Other Moms with Hyperemesis

M.,
Congratulations on your little blessing! I went through this with my first, and the doctor warned me that I may have to have IV therapy. My husband started dropping me off at my mother's house each morning, and picking me up in the evenings. For me about all I could get down during those first three months was powedered donuts and cran-grape juice. Of course this was in small amounts, and with medication. I was so worried about my little one getting the right nutrients. My doctor assured me that the baby would get the nutrients before I did. I also was able to eat snow-cones. For the first three months it was like this, but I was eventually able to tolerate some foods. I was told that the severe nausea meant that the baby had implanted itself well. Just rest and pray for your little one each day as all the little parts develop. You can look online and see what is developing each day. Also pray for your husband, and encourage and praise him for working so hard so ya'lls little blessing can develop. Believe me I know that it is very hard, but this time will end. My first is turning 18 today, and I would go through it many more times just to have my blessing. Just to let you know with my other two pregnancies, I had nausea but not near as bad. With all my pregnancies I was unable to eat most meat dishes. Another plus is I didn't have problems with weight gain, and my babies all weighed in the 7 lb. range. I didn't have any problem losing weight after either, since I didn't gain excess weight. I will stop rambling. I pray that all goes well for you and your family. S.

Hi M.. I feel for you. Especially being newly married and all. I'm sure it's rough for both of you. I went through hyperemesis twice, first with my first son, then with my twins. So, imagine being pregnant with twins and throwing up constantly while taking care of a 2 year old! I say that only to say you will get through it. I now have three beautiful boys who are healthy. The nausea and vomiting is only a distant memory now.
So, yes, Zofran is lovely. Instead of taking 8mg three times a day, I took 4 mg 6 times a day. Seemed to work a bit better for me. The Zofran kept me from actually vomiting, but I still had intense nausea, so what I did was take Phenergan AND Zofran together. Worked MUCH better. At first I was not wanting to take too many meds, but once I finally did, I could bear the pregnancy much better. The nausea lasted til my 6th month or so, so in case yours lasts longer, (hopefully not) you might want to have some phenergan on hand. The Phenergan can make you drowsy. You can try 1/4 or 1/2 tab first and see how you feel. You can take a whole tab at night--that sort of thing. Stash snacks around, eat small and frequently and eat whatever sounds good. I wouldn't worry too much about having a well balanced diet yet until you feel better. Eat junk if you have to, as long as you are able to keep it down, you know?Feel free to ask me anything! Best of luck.

I'm sorry mama!
I had it with my first and it was miserable. The good news is that I didn't have it at all with my second, so there is hope that if you have another, you won't have it the second time around.

The only thing that I could do was eat tiny amounts through the day (it seemed like I couldn't hold down any large quantities and was more likely to get sick if I had an empty stomach). I also had a trick where I woke in the morning and ate some saltines and a glass of milk, then went back to sleep for a few minutes, then got up. If I got up with an empty stomach, it would start the sickness right off. I had it all day, but those tiny tricks really helped. I also had to drink a ton of fluids or I would feel sick and dehydrate.

I hope it goes away very soon! Hang in there!
Teri

Been there, done that. My pregnancies were MISERABLE...honestly, some of the worst times of my life. My hyperemesis did not ever stop - I had it the whole time I was pregnant. You can try all the obvious remedies: ginger products, certain foods (usually salty or real sweet), antinausea wristbands, etc. My OB/GYN tried a treatment with steroids on me that requires a 3 day hospital stay and has worked for many others (it didn't for me, though). I took Zofran about 30 minutes before attempting to eat, and I would try to get at least one good meal in a day - it ALWAYS made me feel horrible, but I did it for my babies. Check with your doc and see if the steroids treatment is an option for you. If you need more info just message me. Good luck - and know that the end result is more than worth it!!

