Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG)

It did last until the moment my placenta came out and I stuck my middle finger up at it as they took it away.

Yup, it's a bit of a hard one to say so lets call it HG. Lucky me had SPD/PGP with Hailey and with Nathan I had the same but with the add on of HG. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy to be quite honest with you. HG is not morning sickness, I repeat, it's NOT morning sickness.

So what is HG?

HG is defined as a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease that may cause weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, and debility due to severe nausea and/or vomiting, and may cause long-term health issues for mother and baby(ies).

My Experience

What I experienced in my first pregnancy was some light nausea where snacking resolved the issue...continuous snacking. I found out at 4 weeks that I was expecting my second, by week 5 things started to change. I could barely see food, smell food, be around food, eat food or even drink anything. My weight started dropping off, I couldn't look after my daughter, I cried a lot and I just wanted to sleep so I didn't have to feel how bad the nausea was. We aren't talking "a little sicky feeling" Im talking about DEBILITATING NAUSEA. Lets have a little look at the image below taken from the HER Foundation:

I lost over a stone and a half in weight, I had the most debilitating nausea you could ever imagine. I was signed off work from I think around 8 or 9 weeks pregnant, I barely ate or drank anything, I couldn't take care of Hailey or even myself, I just laid in a dark room trying to sleep my way through to what I thought would end around 12i weeks. Ben had to take care of everything, he was a total rock for me and many times I would message him and ask him to come upstairs as I couldn't cope and was breaking down. At 10 weeks I even considered an abortion because I wasn't coping with how bad I was. Ben reminded me that this is what I wanted, what he wanted, another baby, a sibling for Hailey.

At around 9 weeks I went to the emergencies because I felt dehydrated and really unwell. They checked me, scanned baby, everything was ok and then when I said how I was feeling, they laughed and said "well you are pregnant" and "get on with it" and "eat dried fruits and drink little and often" - well no shit sherlock. They printed off my report of my visit and I noticed they had even put the diagnosis as HYPEREMESIS GRAVIDARUM, did they even know what it was because I am sure brushing me off and sending me home wasn't the right thing to do.

I did question if I had it because I was not being physically sick but HG comes in different severities. The day I felt at ease with what I was going through and finally finding some support is when I contacted the HER Foundation (click to get help if you need it). Lyle emailed me back with lots of information, support groups, he also sent me some books too.

Point number two gave me some comfort with my situation. I had some letters arrives from other HG suffers and a couple of Whatsap messages, one for me stood out the most and her name was Rachelle. We clicked, we spoke everyday about anything and everything and we are still in contact now although not as regularly with work, children and busy lives. We had planned to meet but covid happened and travel was cancelled, we do plan to meet next time I am in the UK. I was also part of a Facebook support group and that passed time seeing everyone support each other or to have a moan where someone gets me.

Medication?

Unfortunately here in Spain they don't allow you to take anything. I had all the information of what could be taken but my doctor just shook his head (I have since changed doctor because he was not with the modern times). He said I was weird and not a normal person to be unwell after 12 weeks, nice ey? I was constantly looking online for something I could take that was over the counter and I read about Unisom and Vitamin b12 maybe helping. In another total breakdown to Ben, he went to the pharmacy and asked them and they said there was something I could take that was called Cariban.

Cariban 10 mg/10 mg modified-release hard capsules is indicated for the symptomatic treatment of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) in adults who do not respond to conservative management.

I still remember when Ben walked into the bedroom with a bag from the pharmacy, I cried. Now these weren't a fix but they slightly took the edge off. Anything was better than nothing. They weren't cheap and you couldn't get them on prescription, typical.

I documented a lot on Instagram stories and also recorded a video for myself to remind future me to never have another baby!! I was for the whole of my pregnancy and shortly after making it clear I would NEVER do this again...... We are happy with 2 and there is no plan for more still.

Ben got me, he stood by my side from start to finish without a complaint (to my face haha), I was and still am so thankful to have such an amazing husband, he saw how bad things were for me. 8 whole months stuck upstairs in the bedroom, I went from being a working, Spin obsessed, active mum to a bed ridden mentally depressed mess and that's the truth. I don't think anyone really understands how bad it was for me and how hard it was for Ben. It wasn't something you could just brush off. It was a rollercoaster from around 18 weeks, I had a fluffy day (that means good day) and then I would crash hard for a few days. I had days I could eat more and my weight slowly went back on and thankfully baby was always ok. It did last until the moment my placenta came out and I stuck my middle finger up at it as they took it away, the HG was gone and I was free again!

Having newborn Nathan was a walk in the park compared to dealing with an HG pregnancy.

If you have not seen it already please check out the documentary SICK - The Battle Against HG - I also appear in it haha!