Hyperemesis Question...

[Liberty Belle]

I had it with both of my sons. I think it may have been better with my second, but I'm not completely sure, because I took Zofran with my second and only Phenergan with my first. Zofran really, really helped me. I still was nauseated, but wasn't throwing up every ten minutes.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Let's hope. By the way- I think your Luke/Vader button is funny. I am married to a big Star Wars geek.

So much so, that my DD (18 months old), can identify pictures of and name Luke, Leia ("Incess"=princess), Vader, Han, Lando and Yoda. And, as far as DH is concerned, that's all she needs in life.

That is so cute! You have to get that on video now. She will never believe you if you tell her that when she is older.

We are a Star Wars family for sure but DD14 is the worst. She is obsessed with the Prequels and Padme while DH and I prefer the original trilogy. We went to the World of Disney store in NYC over Labor Day weekend and DD14 about squealed when she found a set of Star Wars toddler toys - those squeezy ones - and insisted that we buy them for the baby.

Show your DH these YouTube links. They are quite comical.

Star Wars Cantina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNiOMQZyMT8

Star Wars as told by a 3 year old: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBM854BTGL0

Well if you do end up in bed for the next pregnancy then at least you can entertain your DD with the 6 Star Wars movies!

 

[sharlon]

I had it with all 3 of my pregnancies (girl, girl, boy). Unfortunately, HG "runs in my family". (We have all contributed to a study being conducted about HG) Bodes well for my daughters. Anyway, all 3 of mine were different. With the girls the vomiting was much worse. I lost over 25 lbs with my first, tried every drug on the market before getting Zofran which was new 11 years ago, and would lay around even at work. 2nd pregnancy was similiar, but as soon as I was symptomatic, they gave me the Zofran, so I wouldn't lose weight. The 2nd was my IV pregnancy. With DS, I didn't vomit nearly as much, but I had horrible food aversions, could barely tolerate any activity, and did take Zofran daily. That was the pregnancy that scared me though, from an emotional standpoint. It really took everything I had to get through it. Thank God my girls were older and could take care of themselves. Needless to say, there will be no more pregnancies, though we wanted one more.
To the OP, I would HIGHLY recommend that you go to www.helpher.org , if you haven't already. There is a very active message board there with huge amounts of support. Sadly, I didn't have it with my first two pregnancies, but it helped with my third. It was also a huge comfort to my sister, who also suffered from HG.

 

[beckmrk04]

To the OP, I would HIGHLY recommend that you go to www.helpher.org , if you haven't already. There is a very active message board there with huge amounts of support. Sadly, I didn't have it with my first two pregnancies, but it helped with my third. It was also a huge comfort to my sister, who also suffered from HG.

I visited that site often and it truly is an amazing rescource. Actually when I was pregnant and switched docs, I found a volunteer on there who also had HG, and she came to hospital to visit me. It was such a relief and a boost to hear her story, and see pictures of her beautiful girls. WHen she said it would get better, I really beleived her because she had been through it.

Now, I am registered as a volunteer on the site.

And I have been looking through the "preparing for HG" pages to see what I can start doing in advance, in hopes of minimizing the HG if I get it again.

 

[beckmrk04]

CCF- the Star Wars Cantina video was funny- DH hadn't seen that one. We have seen the 3 year old explaining Star Wars and it is TOO cute!

And you're right, I do need to get it on video!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

CCF- the Star Wars Cantina video was funny- DH hadn't seen that one. We have seen the 3 year old explaining Star Wars and it is TOO cute!

And you're right, I do need to get it on video!

You'll never hear Copacabana again without thinking of that song. We sing it around the house all the time to drive each other batty. I think I will text a verse to DD14 now so she will get it at lunch.

That video of your DD naming the Star Wars characters will be priceless in embarrassing her with future boyfriends.

And back on topic - good for you for volunteering to help other HG sufferers. It is a huge comfort to know you are not alone when you are going through it.

