Beyond Morning Sickness-long

Many of you know I have hyperemesis and thats its like "real bad M/S"

Maybe some of you remember what I went through with Noah, and Katedevine did with her son or Sometimesmommys long hospital stay. I know there have been many others and some recent stories show there may be more to join

And maybe some of you are facing this now and dont know it.

I wanted to post some info...for those who might not know there's help out there, and for friends, family who dont understand what it is.

Hope it helps.

Hyperemeisis gravidarum is NOT morning sickness. It is constant nausea...sometimes 24/7. It is wrteching and gagging , sometimes upwards of 80 times a day, influenced by smells, motion, exhaustion and food, it is excessive vomitting, some Women throw up 30 times a day. It causes weight loss and severe dehydration and food aversions...

Many women are hospitilized at least once and many spend long hospital stays b/c of not being able to achieve proper nutrition for themselves and are starving to death.

It can cause death of the mother and child if not treated. And the treatments are often risky, scary and potentially harmful as well.

How you can help?

One of the most frequent disappointments is that friends are very supportive initially, but then become distant over time. Women with this are often reluctant to ask for help, and feel terribly guilty needing so much without offering anything in return. Life can become very isolating and lonely, especially for women with prolonged HG.(hyperemesis) Depression often results.

Ways you can support her through this difficult time:

Offer as much help as you reasonably can for childcare, house cleaning, meal preparation, etc.

Ask her to keep a list of tasks and errands she needs completed and find others to come by and help with one or two.

Encourage her to be as active as she can, however, understand she may need to rest often. Fatigue and motion worsen nausea/vomiting.

Be there to let her cry or vent her frustrations. Offer understanding and suggestions to help her cope. Know that her emotions are real. They are either positively or negatively influenced by her illness, the support she receives, and her genetic sensitivity to the hormonal changes of pregnancy. Read more in our Mother's Survival Guide.

Try to get her out of the house for something fun, even for a short time, as often as she tolerates. She may feel encouraged after a movie, or brief trip to a baby store with you.

Think of something periodically to add enjoyment to her life, such as flowers, books on decorating the baby's room, or catalogs with baby gear.

It can leave her very depressed and miserable. Help her stay focused on the baby that will soon bring joy to her life.

Bring food by occasionally or run out to fulfill a craving she has.

Help her eliminate triggers of her vomiting/nausea in her environment.

Try to help her identify foods she can eat and prepare them for her if time allows.Often preparing food increases nausea and creates an aversion.

Ask her what you can do to help her most. She may not tell you otherwise.

Know that it can last well past the first trimester, possibly until delivery. Try to find a network of supporters that can help her until she has recovered. This may not be until a few months postpartum.

Re: Beyond Morning Sickness-long

thank you for this

i know you usually post on the parenting board but if there is ANYTHING we can do to help, please let us know.

Re: Beyond Morning Sickness-long

great post! I suffered from it and a lot of people didn't understand why I kept throwing up....they thought it was in my head or somethign I could control!

It was insane. I would vomit so much and I was so dehydrated that I would get bloody noses while vomiting and I soiled myself a few times..........


Hyperemesis can also cause depression in women. Not just from teh insane hormonal imbablance but the constant sickness. I was extremely depressed my first trimester.

I have a had a few weeks of relief but I still occassionally vomit and have a lot of nausea. I'm still continuiing to loose weight....... But it is getting better!

Re: Beyond Morning Sickness-long

This was an excellent read. Thanks for sharing it.

Hope you feel better soon, Donna.

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How are you feeling today Donna?

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wow, very informative! thanks for sharing, many many to those of you who went through this!!!

Re: Beyond Morning Sickness-long

Had it for both pregnancies and the 2nd time around I had a 1 year old. I was on homecare and a nurse came every 2 days to change the IV line. I lost 20 pounds and looked like death. Vomiting is an uderstatement..Once I would start to vomit, I couldn't stop..it would go on an on and on to the point where I pee myself, sorry for TMI..I would break blood vessels in my eyes and get a bloody nose. I would walk around my house holding my son in one arm and dragging an IV pole in the other,LOL!Not easy. My blood pressure was so low that I was hospitalized several times and thought everytime I was being admitted it would be my last because I was going to die. I literally felt like I was dying! My parents and DH were beyond WONDERFUL and helped so much. People in my family knew I was really sick, but until they saw a segment on Good Morning America, the never knew HOW SICK I was. Women DIE from hyperemisis, that's how severe it is or in some cases terminate the pregnancy. I used to ignore people when they would say, eat a cracker..YEAH, okay if it was only that easy!! I was part of a forum for girls with hyperemisis and i printed out what the OP posted for my family and friends to read and they were in shock...The only way I can describe hyperemisis is for anyone who has had food poisining,,times it by 1,000!! It is the worst thing to go through. When I became pg with DD I prayed everynight to let me ENJOY this pregnancy. Didn't happen and because I was worse the 2nd time around, I was advised by my OB to never get pg again.

Thankfully by 7 months, I was feeling 100% better and decided to take the IV out of my arm and try to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy like a normal person

Message edited 8/29/2008 12:40:23 PM.

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many many many to ALL who are having a hard pregnancy~