • Month Three
    • Month Four
    • Month Five
    • Month Six
    • Month Seven
    • Month Eight
    • Month Nine
    • Infertility
    • Miscarriage
    • Morning Sickness
  • Prayers for Parenting
  • For You
    • favorite resources for parents
    • faith resources for ministers
  • Show Search
Hide Search

a prayer for morning sickness

11 Comments

Morning sickness is awful. At best it’s a nuisance for a few weeks; at worst it’s debilitating for months. I’ve had both scenarios, so my sympathies leap out to any expectant mother who suffers.

I’ve written ad nauseam (haha) about morning sickness:

All over this blog. For example, “In Which We Are All – Begrudgingly – Images of God” and “‘Morning’ (Ha) Sickness”

In my book Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting:

You are a whisper of a whirl curled up deep in my belly. The hormonal soup in which you swim makes me nauseous at all hours of the day. I choke down crackers
when I wake, throw up in the sink before breakfast, and pull over at gas stations to get sick on the drive to work. I collapse on the couch before sunset most evenings, too tired to drag myself to bed.
I am three months pregnant. This is my body, given for you.

Read more of Everyday Sacrament here…

And my favorite nauseous reflection, The Magnificat: Mary’s Morning Sickness Prayer: 

Maybe Mary knew morning sickness’s months of misery. Or maybe God mercifully spared her this added burden on top of the worry and fear and shame she might have endured at being pregnant before marriage.

But either way, Mary knew the unexpected upheaval that pregnancy always brings. And she let her heart turn this truth into a hymn of praise to God’s great blessings – the God who comes to the help of his servant Israel, who remembers his promise of mercy.

 

Read the rest at Catholic Mom…

But this time through the twists and turns of all-day sickness?

I realized I had never written a prayer for it.

So here’s my meager offering – in solidarity with women who know too well the words hyperemesis gravidarum, who stop keeping track of how many times they threw up today, who know the sacrifice is worth it but still struggle to get through every nauseous hour.

A Prayer for Morning Sickness

morning sicknessLord, have mercy.
When I feel so wretched all day long,
sick and tired from sunrise to sunset,
pull me from the pit of my despair.
Let me remember those
who live with sickness, pain, and discomfort
every day of their lives,
not just for nine months.
Forgive my complaints, Lord.
and help me bear my suffering.

Christ, have mercy.
When each day feels endless,
dragging and depressing as I find no relief,
lead me into the hope of your resurrection.
Let me remember those
who wish today would last forever,
like those saying goodbye to a loved one.
Forgive my impatience, Lord.
and help me bear my waiting.

Lord, have mercy.
When I fear that I will never again feel well,
draw me into the light of your healing love.
Let me remember my child –
the one for whom I suffer,
the one for whom I wait,
the one I already love.
Let me give thanks for the life of my baby,
even in my moments of darkness and despair.
Help me remember that You will never abandon us,
that we are always held in the embrace of your love.

Lord, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.

“A Prayer for Morning Sickness © 2015 Laura Kelly Fanucci” can be found permanently here, among my collection of Prayers for Pregnancy. 

Share this:

  • Share
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natalie says

    7 December 2015 at 7:14 am

    Thank you! Pregnancy no. 2 here, and morning sickness is lasting longer than pregnancy no. 1. 🙁 It comes out of nowhere, and I don’t know how to get through the moment. No. 1 wants to go outside, and I want to lay on the couch. I make dinner only to eat a bowl of cereal. But the reminder that this will not last forever, that others suffer with physical heath every day with no relief, and some that wish this day to last forever are a perfect reminder for today.

    And from a previous post; I also LOVE being pregnant during Advent. No. 1 was a secret to everyone but me and my husband during the Advent season and it was so special and exciting as we sat grinning in the pews. This time around everyone knows, but still the waiting with Mary draws me in every time.

    Reply
    • bill bannon says

      11 December 2015 at 7:14 pm

      All you santly mothers who are now in Heaven, pray for every pregnant mom on earth in every country …and Natalie of course.

      Reply
  2. Cassandra avila says

    21 February 2017 at 1:20 pm

    Thank you for this sweet prayer. Ive been full of anxiety. Pregnancy number 4. I miscarried my third one at 12 weeks about 5 months ago. It ended terrible , needed 3 blood transfusions. I can’t find peace in this pregnancy. I have fears of the same thing happening I am 5 weeks and can’t cope. Lord give me strength.

    Reply
  3. Katherine Grimm Bowers says

    21 April 2017 at 5:14 pm

    Thank you for this. This is my third pregnancy of severe first trimester nausea and fatigue (fortunately never crossing into HG) and the despair is always waiting as I drag myself through the days. I’ve been trying to understand morning sickness spiritually, and this prayer made me cry tears of recognition. Thank you so much.

