When it comes to Hyperemesis Gravidarum, knowing what you’re up against and how to advocate for yourself is key. Here’s what to look for, and what to do if you’ve recently been diagnosed.
Are you currently pregnant and food is no longer your friend? Are you losing weight instead of gaining? Are you in close proximity to a bucket or toilet at all times? You may be one of the unlucky few that suffer from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) – a pregnancy condition where extreme nausea and/or vomiting leads to dehydration and a loss in body mass.
Take it from a five-time survivor – getting through HG is a battle, but with proper aid, you come out the other side with a healthy baby. I’ve assembled some basic need-to-knows and strategies for you and your loved ones.
Current HG victims should read with caution. Possible food/word triggers below.
HG is a real medical condition
HG is a medically recognized pregnancy disorder. A recent study by the HER foundation (dedicated to all things HG) has discovered it may be linked to overproduction of the proteins GDF15 and IGFBP7, but research is still being done. It is a horrible, very real disease that needs medical intervention, yet the top complaint women with HG have is not being taken seriously. If your doctor is undermining your symptoms or you are
feeling unheard, get another doctor. If that’s not an option, advocate for yourself until you get the help you need.
It’s different for everyone, but there are some commonalities
Since each of our bodies are different, each HG case will differ inside each body, but generally speaking, the worst weeks will be around 8-13. HG will come back with subsequent pregnancies (often worse), and women carrying multiples are more likely to get it. Tell your doctor to stop vitamin-shaming you (we just can’t keep ‘em down, doc) because most HG babies are born beautifully healthy and strong, despite the war raging outside the placenta. For the most part, women report feeling instantly better once the baby has left their womb.
Everything reeks
Nothing smells right, but it all sure smells. I often wonder if this is the way
dogs live. My sniffer is so amped up, I’m down the hallway in my bedroom with the door closed, but I still know the second the oven is turned on. My husband’s usually pleasant musk turns to rotted banana goo. If you have younger kids, changing a diaper is like unearthing a dead body from a landfill. Food smells are even worse. Some women dab a bit of Vick’s Vaporub under their nose or pleasant essential oils to mask the smell. Some invest in nose plugs. Whatever you try, you’ll know if it doesn’t work if it makes you throw up.
Eating is hard
Finding a “safe food” (that means a food you won’t throw up in HG language) feels impossible. Besides the whole nothing smelling right thing, nothing tastes right either. You must think about food as if it’s all flash cards. Cautiously flip through images of food in your brain. Ask yourself: do I think I could eat this? If the answer is no, flash to the next food image as quickly as possible. If yes, try it, whatever it may be. Safe foods can change. One week, all I could eat was bagels and cream cheese. Another week, instant mashed potatoes. Bland carbs are usually safer than fruit or veg, but I also had a frozen blueberry phase and a mandarin orange bout. Bottom line…eat what you think you can.
Drinking is hard
I never thought it possible to vomit water before having HG, but it can
definitely happen. Staying hydrated is paramount to keeping nausea at bay, so this is a real challenge. Many women find themselves in the hospital with an IV before they even realize what’s happening. To stay hydrated, women resort to ice cubes, frozen juices or sport drinks, popsicles, some swear by soda, but what helped me stay out of the hospital for two pregnancies was alkaline water—yes, I was able to drink WATER, and I highly recommend giving this a try.
Hello, triggers
What can trigger your nausea? Or rather, what can amp up your ever-present nausea into a regurgitation episode? Riding in the car. Brushing your teeth. Swallowing (did I mention some women get extra spit as a side-effect?). Someone sitting next to you or bumping your chair. Movement of any kind. Speaking. Bright lights. Turning your head too fast. Loud sounds. Pictures of food, talking about food, seeing food, smelling food, smelly smells, heck even memories of throwing up can make you throw up. Make sure your support team (see below) knows exactly what can trigger your nausea so everyone is on the same page.
Anti-nausea medicine is your new best friend
You will be prescribed a glorious invention called anti-nausea medication, some of which can be listed among the same prescriptions that cancer patients take when going through chemo. The common ones are Zofran, Phenergen, Diglecis, Bonjesta, Reglan, and Compazine. Some women only need one, some need two, some need all and it’s still not enough. All have fun side effects (like sleepiness and constipation), but the best side effect is taking the edge off the constant nausea you are experiencing. Talk to your
doctor about what medicine might be right for you.
People will annoy you
Well-meaning, misguided souls may try to give you advice on how to deal with HG. “Have you tried ginger/crackers/lemonade/peppermint/etc.?” “You just need to eat.” “I had the same thing when I was pregnant and I still went to work and took care of my family.” “Stop moping and go for a walk.” These types of comments are not only hurtful to you but illegitimize the disease and years of research. If you can, educate these people. If you can’t,
throw up on their shoes and walk away (not really, but let me know if it accidentally happens).