 

[lilybrooke14]

I know this thread was buried, but I happened upon it, and it's made me feel better today, so thank you.

I desperately want another baby, but we know we can't just get pregnant like most people do. There's a lot of planning to be done. DD has to be older, because there's no way I can care for her when there's the possibility that I'll be so sick. We're planning on moving closer to family (we're several hours away now) and part of the reason is so that we can be closer to a support system when we do finally get around to having another baby (although, as my 2yr old DD is in a VERY whiny mood this morning, the waiting is not particularly hard at this moment). I also had to quit my job because I hadn't been there long, and it was clear that working for a vet and all of the smells etc. involved just wasn't going to work out. Besides, I felt guilty for having to call in to work, even though I was in the hospital getting fluids at the time. It was so terrible, but I had lost a pregnancy a few months earlier, so I was able to focus on the fact that as long as I was throwing up, I was still pregnant, and believe it or not that was very helpful.

So, before we can have another baby, we have to move closer to family, I have to lose weight (in general, but also because I read that it can be worse for heavy women), and we have to be financially able for me not to work for about 5 months (it got better after that, and although I was still taking Zofran every day, I was almost human at the end of my pregnancy).

I must admit, when a coworker told me that she and her DH were trying to have another baby, I was jealous. They have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and she wasn't sick a bit during her pregnancies. I wish. I definately have some lasting resentment that it's likely I won't be able to just enjoy being pregnant, and will probably spend a fair portion of it on the bathroom floor. But I know the pay off is wonderful, so I'm willing to do it again.

After that, we'll see. We've discussed having at least one more baby, possibly two. If we want another after that, we're planning on exploring adoption.

Anyway, sorry for the novel, I just wanted to jump in (albeit a little late) and also say again, thank you for this thread. I really do feel better after reading it.

 

[koalababy]

I have a friend who is suffering from this right now. This is her 3rd baby and she had it with each pregnancy. Her first two were boys; I don't know about the current one yet. It's awful. I can't even imagine. OP, good luck with your decision.

 

[beckmrk04]

I know this thread was buried, but I happened upon it, and it's made me feel better today, so thank you.

I desperately want another baby, but we know we can't just get pregnant like most people do. There's a lot of planning to be done. DD has to be older, because there's no way I can care for her when there's the possibility that I'll be so sick. We're planning on moving closer to family (we're several hours away now) and part of the reason is so that we can be closer to a support system when we do finally get around to having another baby (although, as my 2yr old DD is in a VERY whiny mood this morning, the waiting is not particularly hard at this moment). I also had to quit my job because I hadn't been there long, and it was clear that working for a vet and all of the smells etc. involved just wasn't going to work out. Besides, I felt guilty for having to call in to work, even though I was in the hospital getting fluids at the time. It was so terrible, but I had lost a pregnancy a few months earlier, so I was able to focus on the fact that as long as I was throwing up, I was still pregnant, and believe it or not that was very helpful.

So, before we can have another baby, we have to move closer to family, I have to lose weight (in general, but also because I read that it can be worse for heavy women), and we have to be financially able for me not to work for about 5 months (it got better after that, and although I was still taking Zofran every day, I was almost human at the end of my pregnancy).

I must admit, when a coworker told me that she and her DH were trying to have another baby, I was jealous. They have a 3 year old and a 1 year old, and she wasn't sick a bit during her pregnancies. I wish. I definately have some lasting resentment that it's likely I won't be able to just enjoy being pregnant, and will probably spend a fair portion of it on the bathroom floor. But I know the pay off is wonderful, so I'm willing to do it again.

After that, we'll see. We've discussed having at least one more baby, possibly two. If we want another after that, we're planning on exploring adoption.

Anyway, sorry for the novel, I just wanted to jump in (albeit a little late) and also say again, thank you for this thread. I really do feel better after reading it.

