Last night was typical of my struggles with hyperemesis gravidarum, aka the morning sickness from hell. At 3 a.m., I dutifully trod into the kitchen to make the baby’s bottle, but by the time we were settled into the rocking chair and she was happily drinking, I had to hurl.
I eyed the garbage can in the corner—could I toss my cookies in there with minimal interruption to my daughter’s meal? Should I take her with me to the bathroom and try to hold her in a gentle, comforting manner while puking up my guts? Or should I just ditch her in the crib with a pacifier and make a break for it? I chose option C.While 50% to 90% of women experience some nausea and vomiting during their pregnancies, a scant 1% to 2% have bouts so severe that they can’t drink water without barfing. During my last pregnancy, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum when I ended up in the hospital on an IV because I was severely dehydrated.
Judging by my increasing queasiness and sprints to the bathroom during this current pregnancy, I’m going down the same nauseating road again.
Next page: The puker’s guide to surviving hyperemesis gravidarum
Comments (15)
Smells really got to me – driving by a fast food place on the freeway would make me barf & the mall was out between the grease smells & the hairdressers. Really strong mints would block the smell & make my mouth feel better. I also drank a lot of warm (real) ginger ale. Lots of small, bland snacks – graham crackers, ritz – frequently helped because if I got hungry, it would be back to barfing.
Katherine did you have HG or morning sickeness? Because really bad “morning” sickiness is not exactly the same as HG. HG last forever and everything sets you off. Just thinking about food makes you vomit, literally if someone mentions it
Oh boy does this take me back. My daughter is now 21 months, but I can EASILY recall my HG being so bad that I wondered how ANYONE could take care of another baby while suffering from this. So kudos to you for just getting through it.
Zofran didn’t work. Phenergan didn’t work. Ginger, saltines, etc, etc…NOTHING WORKED. Interestingly, my mother had the exact same problem in her pregnancy with me, although there wasn’t a name for it then. (We have both agreed not to forever scare my daughter off of ever getting pregnant with tales of our horror stories.) ;)
Another tip: I remember my dr saying something to me as well. If ALL you think you can possibly stomach is Doritos and chocolate cake…EAT THE DORITOS AND CHOCOLATE CAKE. It’s ok. WHATEVER WORKS.
I am in my second HG pregnancy. My first “only” had me down 15 pounds at one point, and receiving IVs about 3 times. This one, however, had me admitted to the hospital for 5 days. I was down 27 pounds (gained some back to be negative 19 at the 29 week mark) and at the hospital to receive IVs (separate from the admission) 8 times, thus far.
I have tried/been on every medicine in the book. Medrol intravenously eventually helped me where I was manageable outside the hospital, coupled with a steady dose of Zofran and Pepcid. I am only on Zofran at this point, and thankful to have avoided a PICC line, which was widely discussed with me. (And forget the prenatal vitamins!)
Even now there is not much I can successfully keep down. And it isn’t always the healthiest foods. My doctor has been incredibly supportive and says you eat what you can. The baby will get what he needs.
I fully expect to be vomiting while in the delivery room. Thankfully I have a husband who is willing to hold the puke bucket :)
I’m glad I’m not alone, but I’m sad that anyone else experiences this hell! Yes, I puked in the delivery room with both kids — was it the HG talking or the delivery? I’m gonna go with HG.
For all my three pregnancies I had HG so bad I was often in hospital on IV therapy due to dehydration. With my third pregnancy I had two toddlers and a husband working afternoon shift so I ahd to try and feed the children tea which of course set me off again & again. Eventually my husband had to go to dayshift so he could be home at night to feed the children. I never want to go through HG again as it is so debilitating and you are feel like you have lost control for nine months. I do not know of any other mothers who have had HG so it was with interest that I read this article to see that yes there are other mums out there that had HG as well as me. The most positive thing to come out of the pregnancies were my beautiful three children and somehow the memory eventually fades away but I certainly sympathise full heartedly with others who have HG.
Cheers Deb (From Adelaide South Australia)
I has HG so bad that I never owned maternity clothes or got out of bed. I felt sea sick 24 hours a day. My doctor would have me come in to the office after hours because I would be puking in his office and scaring all his patients. Never took vitamins and only ate 1 piece of toast daily with ice tea for 9 months. I was also in and out of the hospital for IV feedings. To top that off, after my daughter bas born, healty and 7lbs 6oz, I kept on having the worst pain in my stomach and went to the hospital several times and was told that I was an anxious new mother. Well it turned out that I had to have major surgery to have my gall bladder removed. The dehydration caused this and I had 33 stones. This took place 20 years ago so I had major abdominal surgery and was in the hospital for 1 week. I did this a second time and took phenergan and it help a little bit. I had a boy and they say that there are less hormones so the HG is not as bad when carrying a boy. I spent 18 months of my life in bed but the gift is 2 wonderful healthy kids. My advise is to eat what you can and do not worry about the health of your baby. I am 53 years old and thought that I would have so many health problems because my babies were draining all the nurtients out of me. It did not happen. I also found that I was so happy after they were born that I did not mind the sleepless night because I was not puking. I was a very happy new mom.
Yes I agree with you!
I also had HG and was in the hospital with an IV for awhile. I had a colleague bring me stacks of airsick bags whenever he flew and so after I had my baby, I developed vomit bags for women like us: http://www.morningchicnessbags.com
Oh I do sympathise, I’ve had a rotten time with sickness but thankfully it’s finished for now. Ginger is supposed to really help. http://www.bounty.com/
my daughter had mega issues with emesis… she wound up in the hospital 2x.. she started to carry morning sickness bags created by momma’s chic sicbags… they came complete with sanitizing wipes.. she kept them in her car, her pocketbook and all over the house… go to http://www.mommasicbags.com. they were great and really held up to everything you could imagine that could come up!!
My mother had morning sickness, but I have been pregnant three times without any of the symptoms the other ladies have been having. I am now 7 months pregnant and have had no problems with throwing up or smells. The doctor says everthing is going well and I (and my baby) feel great! I never feel dehydrated and can eat pretty much whatever I want (although I do have a problem with black olives, but again, I always have not liked the flavor of them.)
I can’t remember the last time I had a problem with throwing up, so I guess I am just luckier than most women, I don’t know, but I am the exact wieght I am suppose to be for 7 months and don’t have any morning sickness at all and everything I eat, tastes and smells delicious. Hope this helps!
I was sick for 7 months with my daughter. We had a new car then and the smell of the new leather seats really set me off. That and cooking ground beef or handling raw chicken. YUCH. I think it is true what they say about having less of that hormone when pregnant with a boy because with my son, I was sick but only for about 6 months
Thanks for sharing your stories and solutions, ladies! It’s nice that the puky memories do start to fade after awhile… yes?
Well Im glad YOU can stay in bed when you didnt have the kids before this. BUT I HAVE to work FULL TIME. I dont understand how anyone goes through this while working. Is there any woman out there that works and has gone through this? Its much easier to be home and puke then it is to work at an office and HAVE TO WORK on things that dont matter. Sorry you have to make the hard secision on weather to put your baby in the crib or puke. I on the other hand have to wake up at the but crack of dawn and throw up get ready go to work trow up a few more times get work done…..lose my promotion (no raise this yr) due to my missing some days due to the fact some days I just can not bare to go throught it at work. I want someone who WORKS to tell me how they deal with all of this….because Im losing my mind!!!