Hyperemesis Support

[LucindaE]

I hope everyone suffering from the Horrors of Hyperemesis will find this thread useful as a source of support and information.

There's no TMI on here - can't be by definition - and nobody should feel ashamed of moaning as much as they feel the need to.

MOH's wonderful website is full of useful information on this illness:
sites.google.com/site/pregnancysicknesssos/
Another invaluable website is:
www.pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk/
If you need help in obtaining medication, this phone number is
brilliant:
024 7638 2020

Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy#!prescribinginfosub

I would like to thank Everyone who has given such invaluable support and advice on this and on previous threads.

Remember when you are at your worst, 'This Too Shall Pass'. It really will.
So many women on this thread have thought they couldn't get through this, but they did.

its really good isnt it? and there is a certain lucindaE there too =) Keep thinking that I shoudl register there but tbh I feel at home here and not like taking on anything new atm.

I agree that this thread is a proper lifeline.

HG is miserable but knowing that there are people who get it and can cope with the whinging and late night rambling is just amazing!

So many of these ring true for me and most likely most others here too - www.helpher.org/mothers/survival-guide-downloads/causes-negative-emotions.php

I know it sounds like a petty thing, but I regret not being able to have a baby shower. I organised two for friends and we all really enjoyed it. I was looking forward to the fun parts of pregnancy and this was one of the highlights. I appreciate that it is such a minor part in the scheme of things, but when you are so isolated and lonely, things like that take on greater significance and makes me feel ever worse.

Starry it's like that list was written just for me! Will have a proper look at the site.

My mum was really upset earlier as she feels totally useless and can't see any end in sight. I didn't really know what to say.

gosh, i hadnt seen that page .. so much of it rings true. some of it quite scary :s

Waves to everyone

wow have only been away from the thread for a week and so much has happened!!
can't believe you're still waiting meerka, not long now surely?! Is it your EDD tomorrow??
lottie wonderful news, so relieved for you that all is well. We had high downs risk and double amnio with the twins, know what it is like to live with the uncertainty.
Sorry to everyone suffering at the moment and welcome to all those new to the thread.

thinking about the European way women labour... in France isn't the accepted length of pregnancy 42 weeks? again that seems to suggest the same thought process ie leave nature to it.

thoughts with you all X

Oklahoma I am reading through the part of the site 'for mothers' and finding it so helpful; at least partly because it also feels as though it were written for me - so I totally know what you mean!

It's tough and sometimes hard to cope with when our loved ones react like that... especially when we find ourselves having to support them when we are feeling so awful... but I suppose it is better than the opposite...? :-/

It's very medicalised in France actually (at least in Paris). My DH is French and everyone we spoke to there was totally horrified that I would not have an automatic epidural. Their view was that not being given an epidural and instead being expected to labour naturally is degrading and tantamount to misogyny! Quite a different perspective. Much much lower rates of breastfeeding too. DH has a theory that it is essentially the Catholic/southern European countries that go in for lots of intervention/medicalisation and see that as the proper thing to do and basically the Protestant/northern countries that have a big thing about doing it naturally. Not sure if that works for all of them. If it's true you'd expect the UK to be somewhere in the middle but a bit more towards the 'doing it naturally' side which is probably a fairly accurate summary of NHS policy.

Personally I suspect it has more to do with how healthcare is funded than with national ethos, though I suppose those two things might themselves be linked.

lottie that's wonderful news!! Thrilled for you :)

Long day. Had a go at mum in restaurant for banging on about eating fruit and veg and healthy eating in pregnancy and in general. Long boring story but dh was proud of me. Just aargh.

Waves to everyone, will post properly tomorrow. And meerka ffs! Why not!

One thing I was surprised about is that, apparently, in France it is normal to get help with getting your nether regions back in good order after childbirth, e.g., being taught how to do pelvic floor exercises properly and things like that. Admittedly, I read that in a magazine article, so don't know how accurate it is, or how widespread.

I'm disappointed at how slow institutions are in providing medical care that is specifically tailored to an individual. I know a lot of it has to do with funding, lack of staffing, general ethos in a particular institution or hospital or country... etc. etc. I know a couple of people who have been able to afford private health care for their pregnancy and birth and the whole experience, for them, has been really positive and completely focused on them and what worked best for them. This isn't something that I can afford (wish I could!), but I like how happy they were with their entire, personalised experience.

living well done for standing up for yourself!! Also, a massive congratulations for going to a restaurant - that's amazing!!

Oh and mrsnec I had to chuckle at the panadol comment. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud in the presentation when they showed the pain relief options post c section was paracetamol. The Netherlands is famed for sending people away with two paracetamol and not a lot else for almost all ailments.

In all fairness that was two days after the op where you start on morphine as a pain killer and they take you off, but to even suggest just paracetamol is so typical. I mean, two days is not a long time. There is more in common between NL and Cyprus than perhaps first meets the eye

panadol? for post-cs?! It doesn't even get rid of my mild headaches!!! :-O

Morning all,

starry, that's a shame about the baby shower. I'm sure your friends appreciated what you did for them.

