Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that 3 in 1000 women suffering from hg

43 replies

tobysmum77 · 08/09/2014 22:33

Sounds lower than the reality? That's what I read in the papers today Confused .

I know several people who had it and were hospitalised. I was personally separately 'diagnosed' by a gp and a mw despite never ending up in hospital. Lots of people have had awful experiences on mn (and much worse than me, happy to accept I had 'just' bad sickness)

Is it something that is minimised or have I just got warped experience?

OP posts:
Original poster
tobysmum77 · 09/09/2014 06:59

Yes that is true but fertility issues are meant to affect 1 in 6, pnd 1 in 10.....

I think in one way Kate has done a good job of publicising it. That it isnt just a case of cracking on because you just can't. I think at the 'bottom end' there is a fine line between whats hg and what isn't also.

In my case I just could not stomach anything at all, couldn't read/ watch telly at my worst. It was mainly the nausea that was an issue rather than lots of puking. I lost 10lbs in 3 weeks. However meds did help me massively because they actually enabled me to eat which I couldn't otherwise. This obviously made me feel better in itself. It passed enough to be manageable by 12 weeks and then I felt well on and off from 16 - so nowhere near as bad as many others. But where does hg start?

So from reading this maybe my experiences/ mn are warped. I rather hope so in one way!

OP posts:
Booboostoo · 09/09/2014 07:51

I had a mild version with both pregnancies. With my first pregnancy my doctor told me it was normal. Then Kate had it and when I read the symptoms I realised what I had had. During my second pregnancy I found the MN thread which was immensely helpful but I still don't know anyone with it in RL.

SunshineDaisiesButterMellow · 09/09/2014 09:36

In my case it was nearly 6 years ago as dd is now 5. People would tell me to woman up it can't be that bad. It's just morning sickness, everyone goes through it.
Just have a ginger biscuit. I was ready to scream at the next person who mentioned ginger biscuits.

The tablets didn't do anything for me, the injection and drips did.

So I'm glad at least it's more well known now.

crunchyfrog · 09/09/2014 09:40

I was told I had it with first child - puked just about hourly from 6 weeks to 20 weeks, lost two stone. I was able to stay hydrated with constant sips of diorlyte etc. I was in bed for about 4 weeks with it, miserable!

Dreaded the next two pg but wasn't sick once!

Mrsjayy · 09/09/2014 09:45

I had it till I gave birth although the vomitting did stop eventually I was in and out on drips because I couldn't eat. 3 in 1000 does seem quite a low number

Mrsjayy · 09/09/2014 09:48

toby it was the constant nausea ime that is just so debilitating

rabbitsnap · 09/09/2014 09:51

Another one who has never met anyone in real life with it. I always felt so sorry for the poor people on here with it during my pregnancies.

madamginger · 09/09/2014 09:52

I had it 3 times but wasn't hospitalised.
I lived on liquidy foods for months because I knew it was easier to bring back up than solid food Blush
I was sick at least 5 or 6 times a day and often more than that, for months and months, all 3 times and every time my gp sent me away telling me it was normal. With dc3 I did get a stematil script but it didn't really help.

curiousgeorgie · 09/09/2014 09:55

I had it with my first pregnancy and had to go into hospital several times and also had 3 months off of work.

But I don't know anyone else who's had it..

AnnaLegovah · 09/09/2014 10:01

When I was pregnant a colleague who was about 2 months behind in her pregnancy had it - my office was next to the loo so I used to hear her being sick all day. Sad I felt so sorry for her as I didn't get morning sickness at all and felt fine. When she was diagnosed she went on sick leave until baby was born as she just couldn't work. She's just had her second and had the same problem. Luckily our employer was very sympathetic and she got the time she needed off.

I can still hear the sound of her sobbing and throwing up in my head. Sad I wouldn't wish hyperemesis on anyone, it sounds horrific.

insanityscratching · 09/09/2014 10:07

I had horrendous sickness three times and diagnosed HG once. I never put on any weight with my pregnancies and always ended up slimmer than when I began. None of my friends or family have had sickness to the extent I had, most would be sick once on a few occasions rather than vomiting repeatedly for weeks and months on end. I found it at times really debilitating and didn't receive much understanding or support as many dismissed it as morning sickness rather than the 24/7 nausea and vomiting that I had.

Branleuse · 09/09/2014 10:17

i know a few people whove had it and a couple of those were hospitalised. Its not the norm, but its not particularly rare either

MTWTFSS · 09/09/2014 10:21

I had HG with DS1. It was like living in a nightmare for 9 months!

I was so scared I would have it again with a potential second child, but thankfully I only had mild morning sickness through weeks 6-19 with DS2 Grin

Peanut14 · 09/09/2014 10:31

I also suffered from HG from week 6 to week 22,like others I thought I had bad ms and struggled on until I ended up in hospital for 4nights and went in as an outpatient regularly to get a drip. It was awful, I literally lay down in a dark room for weeks on end. I wasn't aware of HG before getting pregnant but have been surprised since the amount of women I've met who have suffered from it.

It is frustrating as people don't understand the extent of HG and dismiss it as ms

unweavedrainbow · 09/09/2014 11:57

OK. There is not actually that much difference between 1 in 200 and 3 in 1000. 1% of 1000 is 10. 1% of 100 is 1. Therefore, 1% of 200 is 2 and so 1 in 200 is 0.5%. If we divide 3 in 1000 by 10 to express it as a percentage out of 100 that gives us 0.3 out of 100. Thus, 1 in 200 is 0.5% of the population and 3 in 1000 is 0.3% of the population. The population of the UK is 63,182,000. 1% of this is 631, 820. This means that 0.5% is 315, 910 and 0.3% is 189, 546. So, somewhere between the population of Portsmouth and the population of Nottingham.

unweavedrainbow · 09/09/2014 12:02

Now, those numbers aren't right-they were just a demonstration as, of course, not everyone in the UK is pregnant at anyone time. However, there is not that much difference between the numbers, depending on the birthrate.

Original poster
tobysmum77 · 09/09/2014 19:51

sunshinedaisies maybe that's the definition of hg, if you want to punch the next person who suggests ginger biscuits. I remember going to see gp her opening her mouth and me pleading desperately 'don't suggest ginger biscuits please'

Its a few years ago now, but you're right I remember that 'remedy' now you mention it Hmm

OP posts:
NiceCupOfTea1 · 03/12/2015 17:57

I had it in 1989 when doctors didn't seem to want to know. I was in hospital almost all of the pg. Dry heaving on an almost constant basis is extremely painful. And it's startling what you can vomit up on an empty stomach. I managed to have a healthy son despite being 6 stones 8 pounds at time of giving birth. I vowed that as much as I wanted more children I would never get pg again. To my mind, sickened with dehydration and starvation, pg meant ghastly illness.T o my sadness and horror after a contraception failure I got pregnant again shortly after. Severe HG alters your mental state as well as your physical state and I was not well bodily or mentally. I will never get over the termination I had as a result of the second pg. I wanted the baby, I would have loved the baby so much. I couldn't have got through the pg in the injured state I was in. I wish to God I had never fallen pg but since I had, I would have kept it were it not for family nudging me towards termination. I can only say I wasn't in the right state of mind to stand up for myself or my baby. Had I stood my ground to exercise my choice I would have then had to lean on the very people wanting me to terminate for physical, mental, financial and child support. How do you argue your rights when you have no resources? I was too ill to work. I should mention, my partner walked out on me when I was sick with pg no 2 as he was 'bored looking after me'. Anyone with severe HG will know how it knocks you out mentally. All these years later I am still distraught.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page