How do I explain the difference between morning sickness and hyperemesis gravideriem to family and friends?
I am eight weeks pregnant with baby number three, i have experienced HG with my other two pregnancies and am suffering from it again this time (officially diagnosed by my GP each time). How do I get family and friends to understand it's not 'just nausea' and that eating crackers before getting out of bed won't help? I have been admitted to hospital twice already for fluids and antiemetic meds and am taking zofran daily. I have lost five kilos in three weeks and carry a bucket with me everywhere (on the rare occasion I have left the house), I have been passing out due to dehydration, despite my best efforts. And yet I am still told to just 'deal with it' and that I shouldn't be asking my husband to do so much (drive kids to school etc) as he works long hours and the 'home stuff' is my job. MIL in particular is hyper critical, as her daughter had morning sickness but worked right through both her pregnancies without 'disrupting' her husbands work days. Does anyone have any tips or advice? Also any hints on small snack things I could try eating to keep my energy levels up?
Hyperemesis misunderstanding
Hyperemesis misunderstanding
Posted in:
Relationships & Marriage, Pregnancy
8 Replies
My son has a very rare sleep disorder that makes him sleep up to 20hours a day.
I found when family didn't believe that he couldn't be woken up and judging us, that taking them to doctors appointments turned things around.
Hearing it from a person of authority often makes people shut up!
But your hubby needs to put his foot down with his mother. It's none of her business and he needs to stop talking to her about it, as it invites her to have an opinion.
Only thing that helped me was chewing gum - just watch out for a laxative effect if you have too much!
Laxitive effect can be helpful with HG as with dehydration the opposite problem can be horrendous ! ;)
Stuff them, you dont need to beg someone for understanding kindness support. Stuff em.
My suggestion is to find a good leaflet or handout online that you could print and have in an obvious place on your kitchen bench when MIL or anyone else comes over. If it has a good explanation from a reputable source (a hospital or health authority) then they may be more likely to understand that it's different to morning sickness. Or if a subtle hint on your kitchen bench isn't enough, just outright give it to them and tell them to read it :-) All the very best, hope things improve for you soon xo
Some people will just not get it. My friend suffers from this and the only thing she found helpful is the very controversial herbal remedy. I.e pot. I totally understand it's not for everyone but I wanted to mention it. It's the only thing that helped her keep food/water down
Oh sweetie HG sucks !!! I had it with all three of my pregnancies too!! Big hugs for starters !!!
Unfortunately it is so misunderstood ! I found my best release was talking with other women in the same situation ! There are some great support groups on Facebook !! Do a search and one is bound to come up!!
I honestly survived on crushed ice and a tiny bit of cordial for days at a time :(
I found though that hydration was a massive deal changer ! If it's been more then 24hours of not being able to swallow fluid keep going back to the ER tell them you haven't kept fluids down and get re hydrated via iv! You will feel SO much better if only for a little while !!
Suck on hydrolyte icy poles too ! Though you might need to try the different flavors to find one that you can handle . And if you find yourself craving something just eat it !!! There was a period of time for me where I could eat bacon and egg muffins from maccas ! So that's what I ate ;) and then all I could swallow was chocolate thick shakes ... Follow your cravings !!
Third time was the worst for me since the other kids needed so much from me . All I can say is keep going mumma ! One minute at a time if you have to ! You CAN do this ! You totally got this !
Try your best to not worry about what others say what's important is that ur hubby understands and is supporting you and that you get through it together as a family . It's damn hard but there is another side and you will be rewarded at the end with a precious irreplaceable gift xo
I read this the other day.
http://acountrymum.blogspot.com.au/2016/05/morning-sickness-its-not-real...
It explains the difference a little bit. HG is awful.