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When Pregnancy Turns into The Enemy

1
Slumped on the bathroom floor with my arms desperately hugging the toilet bowl I was so weak I could barely lift my head. I was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

It started when I was six weeks pregnant. My husband and I were delighted the baby was strong enough to cause morning sickness (we’d suffered a miscarriage seven months earlier) but within days I had become bed-bound, unable to move. Even walking downstairs would trigger half an hour of constant vomiting. My GP diagnosed HG and a week later I was in hospital hooked up to a drip for

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dehydration and given anti-sickness medication in the hope of stabilising the condition.

During the nine months of pregnancy I was sick over 1,000 times and lost 2 stone. The constant vomiting and nausea was torture. It got so bad I considered terminating my much longed-for baby. It was only thanks to the unfaltering support of my husband and Pregnancy Sickness Support that I managed to get through it and have my beautiful baby boy.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a complication of pregnancy involving extreme and constant nausea and vomiting. While

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3
many women suffer from regular pregnancy sickness during pregnancy approximately 12,000 women per year suffer with HG across the country. It causes severe weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, isolation and often depression. It is a serious and debilitation condition.

Without treatment HG can be life threatening, with complications for both mum and baby. Before modern treatments, such as IV fluids, it was the leading cause of death in early pregnancy.

Here are some signs that you might be suffering with HG:

Symptoms can begin before the

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pregnancy has been confirmed and can continue throughout.
Sufferers can vomit between 5 and 50+ times per day, often being bed-bound or house-bound
Nausea can be experienced for between 6 and 24 hours per day and can be so severe it feels as though the sufferer has been poisoned.
Suffers can also experience; heightened and warped sense of smell, excessive saliva, headaches, lethargy and depression.
Weight loss is often severe and rapid, 5% of pre-pregnancy weight is common with Hyperemesis

If you have HG  seek help from a health care

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professional as soon as possible. There are a number of safe and effective medications which are available from your GP or hospital. You may need to go into hospital and get re-hydrated with an IV drip and this will likely help you feel better for a while. Rest is incredibly important for sufferers. Remember you are not just very ill but pregnant too and need rest so that you don’t get sicker.

 

 

15th May is HG Awareness Day 2016

If you would like to get involved in the day you can find both organisations on Facebook and Twitter

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and use #HGDay16

Also to support the work of the charity you can get involved by holding a Big Brew!  It’s a fun and easy way to raise money whilst getting together with the people around you. So, why not put the kettle on, make a cuppa and have a good old catch-up!

Everything you need for your Big Brew including printable invitations, posters and ‘Top Tips on holding a Big Brew’ are available here. 

To find out more …

If you would like to read the results of a study carried out in conjunction with the British Pregnancy

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Advisory Service click here

If you would like more information on available treatments or how to get involved with the charity please have a look at the Pregnancy Sickness Support website. Or call the Pregnancy Sickness Support helpline on 024 7638 2020

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- 10 May 16

Slumped on the bathroom floor with my arms desperately hugging the toilet bowl I was so weak I could barely lift my head. I was suffering from Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

It started when I was six weeks pregnant. My husband and I were delighted the baby was strong enough to cause morning sickness (we’d suffered a miscarriage seven months earlier) but within days I had become bed-bound, unable to move. Even walking downstairs would trigger half an hour of constant vomiting. My GP diagnosed HG and a week later I was in hospital hooked up to a drip for dehydration and given anti-sickness medication in the hope of stabilising the condition.

During the nine months of pregnancy I was sick over 1,000 times and lost 2 stone. The constant vomiting and nausea was torture. It got so bad I considered terminating my much longed-for baby. It was only thanks to the unfaltering support of my husband and Pregnancy Sickness Support that I managed to get through it and have my beautiful baby boy.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a complication of pregnancy involving extreme and constant nausea and vomiting. While many women suffer from regular pregnancy sickness during pregnancy approximately 12,000 women per year suffer with HG across the country. It causes severe weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, isolation and often depression. It is a serious and debilitation condition.

Without treatment HG can be life threatening, with complications for both mum and baby. Before modern treatments, such as IV fluids, it was the leading cause of death in early pregnancy.

Here are some signs that you might be suffering with HG:

  • Symptoms can begin before the pregnancy has been confirmed and can continue throughout.
  • Sufferers can vomit between 5 and 50+ times per day, often being bed-bound or house-bound
  • Nausea can be experienced for between 6 and 24 hours per day and can be so severe it feels as though the sufferer has been poisoned.
  • Suffers can also experience; heightened and warped sense of smell, excessive saliva, headaches, lethargy and depression.
  • Weight loss is often severe and rapid, 5% of pre-pregnancy weight is common with Hyperemesis

If you have HG  seek help from a health care professional as soon as possible. There are a number of safe and effective medications which are available from your GP or hospital. You may need to go into hospital and get re-hydrated with an IV drip and this will likely help you feel better for a while. Rest is incredibly important for sufferers. Remember you are not just very ill but pregnant too and need rest so that you don’t get sicker.

 

 

15th May is HG Awareness Day 2016

If you would like to get involved in the day you can find both organisations on Facebook and Twitter and use #HGDay16

Also to support the work of the charity you can get involved by holding a Big Brew!  It’s a fun and easy way to raise money whilst getting together with the people around you. So, why not put the kettle on, make a cuppa and have a good old catch-up!

Everything you need for your Big Brew including printable invitations, posters and ‘Top Tips on holding a Big Brew’ are available here. 

To find out more …

If you would like to read the results of a study carried out in conjunction with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service click here

If you would like more information on available treatments or how to get involved with the charity please have a look at the Pregnancy Sickness Support website. Or call the Pregnancy Sickness Support helpline on 024 7638 2020

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