19 weeks in, 21 weeks to go.

Nine months feels like forever when you are expecting a child. I’ve never met an expecting mother who didn’t feel that way. The days drag by as you just can’t wait to finally meet the little one growing inside you!

It can feel especially long for a thousand different reasons, because very few women experience pain-free, complication-free, worry-free pregnancies.

My current pregnancy feels especially long too, and my reason is HG.

In for yet another couple rounds of IV fluids.

What is HG?

HG stands for Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It is a pregnancy complication that affects about 2% of pregnant women (that’s a number thrown around in most articles about HG, however, many women go undiagnosed, so the exact number of women affected is unknown). It is marked by any combination of the following:

severe nausea: so severe, it impedes your ability to function, to hydrate and to eat. It is also relentless throughout the day and night. There are very few, if any, periods throughout the day (especially in the first 3 months) where you are not experiencing extreme nausea.
vomiting: because what goes better with nausea than vomiting? Vomiting can occur throughout the day and can be quite severe. Sessions of retching and vomiting can go on and on for extended periods of time and can lead to burst blood vessels in the face, esophageal bleeding, and even loss of consciousness. It is not uncommon to vomit bile or blood.
dehydration: the extreme nausea and vomiting make it extremely difficult to stay hydrated and may lead to the mother needing IV fluids in order to hydrate and restore electrolytes and potassium levels.
malnutrition: including ketosis, where elevated levels ketones are detected in a urine sample. This was explained to me as your body cannibalizing itself due to lack of nutrition. Elevated ketone levels for a prolonged period of time can affect the baby’s brain development.
weight loss: greater than 5% of prepregnancy weight. The weight is difficult to regain the longer symptoms persist.
severe fatigue: looking at the cocktail listed above, it should be no surprise that a mother going through HG may end up with no energy whatsoever. Not only does the malnutrition, dehydration and physical effort of retching and vomiting sap her energy, but this combination also leads to low blood pressure, dizziness, feeling faint, foggy brain, sleepiness, etc.
ptyalism: an overproduction of saliva. This is basically the “mouth sweats” you get right before you vomit. When you’ve got HG, this is an around-the-clock issue.

For more information, on HG symptoms including medical studies, visit the HER Foundation website.

How do we stop the madness?!

Well, quite frankly, sometimes there’s not much we can do to stop the madness. There are many different theories as to why some women get it (the one that makes the most sense to me is a study that found it may be an abnormality of the placenta). And there are many medicines and remedies out there used to treat HG symptoms. However, each one comes with its own trade offs and each woman has to decide what she’s willing to live with. Also, what works for some, may not work for others.

Personally, I’ve found the vast majority of medicines make me so sleepy that I can’t function and do very little (if anything) to curb the nausea and vomiting anyway. One medicine in particular makes me vomit so violently that I’m unwilling to ever try it again.

There are two medications that have worked for me to stop the vomiting (please note, this is my personal experience. If you happen to find yourself or your loved one in this situation, please work closely with a doctor to manage symptoms). One of these medications gives me panic attacks and makes me too sleepy to function, but it does stop the vomiting for 24 hours (for me) without stopping the rest of my digestive tract. The other stops the vomiting for a good 48 hours (again, for me) and kindly leaves me alert and functional, with only one negative side effect. That side effect, however, is as unbearable as the nausea and vomiting. I won’t get into it here, but if you want to chat about it, my inbox is always open.

Forward, ho!

As the days, weeks, and months go by, those battling this out are willing to try just about anything. And trust me, we do try everything. For the love of all that is good in the world, if you ever know someone going through this, please know she has most likely already tried:

ginger
crackers
lemon water
sea bands/acupressure
aromatherapy
oils
Preggie Pops
toast
B.R.A.T diet (bananas, rice, apples, toast)
B6
B6+Unisom
motion sickness remedies in all their many forms
probiotics
small, frequent meals throughout the day
and more

I have been told to try ginger, Preggie Pops, and crackers more times than I can count. If HG were that easy to fix, trust me, I wouldn’t be on daily IVs via home health.

If you know someone going through hyperemesis gravidarum, skip the remedy suggestions, and just give that expecting mama love and grace. Be patient with her. She is quite literally fighting to save two lives. Swallow the “well at least…” statements, and whatever you do, do NOT give false hope that this will be over by week 12. For many of us, this persists well into the second or third trimester, and even up until birth (I also want to acknowledge there are those that have to carry on the battle postpartum). Do NOT give false hope that “maybe you won’t get HG with the next one…” Odds are not in our favor in that regard (that’s a statistical fact, not pessimism). Do NOT take it personally when we refuse or are hesitant to make plans. Cancelling plans over and over again because you are too sick to drive, carry on a conversation, sit up, etc is worse than making them in the first place. It’s not you, it’s HG.

HG: a primer

So there you have it! Your basic run down of hyperemesis gravidarum. If you have any questions, the HER Foundation website is a fantastic resource.

For anyone interested in reading more about our HG journey, check out my other HG Articles.

When Mommies Get Sick, and sometimes they do, how do things change for me and for you?

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When Mommies Get Sick, and sometimes they do, how do things change for me and for you? 〰️