I just read your post and I could have written it word for word! We are in such a similar situation! We have one child, want one more but like you, we can't just stop birth control and see how it goes- we have a lot of preparations to do! I need to lose weight, we have to save $$ because like you I was out of the game for about 5 months, and in and out of the hospital. I was on home health care with round the clock IVs. But, I started to feel ok around month 6, months 7 and 8 I was exhausted and still regaining strength but I felt pretty good! Also, our DD is 19 months old, so we have to wait for her to be older so we can attempt to explain what's going on if I do get really sick. I'm hoping hoping hoping that we can try to nip the hyperemesis in the bud if I do get it again- my 1st pregnancy it got out of control and I switched doctors and the 2nd doc was much more aggressive in treating me and I felt so much better.

People hear my story and they think I'm crazy for wanting to do it again, but you and I both know that it's all worth it.

I'm glad this thread made you feel better. It just made me feel better too- knowing I'm not the only one going through this.

 

[Disfan3]

Hello!

I have had this condition THREE times now. I wanted to let you know about what happened to me.
My first pregnancy (girl who is 12) sounded A LOT like yours. I had round the clock IV, home health aides, hospital for weeks, etc....it was awful. The symptoms, luckily for me, seemed to lessen by about 4 months but then I got toxemia at the end. My 2nd one (girl) went much better but I still landed in the hospital with IV's. My doctor put me on unisom and vit B and that seemed to do the trick (she is 8 now) and those 2 have the same dads. I did not develop toxemia with her. My second pregnancy was MUCH MUCH easier than the 1st but still not NORMAL by any means.

I went to Disney with my girlfriends 2 weeks ago. I was throwing up EVERYTHING all weekend. My friend had some Zophran that helped me a bit. This third baby was a SURPRISE as now I am married to another man...we have three girls (he has one) I came home from Disney and immediately got off the plane, took a preg test and went right to the ER. I knew it was going to be bad for me....

I was very agressive about it this time and knew some things I COULD try. I am a teacher and have missed two weeks of school due to my condition. Going back tomorrow....not sure how it will go for me but the dr gave me some Zophran that seems to help somewhat. My st0mach constantly feels like it is burning and severely upset but at least I am not puking every three seconds...

any way...I hate the stigma attached to this condition. I hate that no one really KNOWS what to do about it! I hate that it is seen as an emotional illness...etc.....I hate the way it makes you wish you were NOT pregnant at times. But you will never know how your body w ill react the 2nd time unless you do it.

I can tell you my 2nd was the easiest one so far....the first was A NIGHTMARE.

BUT I am so glad I took that chance.

 

[rie'smom]

I had hyperemesis only with my first pregnancy and it lasted 9 months. I can't remember what the doctor prescribed because it was 33 years ago! For my second pregnancy, I had the normal morning sickness.

 

[jennypenny]

I had really severe hyperemesis with my first. Tried all the meds, nothing worked. I went 21 days without keeping even a sip of water down. I was so dehydrated (even on IV) that they had trouble finding IV sites. So...they put in a pic line (sp?) and within 6 days I developed life threatening blood clots along the line right into my chest and neck. So, I had to go the rest of the pregnancy without any iv's and sticking myself with a needle of heprin twice a day. The worst 9 months of my life. The day I delivered I was 35lbs less than the day I conceived.

My second pregnancy was uneventful. My third was somewhere in between. I had a few weeks (8-12) that I thought I would die, but I came out of it a lot sooner than the first time. I was never great. I never got to indulge in ice cream sundaes or pickles. But I managed to stay out of the hospital most of the time. When I delivered my third I was the same weight as the day I conceived. I remember reading that Maria Shriver had it but only during her 4th pregnancy so I guess it's the luck of the draw.

It's funny, the only thing I ate during the first 4-5 months during my first was Bryers (had to be bryers) mint chocolate chip ice cream. I would take a little, let it melt in my mouth, and then trickle down my throat. The doc said it was probably the mint. I couldn't have much, but it got rid of the awful taste of bile.

