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.

kali congrats on getting dressed. Such a spirit - raiser to be able to do something normal again!

basgetti ... hope you can hold on but don't take risks. Wishing you luck with ice chips or, well, anything to keep some liquids down.

< waves to everyone>

Thanks Meerka, good thinking, might try an ice lolly.

Kali my boobs were huge to start with, I've definitely not lost weight there! Good that you are starting to gain now.

I'm off to bed now, thanks for the advice and support, will keep you posted x

this is absolutely nothing, nothing at all, i should be ashamed to complain .. but I'm still going to.

Nauseous quite often, specially a few mins after breastfeeding. But it's particularly annoying atm. Two lovely meals last two days, one was a real treat out at an expensive sushi place, and the bloody hormones are still hitting. Neither stayed down. Its still touch and go over with quite a lot of meals. man Im tired of the hormonal hangover.

Meerka it's not nothing. You shouldn't be nauseous or vomiting full stop. No one should. It's not a normal state to live in. Plus you've done your 9 months already so you definitely shouldn't be!!

Hope it clears up soon

I am hesitant to say this after poor meerka, but just to let you know I was on this thread in jan and feb and was desperate. My sickness lasted all the way through and I had some very dark days indeed, right up to vomiting bile for six hours before the c section I had, and I haven't felt remotely sick once since the baby was out.

You think it's never ever going to get any better but it does.

Sorry for you meerka xxx

Really sorry to hear that meerka - I had the same problem, though not as badly as you by the sounds of it - I really struggled with ongoing nausea/probs with food for ages but I only actually threw up a few times and it sounds like you're vomiting more often. Are you taking any meds? I used cyclizine a few times after pregnancy, and I also kept taking ranitidine for acid/heartburn which might be a factor? This time I'm on omperazole (sp?) instead which is for the same thing but supposed to be stronger. Could stress/anxiety/tiredness be playing in as well? I know there's a limit to what you can do to rest more with a tiny baby but are you trying to do to much? And are you having any counselling to process the whole experience - might help indirectly if stress is a factor, and I found it useful to see a psychologist to talk about my anxiety about food/lack of confidence in eating in general. Finally, I'm afraid I think the breast feeding probably is a big factor because of the hormones it generates. I'm actually considering not breast feeding this time which I know is nice-middle-class-mother blasphemy! Especially when you've done so 'successfully' before. It's a big decision and here at least there is a LOT of pressure surrounding it but all I would say is that the whole issue felt like such a huge deal at the time and now that DS is a toddler it doesn't feel like it mattered much at all.

Anyway, it's not a minor issue. For the few of us that have this problem, even though the postnatal nausea is so much better, I still found it incredibly demoralising because I wasn't prepared for it AT ALL - everyone, even after totally dreadful pregnancies, had promised that the sickness disappears like magic and you feel amazingly normal immediately and the disappointment when that wasn't true was hard to take. It would be interesting to do a survey and find out what this lingering nausea correlates with - but my hunch would be a) women whose sickness was severe and started very early (i.e. in response to v low hormone levels) and b) breast feeding.

Basgetti - how are you this morning? Any improvement?

I've got a giant bust too, particularly unwieldy as soon as the milk comes in. Goodness I am dreading that whole nursing bras/shapeless tops you can pull up phase! I have a narrow back too so I end up with ridiculous measurements like 28H or something that absolutely nowhere stocks.

Does everyone have the dreadful weather today? So glad I made it out yesterday because it looks like that might be it for the summer!

thanks for the kind words, it's so SO much better than 16 weeks ago before the mite came out that I feel a fraud but I was just peeved last night. I do take cyclizine for it kali ... and yes I'm considering giving up Bfíng too, it hasn't clicked this time anyway between the Pipsqueak and I sadly. It's all that middle class heresy guilt! :D Plus yes Im absolutely tired out now.

namechange I hope all is going well with you and tiny namechange? and recovered from the c-section well? it is worth it isn't it .. though ... never again now heh. But the little ones are so lovely.

basgetti and okla how are you today? bas I hope you managed to keep some liquid down last night. Kali it's gone to proper wet manchester rain here - unrelenting business-like rain that means to get you wet and stays until you are.

emsy, lottie, mary, mrsb, frenetic, flowery and everyone ... how are you?

ach starrynight Im sorry I missed your post about post-preg nausea - I feel for you!

do get cyclizine + B6, Im sure they help. And i know myself that the nausea rises in a wave after starting bfíng so it's probably a good idea to avoid that hormonal surge and the general stress of it. And sleep whenever the baby does!!

