When Pregnancy Hurts, Part 2: Hyperemesis Gravidarum

A stubbed toe. A horrid headache. Or an inconvenient throbbing in your back. When we say, “My_________ hurts”, we envision specific parts of our body in pain, or we might think temporary twinges throughout our limbs or muscles. Hurting is more than physical pain though, and often is a heck of a lot deeper. Sometimes our hurt is mental, emotional, or even physical exhaustion.

Sometimes, as with Hyperemesis Gravidarum, or as it’s often called, HG, it’s a pain unlike any other. It is a debilitating condition that causes severe vomiting, dehydration, and weight loss and affects about 1%-3% of pregnant people. As horrible as the condition is, possibly more upsetting is the belief that it’s minor and that it’s the “simple” morning sickness we’ve all seen portrayed on TV. This invalidation leads many to prolong seeking help, and unfortunately to suffer.

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As one woman described her ordeal, it becomes clear that HG can often make people doubt their reality. According to her, she thought she needed to accept her agony and torture: “I felt weak. Like I was dying. I couldn’t see straight and I felt so hungry. It was awful, but I thought that it was normal because hey, morning sickness.”

Still another demonstrates the accompanying mixed feelings pregnancy brings, but that can be exacerbated by the effects of HG: “I knew I should have been grateful, but I hated every moment of pregnancy. Every day I had to field peoples’ well-meaning advice. ‘Try peppermint oil’, they’d say. Peppermint oil was disgusting, and rather than making me feel better, it made me want to throw the bottle across the room. I would just lay in bed and cry in-between leaning over the edge of my nest every 37 minutes on the dot, to puke my spirit out. I was a pregnant vessel.”

Hyperemesis Gravidarum has recently garnered international awareness thanks to the Duchess of Cambridge and her highly publicized struggles with it during her pregnancies. While her fame and notoriety certainly acts as a catalyst for public education, it simultaneously leads many to underestimate its severity by giving it a luxurious facade and intrigue. As one woman recalls, people acted as if her condition was fascinating, rather than the perpetual hell it was, “What’s weird is that people wanted to glamorize it! They would say that I was like a princess and ‘how cool was that’? Or that I didn’t have to worry at all about baby weight. All I had was blank stares.”

Minimizing HG or writing it off as a normal part of pregnancy is incredibly hurtful to pregnant people, but also especially damaging because these attitudes prevent many from sharing their experience or seeking support. As studies suggest, having support during pregnancy is vital to the well-being of the mother. Support for people suffering from HG is critical because of the decreased ability to move, much less perform daily tasks and functions, which affects every facet of the person’s life, from employment to relationships. Knowing the symptoms can facilitate quicker diagnosis and thus, treatment.

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Some basic signs to look for if you or someone you know is potentially dealing with HG are the following:

• severe vomiting
• food aversions
• decreased output
• extreme thirst
• weakness
• confusion
• extreme fatigue
• fast heart rate
• saggy skin (when pulling especially)
• weight-loss
• persistent headache

If you are experiencing signs of HG, please reach out to your OB. Let them know you will need help at home and ask them if they have recommendations for a support team so that you don’t have to suffer any longer than is necessary. Create a comfortable space so that you can get through HG as best as possible. There is a light at the end of the tunnel even if it is dim right now.