I totally know what you are going through. My baby is 6 months old now and I threw up everything I ate for the whole pregnancy. At about 34 weeks my doctor finally gave me the disolving zofran. It made things much better. I was still throwing up about 3 or 4 times a day but it was better than it was. I actually lost 30 pounds being pregnant and I wasn't over weight to start with. As soon as my daughter was born I felt better and I haven't thrown up since. She was only 6 pounds but other than being small she was fine. She has since caught up in her weight she is 18 pounds at 6 months. Hopefully since you got the zofran early in your pregnancy it will get better.

I feel for you! I had HG with both my kids. With my daughter it lasted through the first two trimesters. The day I started the third, it seemed to magically disappear. With my son I was sick until he was born.

A great website for info and support is http://www.hyperemesis.org/

My doctor was amazing for helping me deal with it. She had also been through it with her kids. She had lots of things of ideas for me to try. Some of the things: I tried the Relief Band (got my insurance to pay for it) http://www.reliefband.com/ It helped some. Eating foods with lots of ginger helped more. I was on the zofran pump for a little while. It was painful because you had to poke the needle into your thigh (it was the size of a thumbtack), but I was desperate and it helped me get through the day.

Good luck. I know it is physically, mentally and emotionaly exhausting. You are not alone. I hope your doctor can help you.

Dear M.,
I feel your pain. I've been there as well, in all my three pregnancies. One home remedy that you can try, which it worked for me in settling my stomach down is this: a cup of grits, thinned with water. it has no flavor, no strong smell that will evoke nausea. Just follow the box cooking directions and add more water to drink it in a cup.

Also, if you are not allergic to corn flower, this will also help settle your stomach. This is called "Atole Blanco" it is made from corn flower used to make tortillas. get a half a cup of corn flower and dissolve it in two cups of cold water then add to two more cups of boiling water, stir constantly until it begins boiling again and then simmer for 10 minutes. let it cool and drink in a cup. This helped me take in fluids. I was not capable of keeping even a glass of water down, but with this, I was able to drink this fluid without throwing it back up. I hope this drink will also work for you.

Hey M., I was in the hospital a total of about 3 months from hyperemesis during my first pregnancy. The only thing that worked for me was IV Anzemet, it is similar to Zofran but Zofran didn't work for me and I am allergic to phenergan. Anyways, I don't know if your dr has told you, but they can also give a portable pump kind of like a pump that diabetics use for insulin infusion. my dr never gave me the option and i didn't find out about it until after the fact so it could be an option for you. I understand your dilemma b/c I was also working at the time and it was a real strain financially, physically, and emotionally. I hope this info helps, and I wish you the best of luck. AM

HI M.,
It will be well worth the trouble... I know it is rough.
I agree with the Zofran pump, the dissolvables, and even Phenegran - they all help you to at least be able to eat. I am sure you have no appetite; some of the things that helped me eat were freezing some ensure and drinking it as a slushy and my husband bringing different Sonic drinks home each day.
Keep on sleeping as much as you can, just try to drink a sip or two of something every couple of hours. Oh, I liked frozen fruit as time went on with my pregnancies.

I didn't know there was a name for this. I experienced this with both pregnancies until the beginning of the 5th month. Coke helped a tiny bit. I lost weight, but ended up gaining the 20lbs recommended at that time. I had healthy babies and they didn't seem to suffer from my deprevation.

Hi M.,
I had HG with my first. I only threw up once, otherwise, I just didn't eat. I lost 15 lbs by my 9 week mark. I was almost hospitalized as well. The Zofran worked wonders! I still felt sick, but I was able to eat and drink. Try to keep a water bottle with you and take little sips every few minutes. You can't get dehydrated. Also, adding lemon to my water helped me to tolerate eating small amounts. I just took sips between bites. I got over the sickness at about 16 weeks. I still had some problems, but not like in the beginning. The good news is that I had no problems with my second pregnancy at all. You'll make it through. Don't worry!

A.

This is a friend of mine who had hyperemesis several years ago. If you post a question to her blog I'm sure she would be happy to discuss it with you. Good luck!
www.deanaland.blogspot.com

I was the same way--the only way I survived my pregnancies was with the help of Zofran. Zofran is super-expensive if your insurance won't cover it. Have you tried the anti-nausea suppositories? I found that I had to have a little food in me all the time. Take the Zofran and eat--keep nibbling all day so your stomach doesn't get too empty. Also, heat can make it worse... Lower your thermostat or open your windows. Take cooler showers... It's horrible to be so sick. I just hope it ends with your second trimester... I was still puking the day I gave birth. Sorry!

good luck

www.thosecrazybeans.blogspot.com

I also had HG and it was awful. I lost 20 pounds in the first few months of pregnancy and was hospitalized several times due to dehydration. The consistent vomiting went away around month 5, but I never felt good throughout the entire pregnancy. But, the good news was that my baby was perfectly healthy at 6 pounds and I felt completely normal again the day after I delivered her!

There's a great book called "Beyond Morning Sickness: Battling Hyperemesis Gravidarium" that offers lots of helpful information, if you're able to read. Good luck!!

http://www.hyperemesis.org
M., I too suffered severely with this disease. Please understand that it is very serious. The website above was created after my 1st pregnancy and gives a lot of helpful information. I have 2 healthy boys but it was not an easy road. I had a mid term loss during another pregnancy due to malnutrition. I can not stress enough how important it is that you take this seriously and not wait until you are miserable to get help. The Zofran can help but there are lots of other things available too. You may also qualify for Home health care so that your hubby can have some releif. Not all doctors handle the disease well and if that is your case then change docs now. I found that the forums on the website were helpful if you can stomach reading. I was hospitalized several times drung all pregnancies but by the third time around I learned to go to the ER before things got out of control. You have to get nutrition somehow. I ended up on TPN one pregnancy but the other two I just did the best that I could. Don't expect this to disappear on week 16 but it might. It does get better for sure but I would prepare to feel crummy for awhile. I hate to tell you all this but I want you to be prepared. Please let me know if I can help or if you have any questions. My doc is great and I also have great high risk docs. Have your hubby read through the website too. You don't have typical morning sickness. It is much much different. I am SO SORRY that you are suffering during what should be a time for joy and celebration. You will have joy and celebration but you have to get through this tough time and stay healthy.

I had it HORRIBLY with BOTH pregnancies and it lasted until month 8 or so with first and about the same with the second. The second pregnancy was WAY worse (or could be that I had the toddler to care for!) and I literally tried everything (including zofran, which did help some). For me, I am one of those always worried about taking drugs though so after MUCH research I tried acupuncture. I used Dr. Calli in Keller (after many people recommended her) and she is THE BEST. The first treatment helped sooooo much, I couldn't believe it! She will run your insurance first and if they won't pay, it is $60 a session. She says most women need 2-3 sessions (some may need more, you just go back in when you need to). She's really super sweet and I can honestly say that was the one thing I finally tried that actually helped the most. I did two sessions and felt MUCH better, could eat a lot more normally and just felt less sick overall. If you have more questions about it you can call her or email me if you'd rather ask me. This is from a person who tried everything from pills (natural and medicinal), sea bands, hypnobabies Stop Naseau Now CD (which this would have worked had I not had a toddler to care for and had the 30 mintues to devote to it each day), prego pops, etc...
I pray yours ends quickly!!

Hi M. -

I went through this exact thing with my second and third baby. I started the Zofran pump almost immediately and had it until I was almost 7 months. I too was initially off from work for about 6 weeks until the meds were constantly in my system and my doctor approved for me to have the pump at work. It was difficult for me with the pump at first but a home health nurse came out to my house to show me how to insert the needle and keep the injection site clean. I think the most difficult part was sticking myself, but I soon got over that becuae I was so tired of being sick. The most important thing about the pump is to keep it on at all time even after you start feeling better for at least week after you start feeling normal again. I will tell you that depending on your insurance the pump can be kind of expensive, but it was certainly worth it for me and my husband, because he didn't know how to help me and really couldn't help me with the sickness. Good Luck and God Bless you.