Mentally ? that's the toughest bit of all now. Remembering the unrelenting horribleness of it, the stealing of all but the most minor bits of joy. How to handle it, I'm not quite sure. I am actually getting support from a MH professional now becuase the mix of the HG, family shit and language-related isolation problems got me down. I do think that you need treating as if you've had a traumatic experience, unfortunately doctors often don't realise that.

Is it worth ringing the preg sickness support helpline? everyone there is a survivoir and they may well have some very good hints.

And hang around here maybe? :) when you can

Meerka You poor thing - as you've breastfeed for a while now, and LO's got those anitbodies, I think you'd be sensible to give up now. Like Kalidasa I was one of the unlucky small minority who had it after deliverfy stilll - odd, as my sufferings were gone but for residual heartburn after 15 weeks - not a sufferer throughout like you and Kaliand Starry and though it didn't trigger vomiting after the first dreadful two weeks, it always gave me twinges of nausea. Hugs. It's dismal, and you've suffered enough.
basgetgi how are you today? Have you had to go in? Gentle pats.
KaliYour advice is so brilliant, as is Meerka's. So glad you are having a slightly better day - wonderful news.
Namechangedforthisyesidid Lovely of you to call back and encourage people - I wonder who you were before, but lovely to hear from you.
xx

Hi all, still being sick, ketones at a steady 3+ at the moment. I've decided to hold out until the morning, my parents will come over first thing to take me to GP, hospital and care for DS as necessary. We are snuggled up watching the Lego Movie and I'm having sips of lemonade as and when I can!

Hope everyone is feeling okay today x

I'm doing a bit better, still mostly in bed but noticed mornings are better so trying to eat more earlier. Since taking the promethazine I've not been sick. I also had acupuncture on Friday and I'm sure that helps if any of u are well enough to get out and try it. I go to a multi bed session with others there so it £20 a time instead of about £50!
I'm hoping Thursday last week might have been my peak. That was a truly awful day. I'm 9 weeks and have read it can peak around then?
I feel for those of you trying to bf whilst nauseas, it's tough enough without feeling poorly on top. If the nausea is hormone related then you're probably best letting your body be now, I'm only on week 9 so can't imagine how you feel after suffering all the way through.

Hi all, just checking in. I know it's been a while. I've been lurking a bit. Hi to all the newbies sorry to hear you're suffering. meerka, that sounds awful but I'd agree with Lucinda. I've been thinking a lot lately about feeding. My nausea is still constant and being sick once a week, I know thats not much but if it carries on afterwards I'm not sure how I'd cope so I was very pleased to learn recently they aren't pushy about bf-ing here. I'll still probably try it but if I can't for any reason I'll try not to beat myself up about it. You've done a great job by the way.

Emsy, I never thought to try acupuncture. I think the levels of sickness vary a lot but yes I was very bad at 9 weeks. Got better at 22 weeks and then it came back at 26 weeks but nowhere near as bad.

bas sounds horrendous, do go in to hospital ASAP, fluids sound nec. At this stage.

On the breastfeeding front, it sounds really scary to me that it might prolong the nausea. I wouldn't judge anyone who didn't breastfeed for whatever reason, but especially if it was causing nausea and vomiting. If that's my experience I'll be onto bottles faster than anyone can say 'steriliser'. We are fed so much propaganda about breastfeeding but look around your adult friends, have you got any idea which were breastfed and which weren't?

Oh Meerka that is truly awful! I can"to imagine how you must be feeling still suffering so long after the birth. Do consider formula, it is a perfectly good option.