A support system is critical
It’s time to rally a team. Find whoever can help you. If your partner is
unwilling or unavailable, get a family member. If you don’t have any family, get a neighbor or trusted friend. If you don’t have a friend, tell your doctor and ask about local support. Message the HER foundation for help. Join an online HG support group (an excellent way to keep up with current tricks and tips and vent your woes to people who absolutely understand where you’re coming from). This is a condition that requires aid. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Forgive yourself
You are in survival mode to the extreme. Wave bye-bye to basic hygiene, chores, errands, and in some cases, jobs. It is not that you are not capable of doing these things. Clearly you have been or else you wouldn’t be a functioning human. Right now, your body is reacting to pregnancy in a way that is still being researched. That’s right. You’re a medical mystery! So wrap that guilt up in the smelly blanket you’ve been living in for weeks and rest.
HG can be an arduous mental journey
Keep tabs on your mental state throughout this pregnancy. You will have
down days. I mean real, gritty, down-right hellish days where you just can’t anymore. It’s going to happen. Some women experience PTSD from all the HG journey entails, but this is where love must come in and hold your hand. Keep that support team close because it’s going to be a battle, but at the end of this battle, you don’t get a castle or conquered land, you get the best prize of all—a squishy, adorable life.
Have you dealt with Hyperemesis Gravidarum?
Let us know what worked (and what didn’t) in the comments.
The anti-nausea meds rarely worked, and even though my midwives knew I was losing weight, nobody suggested getting IVs or anything supplemental. I wish I had gone to the ER more, or at least pushed my midwives to getting me a weekly appointment to get IVs. I felt so much better after having them, even though I couldn’t keep anything down.
Anne, I feel the same as you! I am emetophobic and physically cannot throw up. But what that meant was instead of vomiting all the time, I’d be continuously swallowing during my tiny meals to keep everything down. Otherwise I was lying down as much as possible because movement triggered nausea as much as smells. I’m 25 weeks with my third pregnancy and still on anti nausea meds but feeling much more normal now. No HG during my first two pregnancies so I guess I’ll just count myself lucky for that.
Organic apple juice is the only thing that worked for me and settled my stomach. I was at a point where I was scared to eat or drink anything because I immediately would become nauseated and vomit (ugh) but I looked on a support group and one woman suggested it. The only thing I’m eating right now is rice and potatoes (yay) in small increments
I had HG and it was truly horrific. It took everything in me not to yell when someone asked if I had tried ginger or crackers. I’VE TREID IT ALL, THANK YOU FOR ASKING.
What a wonderfully accurate account. Have had 3 HG pregnancies. First one the smell of my house was a massive trigger, as just moved when I got pregnant. Used to finish work and get home 9/10 and sit out in the garden crying for hours because I just wanted to go to bed! 2nd pregnancy talking used to trigger it. Third has been mostly through the pandemic so no support but easier to control triggers. Wouldn’t wish it on my worse enemy!! Now waiting for teeth to be taken out as they are so damaged from the constant sickness.
I am currently experiencing my 5th HG pregnancy. And it is harsh. Medicated with compazine and Zofran. And it helps. I believe I am past the worst, at 25 weeks I am still cautious tho and still medicated.But I love this article and am sharing it with the world, so more can better to understand HG and help out those woman that are suffering from HG.
Its a horrible feeling to have HG. I could eat,drink couldn’t take any kind of smell.whenever i tried to eat a little for the seek of the fetus,vomit every bits of it. I didn’t know water can be so difficult to drink in HG. I took several anti emetic but nothing helped. I loss 4kg in my first trimester and it takes upto end of 2nd trimester to recover my taste bud. I am now in beginning of third trimester. Hope and pray that my baby will be healthy and fine.
This article is so accurate, it makes me feel like everything I’ve experienced is true because often I kept thinking it was in my head. I think something to add is that a lot of women who suffer HG also suffer from Antenatal depression and anxiety, which people don’t really talk about because you’re supposed to be happy all the time being pregnant! We hear a lot about post natal depression but nobody really speaks about Antenatal depression.
I felt like such a fraud as I never actually vomitted: wanted to as I felt so sick All The Time, but my body would only do dry retching/gagging. My main issue was getting fluids and food on board as smells/textures/tastes would make me gag and prevent swallowing. The meds made it possible, though not pleasant, to stay hydrated and fed. Well-meaning sympathetic folk would say “how awful for you. How much are you being sick?” and then give me the suspicious “it can’t be that bad” look if I admitted I wasn’t.
It’s unfortunate people don’t realize how debilitating it is. I’m glad your friends finally get it, and happy the article rang true for you! I hope if any of your friends read it, it will help them understand even more.
Oh, I’m so sorry. That is just tragic! HG is horrible in any case, but extreme cases like yours, it’s so unfair that more research isn’t being done and some people still don’t take it seriously. I truly wish you the best.
Had it with my first and he came out healthy he’s 7 now. Lost my second in June from suffering from HG it was much worse second go round to the point of feeding tube/stomach pump/iv/shots and almost dying myself-vital organs started failing I was so malnourished that the baby died. I wish this on no one. I now suffer from PTSD/postpartum depression and anxiety. I’m not the same and never will be.
This article is so true. Currently on my second HG pregnancy which has definitely been worse this time. Took getting hospitalized and a picc insertion for some friends to realize I’m actually sick and can’t just ‘get over it’. Luckily I have a great support team this time around, both doctors and family. And thank you for the rigger warnings! Just thinking about food can make us with HG vomit 😆