This year I was pregnant with my first child. I began my morning sickness at eight weeks (the second day into my honeymoon) which in my mind was perfectly normal. A few weeks past and nothing got better I seemed to get worse. Everything I was told about morning sickness seemed off with what I was experiencing.
Read MoreI just want to start this by saying not all HG stories have a beautiful happy ending. Some have tough endings but I believe all stories should be told no matter the outcome.
Read MorePregnant. That’s what that stick said. I was certain it was the flu. I had been vomiting for days. I was just nineteen. I couldn’t do this. By week 11 I was down 50 lbs, in the hospital 4 times a week for fluids and vomiting 30 times a day.
Read MoreThey say the most beautiful rainbows happen after a storm, but you don’t truly understand how violently brutal those storms can be until you have had to live through an HG pregnancy and walk home with empty arms. We did just that four times. Each pregnancy more taxing than the last. Which is why It’s a strange feeling when you’re ready to make an appointment to see the doctor about a hysterectomy and you find out you’re pregnant.
Read MorePregnancy, labour and birth are one of the hardest things the human body can experience. Adding the difficulties that arise from NVP and HG and your body is going to suffer. Remember that it takes nine months to make a baby, and so it will take at least that long to recover from it. We know that it’s easier said than done, but it’s important to remember to nurture yourself during the postpartum period.
Read MoreI did manage to survive and live to tell the tale. If you ever wonder why I’m here, this is it. My story right here. I have seen the lowest lows that HG has to offer and been there to support women and seen the genuine kindness of it’s sufferers. I’ve been fully supported by one of the charities. I have been there in the thick of it with you. I have fought this fight, now I want to help you fight yours.
Read MoreFor so many women who develop HG or NVP in their first pregnancies, it can be really hard to work out what is normal morning sickness and what is more serious. If you’ve never been in that situation before you’ve got no way of knowing if what you’re experiencing is normal or something worth seeking help for.
Read MoreMy husband and I always joked that we would have at least 5 children…enough to fill a netball team! For as long as I can remember I had been looking forward to being pregnant, getting that glow everyone talked about and growing a little one from scratch A lot of people had told me being pregnant was tough but I was ready…ha!
Read MoreIf you wanted us to give you some advice on how to survive, this would be it. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. We’ve rounded up some top tips from survivors to help get you through and, as always, we’re here if you need us.
Read MoreWhen Caitlin told us she was pregnant, I was so excited – our first grandchild. I was nervous too, which I didn’t expect. I just wanted everything to go well – Caitlin and the baby to be healthy of course and for us all to be able to enjoy the wait. Caitlin was my first child – she was followed by 2 brothers – and I never had any sickness during any of my pregnancies. I was bursting with ‘rude good health” as my mother would say.
Read MoreWithout doubt, one of the biggest questions we get at HGA, and one that we have ourselves asked too many times to count is ‘what in the hell causes HG?’
Read MoreThe hardest part for me was feeling a complete lack of disconnect to the little life that was growing inside of me. The sickness takes over your whole life. It is hard to associate love and happiness with an experience that is leaving you for dead. And having never been pregnant before, I was yet to meet the little guy that would ultimately make it all worthwhile.
Read MoreThe Therapeutic Goods Administration has recently announced a change in its position on Ranitidine containing products. Some medications, including those prescribed in the treatment of HG and NVP, have been recalled due to these recent findings. PLEASE DO NOT IMMEDIATELY STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICATION AND SEEK ADVICE OF YOUR DOCTOR.
Read MoreWhen you first fall pregnant, feeling a little queasy in the morning can be a welcome sign that everything is progressing well. If it’s your first pregnancy it can even feel like an initiation into a special club - ‘yay, I’m really pregnant!’ you might say. But if the sickness hangs around longer than you expect, or it leaves you unable to live a normal life there’s not much to celebrate. So, how do you cope with severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy?
Read MoreI can honestly say that if I had known that I would have HG, and that it would last for 34 weeks and five days, I would not have had the courage to go through with my pregnancy.
Read More223 days of constant nausea and vomiting (at least 10 times a day). 19 visits to the emergency department for dehydration. 2431 tablets taken (and only just kept down). That was the reality of my pregnancy. Women are constantly told that nothing can prepare you for how much your life changes after you have a baby. But if you ask a woman who has endured Hyperemesis Gravidarum, they will tell you that nothing can prepare you for pregnancy.
Read MoreI found out I was pregnant with our son 4 days before our wedding in 2013. The news came as a surprise and instant vomiting. I knew nothing of HG so naively went off on a 3 week honeymoon to Bali where I ended up in hospital (far from ideal). They got me stable enough to fly home where I then went on to spend some 40+ more days in hospital and a further 6 months bed bound. I needed full time care so we moved in with my parents. I couldn’t work and I struggled to comprehend ever feeling well again. During this time I tragically lost someone very close to me. It was the darkest time of my life.
Read MoreI remember lying in bed at about 8 weeks pregnant with my oldest daughter feeling violently ill and thinking two things: 1. Yay, morning sickness! Come at me pregnancy symptoms! And 2. Wow. I must be really soft coz none of my friends made this big a deal of it! I was 21, had NO idea what was normal.
Read MoreHyperemesis Gravidarum. Hate the word. Can barely say it or even think about it without cringing or gagging. The memory of gagging on my own saliva. During one of my pregnancies I was continuously salivating and gagging or vomiting from it. Or the memory of choking on my own vomit, my throat raw and bringing up blood.
Read MoreI was 7wks pregnant when I started to vomit. All-day, waking up in the middle of the night half asleep vomiting all over my bed. This became my reality for my first pregnancy. My OB didn’t have a lot of information and never told me about HG, although he was able to put me straight on all the usual meds. I continued to work through my first pregnancy and carried a bin or zip lock bags with me wherever I went. It was hard but the excitement of being pregnant for the very first time got me through.
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