Meerka - if breast feeding is a struggle for your baby too I would definitely ditch it. I stuck with it last time because although I didn't enjoy it it was obvious that DS really did and that he got a lot of comfort from it. But I would really not struggle on if it's a struggle for your baby too. Formula also means others can help which isn't a small thing when you are recovering yourself in so many ways. Small babies do sleep a bit better/longer on formula as well.

Hi all, been a bit reticent to post because feeling much better and I don't have much to add to discussions about drugs but I wanted to reassure lottie and others that it isn't necessarily a given that you will feel sick when breastfeeding. I was lucky that within approx 24 hours I could eat normally again. If I had continued to feel sick I'm pretty sure I would not have breastfed, the post partum period is hard enough already.

And I recall frenetic has been finding reduced hours at work really hard, I have reduced my hours too and really the only thing that helps me is to spend a good proportion of time planning. I have the added fun of suspected pp (scan this Wednesday) so I have a rolling handover note ready in case I don't go back in the next day. Having a handover note has really helped take the stress off because before I start the days tasks I make sure that the note is updated with them. That way I don't have to stress, if it doesn't get done by me at least my cover will do it.

Sat in bed now, been overdoing it. The nausea has mainly gone but the slightest hint of exertion and I spend the next day vomiting. At least it's raining!

Meerka As others say, and as I say below, don't feel guilty, if you'lre suffering you've done enojugh. On Acup0ncture , Everyone - I had it when I was really ill and it did wonders for me I've recommended it enthusiastically to others but become way as not everyone is so lucky and it is so expensive.
I'm away for a couple of days, but I know the lovely Meerka will help out and you are great for each other. I'll be thinking of you all and especially hoping that Kali*'s recovery is at hand. Hugs to all.
xx

Sorry everyone that was 'acupuuncture' and 'wary'
xx

Yes good point Elle - seems obvious to us, but important to say for any anxious first timers that even if you are unlucky and throw up throughout your pregnancy the great majority of women with HG find the nausea disappears completely at birth or within a day or so and have no nausea-related probs with breastfeeding. So this isn't something worth worrying about in advance, it's just helpful for the unfortunate (very) few who do experience this to be able to discuss it.

Today has been much less good for me than yesterday and I've been almost entirely in bed battling the nausea. No actual vomiting yet though, despite a close call, so could be a lot worse.

Just wondering did the bad taste go away after birth for you who've had it before? I have it 24/7 and even though I'm not so sick anymore at all the taste is so horrible and makes me feel sick in itself I'm not sure that I could breastfeed etc if it caused that to carry on.I'm so so fed up with it.

Yes, george. Both last time and this time it went away immediately.

when i think about it, i was sick after the first birth but it was like ... so so so so so much less than during the preg that it felt almost like nothing. This time has been worse but it has been WAY WAY less than during the preg. it's a pain but it's way less.

But the appallingly vile taste and the excess saliva both just disappeared as if by magic.

Thanks Meerka Good to hear.Really hope your nausea eases very soon!

You are v right kali, it is helpful to talk about it and i didn't mean to shoot you down at all. For completely different reasons I found the post partum period horrible...lots of pain from episiotomy and it was so dispiriting because I had no clue it might be like that. First-timers please don't be scared, nobody else from my nct group of 8 had the same problems and they all had stitches.

I'm a bit conflicting about breastfeeding this time round coz the heavy duty painkillers I got last time are not prescribed to bf mothers anymore, so may be ff but for completely different reasons

No breastfeeding induced nausea for me either - I fed both of mine for over a year and it was fine. But I've already decided, for unrelated reasons, that this baby will be having at least a bottle of formula a day from around 4 weeks (I absolutely cannot express, and don't feel, with older children, that I can be tied to being the only person who can do the baby's bedtime for the first year). So for Meerka and others, I would really suggest that you consider at least mixed feeding if bf is making you ill. You've done the main bit by growing the baby, an as pro-breastfeeding as I am, it is not the only valid option.

Hope everyone is managing their sickness. We are having a lovely holiday, despite the weather. The boys are so happy just running around with their new holiday friends, and I am getting to sleep loads which really helps me to keep the (now so mild that I should probably just shut up about it) nausea in check.