So, yea…. it has been a long time since I have updated the blog. But, as most of you know I am pregnant with my 3rd baby. YAY!!! I am excited of course, and blessed. However, this pregnancy hasn’t been for the birds! I suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and electrolyte disturbance. Mild cases are treated with dietary changes, rest and antacids. More severe cases often require a stay in the hospital so that the mother can receive fluid and nutrition through an intravenous line (IV). I had this with my 2nd baby, so thankfully I knew the signs right away and as much as I didn’t want to I had to go on medicine; for my life and the baby’s life.
Distinguishing between morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum:
| Morning Sickness: | Hyperemesis Gravidarum: |
| Nausea sometimes accompanied by vomiting | Nausea accompanied by severe vomiting |
| Nausea that subsides at 12 weeks or soon after | Nausea that does not subside |
| Vomiting that does not cause severe dehydration | Vomiting that causes severe dehydration |
| Vomiting that allows you to keep some food down | Vomiting that does not allow you to keep any food down |
Signs and symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum:
- Severe nausea and vomiting
- Food aversions
- Weight loss of 5% or more of pre-pregnancy weight
- Decrease in urination
- Dehydration
- Headaches
- Confusion
- Fainting
- Jaundice
- Extreme fatigue
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Secondary anxiety/depression
This looks all fine and dandy on paper, but if you are living through this is EFFING HELL! I literally was bed bound for almost 5 months. I had to hire help with the kids and the house, and my poor, amazing husband went to work only when the little one napped. Ensuring that the kids were taken care of because I physically couldn’t do it.
Waking up every morning feeling like death is not fun. It took a toll on me physically. I had no motivation to eat. The sight of food make me so violently sick, but the thought of it sounded good. This type of relationship with food was very abusive. Dare I wrangle up the courage to eat, with in minutes it would come up…. anywhere and everywhere. Even water would not stay down. The act of vomiting would happen sometimes every minute for 15 minutes. I was all day and most of the night. The act itself was so involuntary and violent. It hurt so bad to vomit. My ribs, my chest, it all hurt. And eventually got to the point where there was blood coming out of my throat each time I did get sick. I would sweat and be lethargic after. I mean come on, lets face it, vomiting was like the only excersize I was getting and it was sucking the energy out of me. Because of this you could imagine I was losing weight but I was extremely disoriented, dizzy, tired, depressed, and I felt like I could pass out at anytime. The worst was the constant flu-like symptoms. I was freezing cold all the time and obviously nauseous. No I didn’t have a fever, but you know when you are sick and your body aches and skin hurts… yea all that without the fever. Not to mention I was so upset with myself. I would cry constantly. I went from the mom who did it all to the mom who couldn’t. I felt like a shitty mom, a crappy wife, a needy human (which I despise), I felt like no one understood, I felt very alone, and I felt helpless.
A few months into the pregnancy I got really backed up with the bowels. You could imagine not eating, so everything I did eat my body was holding onto dear life for like that reality show Hoarders. I went 6 weeks without having a bowel movement! That shit (literally) makes you feel even more sick, not to mention its super dangerous. The possibilities of you becoming toxic and even having parts of your colon become necrotic are super high. So without going into too much more detail, that was just the icing on the cake.
I am now in my 6th month and I am feeling ok. Not great, my nights are usually the worst now. But, thankfully I am keeping foods and fluids down. The mental aspect of this condition is horrific. Trying to constantly talk myself out of not getting sick was stressful. What made it worse was people coming to me telling me what to do. Especially people who A. have no kids and B. have never had HG. You are super limited to certain things when you are pregnant as it is. I had been down this road before, but what made it hard was having a 2 year old to deal with (my 8 year old was in his own little world). People do not understand how to just support and listen, they have to put their two cents in and that is very frustrating to someone who is holding on to even muster the energy to listen to you.
My advice to people dealing with HG is to hang in there, it may seem like things are crumbling but your body will protect your baby before you lol. And HG is not a permanent situation, you wont feel like shit forever. Do whatever you feel (within healthy limits) to make yourself feel better. Warm baths gave me some relief. Lastly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE AND WE UNDERSTAND….try to stay hydrated because being dehydrated will make you not only feel worse but will more than likely end you up with a hospital bill.