Things I noticed helped my during my third pregnancy...
sunlight (maybe I was a little jaundiced?)
fresh cold air
white noise (makes no sense but I threw up more when it was silent)
Low carb eating

Good luck. And ignore anyone who calls it morning sickness. They obviously were blessed and never experienced it.

 

[Disney Doll]

There's no guarantee that you WILL get it, but there's no guarantee that you WON'T.

Yes, you do know enough about it now to be prepared, and your MD knows enough to start early with interventions if you start to have the symptoms, which will make a huge difference.

You might want to consider waiting till your DD is older though. If she were in school and you had hyperemesis, at least you'd have the whole day where you didn't have to deal with a young child while being so sick...she'd be in school.

 

[lemondog]

Doctors/researchers theorize that the increase in estrogen makes women sicker with girls than with boys.

Actually, a study just came out that showed that women who had hyperemesis were 80% more likely to have a girl.

Well that makes sense. I was sick as a DOG, and I had twin girls.

 

[exwdwcm]

You'd think we'd never do it again, but time heals all wounds.


I figure: I did it once, I can do it again. It sucked, for sure, but I want another baby. I used to want 4! Not so much anymore. Two will be quite enough. Especially if I have HG again.


Michelle67- I feel sort of the same way- I know it will be horrible (been there, done that), but at least this time I will know what I'm in for. And I will KNOW I'm not crazy, I'm not being a baby. It won't go away if I eat saltines and sprite before I get out of bed. (Some days if anyone else suggested that I swore as soon as I stopped vomiting I was going to get up and force feed them saltines and sprite until they puked).

And women are lucky that there has been so much success with anti-emetics (especially zofran), and so few side effects. I was really worried while I was pregnant- I was on all sorts of drugs. But, it came down to MY survival, too- if I didn't survive, neither would my baby. It was tough.

wow Becky- didn't realize you fought severe HG with Vaylie! that is horrible. I didn't have HG, but did have bad morning sickness.....i wasn't throwing up so much as i felt nauseous 24/7 from week 7-week 16 or so. I was thankful it passed by about week 20 totally. I can't imagine what you and all the others on here went through. And I know folks don't understand the condition or just how bad it is, so you probably don't get the support you need from family or doctors either.

Knowing how bad i felt and knowing what you dealt with was 100x worse, i just can't imagine. my HATS OFF to all of you that suffered through it. how strong you must be!!!!

I actually took time off work- short term leave for about a month- i was on zofran and phenegran. Never needed an IV or anything since i wasn't puking much. I just felt like i needed to, but couldn't. The rest of my pregnancy was hard too- nowhere near what you ladies experienced, but i have every bad side effect and I really remember thinking I didn't ever want to be pregnant again. So i imagine you ladies thought the same way but much worse.

And here we all are, considering it! lol..... i guess that goes to show what a miracle the end result is and so worth it. I really hope the second time around is easier for you Becky!!!!!!

 

[beckmrk04]

Thanks Michelle! I think one of the worst things about it is that since it is pretty rare for someone to have severe HG, most people have never even heard of it and they think you just have morning sickness.

But, it's actually more like having food poisoning or a really, really mean flu for oh, 5 months straight.

But it gave me a lot of perspective. Compared to that- the C-section was a breeze. And my husband and I weathered a very hard time together, and came through it stronger and more grateful for each other. We're a good team.

 

[exwdwcm]

Thanks Michelle! I think one of the worst things about it is that since it is pretty rare for someone to have severe HG, most people have never even heard of it and they think you just have morning sickness.

But, it's actually more like having food poisoning or a really, really mean flu for oh, 5 months straight.

But it gave me a lot of perspective. Compared to that- the C-section was a breeze. And my husband and I weathered a very hard time together, and came through it stronger and more grateful for each other. We're a good team.

like i said, i can't even imagine. it sounds awful. i had that stomach flu a few weeks back and almost went to the ER. having them for months would just kill me. like i said, you ladies are something else to make it through!!! i pray your next pregnancy will be easier!!!!!