    Reply
  4. Angela says

    2 May 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Thank you so much for this prayer! I’ve been saying it all day( along with my sickness) this is my second pregnancy. First one I was nauseous too but this one by far is the winner for making mommy the most sick! It helps to read all the other moms comments, you really do feel alone sometimes like you’re the only one going thru this.

    Reply
  5. latangie stewart says

    11 May 2018 at 8:26 pm

    I’m currently dealing with morning sickness to the point I want to terminate my pregnancy but every since I began to pray to God he has eased my pain

    Reply
    • motheringspirit says

      24 May 2018 at 11:42 am

      Praying hard for you!! I have suffered through HG (hyperemesis gravidarum – extreme morning sickness) through my pregnancies, and I know it is such terrible suffering. I hope that you can find support from health care professionals and friends/family to make it through each day, hour by hour, to care for you and your baby!

      Reply
  6. Bird says

    11 September 2020 at 12:34 pm

    I say this prayer everyday. I’m almost 11 weeks pregnant and I have just been feeling so ill recently and seems like relief is nowhere in site. I’m stressed, emotional and most of the time I feel like I’m not strong enough to continue with this pregnancy. I’m also a very thin women who can’t afford to loose weight. It’s been extremely hard. I pray for everyone who is currently suffering.

    Reply
  7. Lisa says

    15 February 2021 at 9:10 pm

    Amen! Thank you so much for this prayer. I’ve never felt weaker in my life. This prayer helped me to understand the suffering a bit more and to see some honor in what I’m going through vs pity.

    Reply
  8. Moira says

    25 April 2021 at 1:19 am

    What a wonderful prayer. My daughter in law is having terrible morning sickness with her second child. She has no faith. So I am saying this prayer for her.

    Reply
  9. mommy of 4 says

    5 November 2021 at 12:11 pm

    this is my 4 th pregnancy and i went through HG with my other 3 i been so ill i’m just starting my career but i can’t even make it to work bc i feel so weak sick and just dragging myself i almost ended my pregnancy bc i felt so ill it drains the life out of me i haven’t had my first doctor visit yet bc i’m too sick to even go to find a doctor that’s accepting patients and not all booked up my fiancé has been calling doctors for me but it’s so hard for me to get up and even go do the proof of pregnancy i will be praying this prayer more often i hope this gives me ease

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

About Laura

I’m Laura Kelly Fanucci. Mother, writer, wonderer. This space is where I explore mothering through writing. It’s where I celebrate how God shows up in the chaos of raising children. It’s where I love to build community with readers like you. Read More…

Follow Laura

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Laura Kelly Fanucci
Books by Laura Kelly Fanucci
e-books by Laura Kelly Fanucci

Mothering Spirit Newsletter

Henri Nouwen quote

From the Archives

Footer

Follow Me on Facebook

Follow Me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

Tweets by laurakfanucci

Follow Me on Instagram

thismessygrace

thismessygrace
Nearly 20 years ago (!) these crazy kids graduated Nearly 20 years ago (!) these crazy kids graduated from Notre Dame. Now we’re thick in the midst of life-with-kids, celebrating middle school & preschool & everything in between. 
 
Since June is a month for graduations & celebrations, I’m delighted to help you celebrate with @grottonetwork .

Grotto Network shares stories about life, work, faith, relationships, and more. Check out their videos, podcast, and articles to help you reflect on where you are in your journey.
 
Grotto Network has generously given 2-$100 gift cards to Bloomin’ Brands Restaurants (Outback, Carrabba’s, Bonefish Grill & more) to help you celebrate this month with friends & family! It’s a huge giveaway, because we all need to savor and celebrate whatever joy we can find these days.
 
To enter the giveaway, follow @grottonetwork and @thismessygrace and leave a comment below about what you’re celebrating this month. Tag a friend for extra entries (up to 3).
 
Rules: Open to the U.S. only. Entries will be accepted until 6/11/22 at 11:59 pm CT. The 2 winners will be chosen at random and announced on 6/12/22. Per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, administered, or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm that they are 13+ years of age, release Instagram of responsibility, and agree to Instagram's terms of use.
“How did you do this?” I want to ask her. “H “How did you do this?” I want to ask her. “How did you let your heart break a thousand times?”

I want to call my mother and ask her impossible questions, to probe her heart that held five children and let each of us go in the hardest ways. But I know what she will say, “It’s hard. But you’re doing a beautiful job.” She can’t give words to the deepest yearnings and groanings. None of us can.

