Nausea. Vomiting. Nausea. Vomiting. 

Vomiting. Nausea. Vomiting. Nausea.

Nausea. Vomiting. Nausea. Vomiting. 

OK, OK, you get the idea. 

There is SO MUCH MORE to Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) pregnancy than that, but that’s what usually happens first, and it Just. Won’t. Stop. 

I had five HG pregnancies. Mine were “mild to borderline moderate” – no hospitalizations or NG tubes or PICC lines for me, but misery abounded. Why am I telling you this? Here are three reasons: 

+ If you encounter a woman with HG (or even suspected HG), do not tell her to eat saltines and drink ginger ale. She will be justified in slapping you. You’ve been warned.

+ If you know a woman with HG (or even suspected HG), don’t ask her what you can do to help. Just tell her – that you will drop dinner off on Tuesday so she doesn’t have to worry about vomiting while she cooks and that way her husband and kids can have a real meal instead of PB&J or cereal….and that Saturday you’ll take her kids to play at the park so she can nap (which is possibly the only time she doesn’t feel nauseated, and that’s obviously just due to being unconscious, not because it goes away).

+ Because of my experiences with HG and my love of writing (I was a writer before I was a doula, did I ever mention that?) I’m writing a book about HG. It’s geared toward anyone experiencing it or anyone caring for a woman who is suffering through it. I’ll update here when it’s getting close to release, and I hope you’ll consider reading it so you can be a great support for that neighbor or sister or patient or client of yours who really needs you to understand what she’s going through. 

As a birth doula I offer specialized support packages for women with HG. We customize the support to help with what they need most, and they know they have someone who truly understands what they are going through. All of us need that, no matter what is going on in our lives. We all want to be seen, understood, cared for. Sometimes that alone can make all the difference between absolute anguish and the ability to keep going.