That website is great I agree. Oaklahoma your mum sounds great.

So regarding the whole nature's way thing here, I find it a bit hypocritical when they make you go through all that then feed the baby formula! I did think it was all a cultural thing at first but it's probably more about costs. And I keep thinking about the uk thing but some of my friends have had some very traumatic births in some very well known nhs hospitals. One major advantage here is a very low infection rate I have to keep telling myself things like that.

Living well done! Starting to dread my parent's visiting now!

Interesting about the system in France and aftercare. Here they're more worried about establishing a routine with the baby. You don't get discharged until you can prove you know what you're doing. The average stay for a birth with no complications is 5 days. I think they'd be better off spending that cash on decent drugs!

grats living on dealing with your mum! seen some of your other comments on other threads on things she's said. My goodness. She goes home today, right? and you have peace now for a few weeks? (other than well, everythign else you have on your plate).

Still no sign of the baby and this morning Im feeling in between down and cross. I told them more than once that I was starting to struggle badly and they just did not listen at all. FGS, the holy cow of 'natural way' here needs shooting and making into steaks.

living I have had similar conversations with my mum- I tell her I can't wait to eat (insert food here) again and she says I hadn't ought to, now I've "done so well and lost all that weight!) Argh!

Happy 37 weeks to me, I celebrated with a bag of IV fluids for 3+ ketones again and getting a section date because naughty baby turned breech again. 15th May, can't come soon enough! even though I am so scared of c sec and long hospital stay.

I have decided today is going to to be happily unproductive. I've snuggled back down under the duvet and don't plan on getting out for anything apart from water, snacks (unsure what's safe this week) and pee trips.

Mmm meerka, steak...

What's the plan for baby eviction now?

Morning all, I'm sorry to read about all the natural birth and mother stress going round, not what anyone needs when suffering with HG like this.

I woke at 5.30 this morning, which has the bonus of now I feel like it's mid morning so not so difficult getting up and dressed! I'm planning to go to work, have a relatively quiet morning at my desk and then teach my year 10 this afternoon.... What could possible go wrong

Tbh, I'm still on cloud nine after yesterday's news so feel relatively invincible! Did retch a bit before I managed to get my pill down me earlier, but since then not so much, so fingers crossed.

Lottie how wonderful, great news! What a relief for all of you!

Meerka have you tried bouncing on a gym ball? My MW was very keen on that as a way of persuading the baby to make an appearance.

I'm in France. As far as I know they do not wait till 42 weeks here, it's 40 weeks and a lot of people have dating scans around 7wks to have a more accurate date than going from the last period. There are three options in France: clinics which can't offer CS, hospitals which can care for newborns from 32wks and specialist hospitals that can look after younger premies. There are almost no homebirths as the medical establishment do not support them and almost no ELCS as they refuse to do them. Epidurals are easily on offer, generally anaesthetists are available, but you can also refuse one. Most hospitals have private rooms (Paris may be the exception as it is more overcrowded) and from 7 months onwards you are looked after by the hospital gynea team. Everyone stays in hospital a lot longer, 5 days usually for VB and 7 for CS. My hospital had a lactation consultant who visited twice a week and my small town had a lactation consultant you could go afterwards but services are really difficult to find because they are not integrated and not listed on the internet. You get 6 sessions of pelvic floor exercises after birth and everyone is religious about them as the MWs literally tell you that your womb will pop out if you do not attend (!!!).

Oh I had paracetamol only after my CS after the first 2 days. My pain was completely under control.

petit, more waiting. they look again on friday to see if I've ripened any more. Plan after that? more waiting. They won't give anything stronger than the equivilent of cyclizine _ B6 against the nausea, which was really bad last night.

Just typed out a long rant which I wont post but my god, am I tired of all this.

Meerka I don't know how you still manage to sound so sane after going through all this.

I've had enough this week. I just want it to be over.

Meerka I feel for you, rant away, we can take it and what your going through is awful. I really hope it's good news soon.

Ditto what lottie said - meerka feel free to rant away. If you can't rant at a time like this, when can you rant?

I've got the decorator round today and he is getting on with painting the nursery and putting up some wallpaper on one wall. He arrived at 8.30am and I was feeling so completely awful, but thankfully I could just point him in the direction of the room and leave him to it.

I'm being brave today and sitting downstairs with my sickbag and laptop. Go me! Usually I'm too scared to do anything but sit in bed :-/ God, sometimes I feel like screaming with frustration at being so stuck in my fear and feeling so unwell.

Grrr just had a stupid conversation with a pregnant colleague,

'So how much were you actually being sick? I was nauseous for the first 23 weeks but worked every day. Have they been paying you as if you were sick? Or taking it out of your maternity?'