HG Pregnancy- What is it REALLY like?
I didn't know this was a thing before I got pregnant. Why would I think that my pregnancy would be that much different from everyone else's pregnancy? I knew nausea would be there, probably some days where I would throw up, and feel achy in the last trimester. I learned about Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) when I was so very sick during my pregnancy with Baby C.
What is HG?
According to WebMD: "When you have hyperemesis gravidarum, you vomit a lot, sometimes almost constantly. This can lead to problems like dehydration and weight loss. Morning sickness often fades by the end of the first trimester, but hyperemesis gravidarum usually lasts longer. It generally strikes between the 4th and 6th week of pregnancy, and may be at its worst around 9 to 13 weeks. The vomiting is so severe, most women are unable to go about their typical daily activities. Symptoms usually get better by the 20th week, but not always. Doctors don't know what causes it, but they believe its related to a rise in hormone levels."
I threw up everything. I felt like someone had thrown very tiny daggers into my skin and started to shove them deeper inward and then turning them slightly. I was exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME.
I was desperate to figure out something. I couldn't even take water... I switched from three different types of water during my pregnancy just so that I could have something to keep me "afloat" and not dehydrated. I went from filtered water from the store to fizzy water, to finally tap water (even though it taste awful). Whatever I ate, it came right back up. The only thing that helped was watermelon. Thank goodness it was summertime and watermelon was in season! I started getting nausea at week 4 of my pregnancy; that's what alerted my MIL that maybe I was pregnant. I started throwing up around 6 weeks and it progressively got worse. I couldn't get to work because I was so sick and would throw up anytime I tried to get going. Sadly, I lost my job because of HG. But God knew what He was doing.
Let's be honest, most of the people around me (including me) for a while thought that I was just a pansy. Buck up and get through it - it is just morning sickness. No, it wasn't. And until I finally realized that it wasn't "just morning sickness," I allowed myself the opportunity to accept this was part of my journey as a mother with this pregnancy.
Did it get better?
For me, it did get better. For others, it doesn't always get better until after you have your baby. I was 15 weeks and my husband started to see that I was just not doing well at all. I had switched medical providers once (from a family doctor who practiced NFP to an actual OB/GYN). I had lost 25 pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. Granted, I needed to lose some weight but definitely not that way! So hubby told me to listen to family and friends. Once the initial shock of being so sick switched to I need to get help, I did everything I could to make sure I took care of myself and my baby. I reached out to Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha to check my progesterone levels (an additional issue that I needed help with to keep our baby safe and healthy). And then I called my OB/GYN) for an IV to help with my dehydration.
That was the changing point. Once I got hydrated, started taking Zofran on a regular basis, and received help with progesterone, things took a change and didn't seem so impossible. The idea of having another baby was more hopeful, rather than pitiful or something that would be a hardship on my family for the entire 9 months that I was pregnant.
Will HG be there for every pregnancy?
Not necessarily. I haven't gotten pregnant again since Baby C, so I don't know whether I will or not but according to Parents.com, they state that half of the women with HG pregnancies do not have another HG pregnancy in the future. Check the video out here.
Do others really suffer from HG?
Absolutely. In fact, here is a great article from Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas who discusses the trials and joys of having an HG pregnancy (for the fourth time).
There are Facebook groups and women through other channels that reached out to me when I finally allowed myself to ask for prayers. I didn't know these women and when the name "Hyperemesis Gravidarum" was put to the issue I was facing... I felt better about myself.
If you are facing your own HG pregnancy or you think that you might have HG... Don't feel badly about yourself or your situation. We don't know why God calls us to live with HG. But reach out to other HG Moms and see what your doctor can do for you! I know I didn't accept my "morning sickness" until I was further along than I needed to be. Don't allow yourself to do the same.
What is HG?
According to WebMD: "When you have hyperemesis gravidarum, you vomit a lot, sometimes almost constantly. This can lead to problems like dehydration and weight loss. Morning sickness often fades by the end of the first trimester, but hyperemesis gravidarum usually lasts longer. It generally strikes between the 4th and 6th week of pregnancy, and may be at its worst around 9 to 13 weeks. The vomiting is so severe, most women are unable to go about their typical daily activities. Symptoms usually get better by the 20th week, but not always. Doctors don't know what causes it, but they believe its related to a rise in hormone levels."
I threw up everything. I felt like someone had thrown very tiny daggers into my skin and started to shove them deeper inward and then turning them slightly. I was exhausted. ALL. THE. TIME.
I was desperate to figure out something. I couldn't even take water... I switched from three different types of water during my pregnancy just so that I could have something to keep me "afloat" and not dehydrated. I went from filtered water from the store to fizzy water, to finally tap water (even though it taste awful). Whatever I ate, it came right back up. The only thing that helped was watermelon. Thank goodness it was summertime and watermelon was in season! I started getting nausea at week 4 of my pregnancy; that's what alerted my MIL that maybe I was pregnant. I started throwing up around 6 weeks and it progressively got worse. I couldn't get to work because I was so sick and would throw up anytime I tried to get going. Sadly, I lost my job because of HG. But God knew what He was doing.
Let's be honest, most of the people around me (including me) for a while thought that I was just a pansy. Buck up and get through it - it is just morning sickness. No, it wasn't. And until I finally realized that it wasn't "just morning sickness," I allowed myself the opportunity to accept this was part of my journey as a mother with this pregnancy.
Did it get better?
For me, it did get better. For others, it doesn't always get better until after you have your baby. I was 15 weeks and my husband started to see that I was just not doing well at all. I had switched medical providers once (from a family doctor who practiced NFP to an actual OB/GYN). I had lost 25 pounds since the beginning of my pregnancy. Granted, I needed to lose some weight but definitely not that way! So hubby told me to listen to family and friends. Once the initial shock of being so sick switched to I need to get help, I did everything I could to make sure I took care of myself and my baby. I reached out to Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha to check my progesterone levels (an additional issue that I needed help with to keep our baby safe and healthy). And then I called my OB/GYN) for an IV to help with my dehydration.
That was the changing point. Once I got hydrated, started taking Zofran on a regular basis, and received help with progesterone, things took a change and didn't seem so impossible. The idea of having another baby was more hopeful, rather than pitiful or something that would be a hardship on my family for the entire 9 months that I was pregnant.
Will HG be there for every pregnancy?
Not necessarily. I haven't gotten pregnant again since Baby C, so I don't know whether I will or not but according to Parents.com, they state that half of the women with HG pregnancies do not have another HG pregnancy in the future. Check the video out here.
Do others really suffer from HG?
Absolutely. In fact, here is a great article from Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas who discusses the trials and joys of having an HG pregnancy (for the fourth time).
There are Facebook groups and women through other channels that reached out to me when I finally allowed myself to ask for prayers. I didn't know these women and when the name "Hyperemesis Gravidarum" was put to the issue I was facing... I felt better about myself.
If you are facing your own HG pregnancy or you think that you might have HG... Don't feel badly about yourself or your situation. We don't know why God calls us to live with HG. But reach out to other HG Moms and see what your doctor can do for you! I know I didn't accept my "morning sickness" until I was further along than I needed to be. Don't allow yourself to do the same.
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