January 11

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a condition in pregnancy where the mother has severe nausea and vomiting. It is not morning sickness, which lessens after 12 to 14 weeks. Most mothers with HG struggle until the delivery of the child, and many do not receive proper medical assistance since the condition is both rare and very expensive to treat.

HG Hallmarks:

  • debilitating nausea and vomiting
  • loss of weight (at least 5% or prepregnancy weight, usually much more)
  • ketosis, or proteins in the urine due to break down of muscle and fat tissue in the mother. Can cause liver failure.
  • extreme fatigue and weakness
  • inability to care for oneself and one’s family
  • inability to continue work
  • malnutrition, anemia, jaundice and other complications for both mother and fetus.
  • high incidence of “therapeutic abortion” (around 25% of first time HG pregnancies and over 50% for mothers who have already have at least one abortion)

Excellent HG resources:

What I’ve experienced-

  • My HG began around 6 weeks and has been unrelenting. It was tolerable in my first pregnancy, although it often prevented me from working. The second pregnancy has been both debilitating and life-threatening. I am bedridden and dependent on machines for my own life and for the life of my child.
  • Oral medications do not work for me. After 5 trips to the ER and at least 5 trips to the hospital for outpatient infusion therapy, I was on the verge of cardiac arrest. I was hospitalized. Only then was I offered the one solution to my problem: a PICC line. All about PICC Lines .
  • UPDATE: A second hospitalization found me with a nurse pushing a nasojejunal tube down my nose. Let’s just say that you have to be pretty courageous to shove a 6 foot long tube down your nose, through your throat, past your stomach and into your intestines. My body couldn’t tolerate it, but I have pictures! Very sexy. After an 8 day stay (only $12000!) I’m now on TPN, or Total Parenteral Nurtition (a mere $1000 a day). I’m being fed through my PICC line and I’m getting stronger, though still on 4 different kinds of nausea drugs.
  • Insurance companies can be unsupportive of HG sufferers. One has to survive extreme HG in order to reach a point where surgery and home health nursing is cheap enough for insurance to accept the cost. This should not be the case. For me, I had to fail ER treatment (vein dissolution), fail toleration of oral medication, fail outpatient infusion therapy (veins collapsing), and fail in-patient round the clock care. Basically, my veins had to collapse and disintegrate, causing medications and fluids to leak directly into my arm tissues to the point that IVs could no longer be used on me.
  • Not all drugs work, and basic remedies such as ginger and crackers have the same effect as eating tic-tacs. I am allergic to Reglan and Zofran, drugs typically used to maintain quality of life for the mother. They allow her to resume daily activity. I can only tolerate phenergan, which causes debilitating fatigue, and I am left incapable of caring for myself or my child. More treatment options: http://www.hyperemesis.org/family/treatments/index.php
  • Good news: despite many drugs and treatment therapies, my child is growing well and has no apparent fetal abnormalities. She is perfect.

If you have HG:

  • Seek reliable care. If your doctor continues to hydrate you in the ER and send you home where you will be dehydrated within days, it might be time to find a new physician who is more aggressive with treatment options. You must be hydrated around the clock, not just for a day at a time in a vicious cycle. The only reasons I am well enough to write this blog are the help of my doctor and the hospital nursing staff. They fought for me and we are all taking risks together. It is worth it. Find and interview an HG expert at the HG doctor referral network.
  • Give yourself permission to rest. You don’t have to vaccuum today. The laundry can wait. Today, your job is to care for yourself.  You have to grow a fetus! 
  • Surround yourself with helpers and supporters. Find a cleaning lady or ask a friend to help out once a week. Ask family and friends to help with childcare. Refer them to the HG family info page so they understand your illness, and that is not just morning sickness. Many don’t realize the gravity of the situation. Once they do, they will be on your side.
  • Read and research materials that empower you to overcome difficult feelings. Enduring HG as though you are all alone is discouraging. Read books written by others and join an online forum to ask questions or just vent. One thing I know is that HG women love to help one another.
  • Think about your baby when you are feeling down. You aren’t going through this for yourself. You are going through this for your child. This is the first step in learning how to be a parent- we often take losses for the health and safety of our children.
  • Email me at mom@writewingmom.com or post comments and questions at this site. I’m here for you- I will never say I know how you feel- I will simply offer an open forum for venting and idea swapping. We are allowed to be frustrated. We are allowed to feel hopeful. We are who we are and we are doing all we can do.
  • if you’ve never tried it, offer up a little prayer. When I am at my lowest, sometimes all I can do is say “God, this is hard for me. Please give me the strength to do what is right. I need your help right now. I cannot do this on my own.” Sometimes a simple sentence or two fills even the saddest of us with hope and trust.