I wish I could ask my grandmothers, each of them gone for decades now, each of them matriarchs who raised big broods of their own. I never got to know them as an adult, but I have heaps of questions: How did you do it? How did you not lose yourself or your way? Or did you, and that was precisely the point?

I want a whole book of answers to impossible questions, and none exists. So I send my thoughts to the mothers of faith whose short stories, mere snippets on pages, have sparked small lights to guide me along. To Sarah and Ruth, Hagar and Rachel, Mary and Elizabeth. Every unnamed anguish the holy ones carried, every treasure of love they held in their heart.

Is it any coincidence that birth often brings both cries and screams, laughter and joy?

We hold it all within us. We cannot give words to the enormity of what it means to mother.

I sit outside a coffee shop two blocks from my children’s school on a sunny afternoon, the last day of the year. I wipe away tears for the natural nostalgia, but I also feel the gutting grief welling up from my own wounds of motherhood to know a deeper truth: marking milestones with love and longing is nothing compared to the gaping loss of not having your child here to break your heart in a thousand tiny ways.

So I resolve again, a hundred times again, to let this vulnerability become the strength that keeps me fighting for all children to have what I want for my own: life, love, health, safety, support, opportunity, community, hope. This is how parenting asks us to change. To let the particulars of our lives stretch us to love more widely.

I once thought “to mother” meant to have and to hold.

Now I know it also means to let go.
Many of you asked me to save these suggestions I s Many of you asked me to save these suggestions I shared after the school shooting in Uvalde.

Remember: we can’t do everything, but we can each do something.

Just because we can’t eradicate evil overnight doesn’t mean we can’t take small strong steps toward change.

Any work for justice and peace is long and hard. But we can build this work into our daily lives in concrete ways.

Look at the children in your life. What would you do to keep them safe and alive?

Start there. Let your life and love lead you.
When women meet, the world changes. Today is the When women meet, the world changes.

Today is the Feast of the Visitation. A day when we remember the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth.

Two women pregnant with new life, blooming with prophetic power.
Two mothers called to change the world.

What would happen if we gathered together like this today?
How could the world change if we made Mary’s song our own?

“He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.”
(Luke 1:51-53)

Imagine if we stayed in this holy space—not for a moment’s meeting, but for months together—to gestate the dreams God was waiting to birth through us.

Imagine if we let ourselves be filled with the Holy Spirit to shout out with loud cries.
Imagine if we lifted our souls with prayers of justice and joy.

Imagine if we gave each other strength and service, courage and compassion, as we kept asking how to answer God’s call in our ordinary lives.

When women meet, the world changes.

If you want to know how to fight for justice for your children, for your people, for this world, look to the Visitation.

The mothers will show us the way. They already have.

(Image from the “Windsock Visitation” by Br. Mickey McGrath, OSFS, commissioned for the Monastery of the Visitation in north Minneapolis.)
Here’s what I wish I would have heard preached t Here’s what I wish I would have heard preached today on the Ascension.

Right now is a time to be prophetic and pastoral, a time for each of us to ask how God is calling us to act.
I am writing this to us next week. When our right I am writing this to us next week.

When our righteous anger will have quieted down. When the white-hot fury pulsing through our veins will have subsided. When the news cycle will have moved on.

Do not forget how we felt tonight.
Stay angry. Flip tables.

We cannot live like this. Literally—our children are dying. Our elders are being murdered. We have accepted violence as—a way of life? An unfortunate side effect of freedom? A helpless shrug?

No. I am not resigned.
Stay angry. Flip tables.

Remember how it felt today to hear the news and feel the world crack open—again, for we have heard it a hundred times now. Remember how you felt sick to your stomach. How the children around you glowed, alive and fragile, miraculous and vulnerable.

Remember how you wanted to do something, anything, how you wanted to act, how you wanted to stop and scream for it to end, how every cell in your body cried out that this was evil and unjust and horrific and cannot continue.

Press into that memory like a bruise.
Stay angry. Flip tables.

The only way anything changes is if we change. Change what we believe. Change who we support. Change how we vote. Change where we give. Change how we act. Change how we speak. Change how we pray.

There are no easy answers to terrible, complex problems—which is what gun violence in the US has become. But the lack of easy answers makes it all the more urgent and vital that we press into our righteous anger and say NO MORE.

Stay angry. Flip tables.

I am writing this for us, for tonight, for next week. And I never want to write it again.
Load More... Follow Laura on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Laura Kelly Fanucci · site customizations by Jamie Jorczak

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Please click "accept" to keep reading. You can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT