Beyond Morning Sickness
the healthy, happy homes we imagine for our
loved ones.
That was certainly my plan. I looked forward
to the care of a midwife and a planned home
birth, imagining what it would be like to eat
a healthy, balanced diet to grow my baby. Already a physically active person, I was certain
I would maintain my activity level and even
learn new ways for me to engage my whole
mind and body not only for my well being
but for my children-to-be. In my mind, there
was no doubt that I would have a drug-free
pregnancy and birth. Everything would go
according to the books, I would be mindful
of everything I put in my body and eliminate
any unnecessary risk. A headache would be
something I could suffer through before risking exposing my baby to some pharmaceuticals
that 20 years from then would turn out to have
caused her some kind of brain damage or given
her cancer. I would do everything natural and
avoid putting any pharmaceuticals into my
body as I grew my babies.
It was a good plan. But it couldn’t be my reality.
All the ginger, crackers, small frequent meals,
essential oils, slippery elm, papaya enzymes,
wild yam root, acupuncture, chiropractic, and
every other sage advice that helps ease morning
sickness failed me. My midwives, obstetricians,
naturopath, herbalist, friends, and my husband
looked into and tried everything to help me.
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Over the course of 16 years and 6 children, yes,
I was crazy enough to do this 6 times, I have
tried every remedy, every herb, every cleanse
between pregnancies, every gut healing diets
(gluten-free, GAPS, you name it), had every
test (no, I have not tested positive for h.pylori
the three times I’ve been tested), thyroid levels,
meditation, therapy, and more, without relief
from HG. Some of my friends on the support
boards for moms with HG found relief with
these protocols. Most of us had to go for those
big, scary, pharmaceuticals though. My personal drug protocol cocktail doses me with more
medication in a single day of my pregnancy
than I would take in a year of not being pregnant.
Recently the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has brought attention and awareness to
hyperemesis gravidarum through her two pregnancies though even with official announcements from the royal family and her medical
providers, much of the media continued to call
it severe morning sickness.
An understandable mistake to a degree, however, HG isn’t just bad morning sickness with
a little bit of nausea and vomiting. It isn’t comforting to a mother that it is a sign of her pregnancy sticking due to strong hormones, HG has
proven fatal for some women and has ended
many very wanted pregnancies. There is nothing comforting about feeling your body die and
fear for your growing baby. If you’re wondering
what the difference is and if you could possibly
be suffering from something more than morning sickness on a kind of ego trip, here are some
indicators of hyperemesis gravidarum as put
forth by the Help HER (Hyperemesis Education
and Research) Foundation:
HG often recurs and follows similar patterns
in future pregnancies, though severity may
vary each time.
• Anemia
• Body odor (from
rapid fat loss &
ketosis)
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Confusion
Decreased urination
Dehydration
Dry, furry tongue