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:
links.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy#!scenario

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.

Evening all. Thanks for asking after me. Hosp apt all ok, consultant did quick scan and baby was wriggling about, head down, not engaged. He did say that if I eat nothing between now and birth it's still not a problem, just to keep eye on ketones. He again expressed surprise at milk / milkshake staying down (I nearly told him about this thread, ha!) so suggested getting some fortified milkshake which I think I will try - as a kid I had something called 'build up' so will have to look into it. Basically the opposite of slim fast! We chatted about lucozade but he recommended trying to avoid drinks with caffeine which makes sense. The only thing is he said if I get really poorly we shd think about delivering at 38w - currently csec planned for 39w. But that runs risk of baby needing to go to neo natal so I'm not keen.
Had a bit of a run in in the hosp pharmacy - despite consultant prescribing 28 days of 8mg Ondansetron, they only gave me 15 days worth. This happened last time but I didn't realise til I was home. Pointed it out and got told to get the rest from my GP! I said, I'm not under GP care, I'm under the consultant here and he's prescribed 28 days. I'm back at hosp in 2wks so I can get more then but i explained it was a waste of their and my time not to give me the whole amount! (The pharmacy is v busy and involves a long wait when I just want to get home after managing the apt). They wouldn't be swayed. I'm guessing it's cos it's so expensive? I didn't have this prob with the 4mg tablets. Sigh.
ickle glad to hear you're resting and MIL can help tmw. Sounds like you might need to be signed off again, even if just to get you back on an even keel - I know you really enjoy work so you must be disappointed. Btw I forgot to say, def get an exercise ball, it's helped my pelvic girdle pain a lot, just sitting on that every day (I get DH to remind me to do it instead of sitting on sofa, which half paralyses me!)
special at risk of stealing lucinda's lines, I hope you aren't overdoing it?? Pls take care of yourself.
rae I bet being in a high pressure situation at work actually made you feel like your old self again, albeit briefly? Hope so, you could do with a boost!
lucy harmony test is a non-invasive blood test which tests for chromosomal abnormalities, it's more accurate than the nuchal test alone (which you usually have at 12w scan). Also known by other names like nifti and nipt I think. We had it done at 10w this time as in last pregnancy we had it after 12w scan showed DD had heart problem which can be an indicator of other issues (thankfully it wasn't and her heart issue was resolved in utero). Unfortunately I believe in most areas you have to pay to have it done, although in some trusts the NHS hospitals now offer it if your nuchal test gives certain odds.
sleepy well done on managing bedtime solo, it sounds like you have a hectic time at work coming up - again please don't overdo it! That's how I ended up being admitted a couple of weeks ago so be careful please. Early night sounds like a good idea. Have you anything planned for DS' bday?
vixx good to hear from you, glad to hear you went to hospital. What meds did they give you?
lucinda I hope BT sorted your internet and that the engineer was nice!
Wishing you all restful evenings.

BT man was really good! Fingers crossed he may have fixed it! Thanks everybody. Outside wiring to blame..
mrsmonkeyLol about my lines . One women on here did tell her consultant about this thread, and he said he would read it for research! Women on here are too hard on themselves. It's awful for you not keeping food down so late on. When did it come back again really badly, would you say? Was it before the last admission?
icklkid and SpecialStains It was very brave of you both to do half a day's work. You know what I will say; just play the record .
Lucy Good luck for scan on Friday.
Vixxfacee How have you been?
Waves to SleepymrsE SeaEagleFeather and everyone.
Apologies to anyone rudely overlooked.

It was 31/32 weeks lucinda , up til then I'd say I was managing it quite well for some time, could eat small amounts during the day and only vomiting maybe twice a week if I limited food/drink. I do think going on holiday and then a few days of looking after DD on my own triggered the relapse, what I don't understand is why I can't get back on an even keel now! Glad to hear BT sorted!

Saw this and had to post because for no group is it more true than those going through hg! I've actually slept last night which is amazing. Will post properly later but ds just woke...

mrsmonkey looks like I'm with you on the resurgence at 3rd trimester- can't keep any food down at the moment. sulks because meant to be going to Coldplay on Saturday I have some protein type healthy shakes from first trimester should dig them out...

sleepy hope headache is a bit better this morning. It is both mine big birthday and ds birthday start of July so really could do with feeling a bit better for then...

lucinda hope all is sorted now. If still feeling like this won't be at work which is rediculously frustrating...surely I can crawl through 5 more weeks...

Dh is at a work regatta today so basically a doss day finishing at lunch time...I did say how nice it would be for him to come home and he mentioned he thought he might stay and watch the football...my face was hopefully enough for him to realise that was not a good idea. I have no problem with him watching the football either here or with friends however why not come back rather than be an hour away. I may have pushed my luck suggesting he take ds over to watch the football! We shall see...

Apologies to anyone missed. Trying to mn whilst feed ds breakfast!

Sleepy sorry to hear about work. That sounds like way too much!

mrsmonkey I had build up when I was a child too! It tasted ok from what I remember. It's annoying about the ondansetron- I'd tell the consultant. How expensive is it? Every healthcare worker I encounter tells me how expensive it is! You're right about the work thing- it was nice to realise that I can still do it, I still enjoy it, and I'm not bad at it either.

Lucinda horray for the BT man!

ickle lovely picture. I need to remind myself of that daily! I hope your DH comes home. I'd genuinely forgotten it's the football today football isn't a sport we follow really, though I have invested a whole £3 in the work sweepstake, so I should probably watch a bit!

Wanted to ask you all- back in the mists of time before I was pregnant, I bought DH tickets to a big event. Said event is next weekend.

It's a 4-5 hour drive from home so I also booked a hotel room for the night before and night of the event. It's mostly outside, will involve a fair bit of waking but also a fair bit of sitting... Would I be mad to go? I was thinking I could take a big bottle of water, a picnic blanket and some rice cakes, and he could always leave me sitting in the shade if I need a rest. I think it would tire me out but I'm fed up of missing out because of HG.

Rae If you're feeling up to it, I'd go. Sometimes it's good for your mental wellbeing to try and do something 'normal', even if you can't participate fully. Your plan of water, rice cakes and being left in the shade sounds sensible. Is it anything nice? Festival/concert type thing?

Lucinda Glad BT have sorted you out! I've only got one more week of work before I start annual leave/mat leave so not pushing myself too much.

Nausea and acid reflux is pretty bad and the moment, and I'm so uncomfortable with baby! Midwife yesterday was nice and reassuring, and baby's heart beat is good, and was the first midwife to tell me to take anti-emetics if I need (all the others have been desperate to get me off them). Got my next growth scan at the end of the month. I'm a bit worried because he's close to the bottom of the normal range that he might drop off and go below the 10th percentile, but midwife was very reassuring and said that as I'm a small person, I'm likely to have a small baby. Bet he now comes out weighing 10lbs.

Waves to everyone else.

Thanks Special, it's Goodwood Festival of Speed: DH loves cars, it's his birthday present from me. I went with him 2 years ago expecting to be bored out of my mind but actually had the best day, so I've really been looking forward to this. The hotel I've booked is in Brighton- I haven't been there for years but have very fond memories of it and was looking forward to wandering around. Plus I really want to spend some 'proper' time with DH that's not about doctors appointments or babies. My Mum told me yesterday that she thinks I shouldn't go, so DH called his best mate to offer him my ticket . His friend isn't available anyway, so now I'm thinking 'sod it, I want to go!'

Glad that the midwife was good about the meds yesterday, and great news about the baby. Sorry that the nausea and reflux are so bad though

rae I'd definitely go, so glad I dragged myself to my party, and that was a bit of a drama - underground was packed, had to get the train, torrential rain etc. Glad I went though, I think I would have moped to have missed it.

My phone drives me nuts in that once I'm typing I cannot go back to check the names of who I'm talking to, so apologies if I've remembered this all wrong...

To the people working hard, well done, don't over do it though, that made me worse for sure.

Lucinda yay on the Internet.

sleepy I see what you mean now. I have a free test & then can pay for a second one if there's any concern, must be the one.

To everyone who wished me luck for Friday, thank you very much! Nervous/excited. Plus I have a heart scan today to see what my risk is with the pregnancy. Genuinely not sure which I'm more worried about. Oh, to have a normal pregnancy!

The tiny baby things had been my savings account downfall this week. The White Co have a sale on and I accidentally fell into their website and bought a bunch of things. So accident prone.

Also, I'm now team chocolate milk! Been sick all morning & all yesterday, after my doc asked me to skip a dose to see how I was. Not good, to sum up! Managed to keep down my milk though - finally a preggo use for the Nespresso machine (it chills milk) - can't stand the smell of coffee though.

Waves to everyone, particularly to all the personals I know I missed thanks to my HG destroyed memory! 👋🏼

Sorry to hear that ickle - hope DH comes home to keep you company and watch football. DD seems to spend a lot of time watching formula 1, football and basketball with daddy!!!
rae I too think you should go to goodwood. Change of scenery might do you good, and having a nice distraction sometimes helps. Dose up and go!! Maybe plan extra journey time if you need to make stops? Hope you have a lovely time.
lucy I love little white co! Good to hear re choc milk. I also think that it helps to have things that aren't too awful to throw up she milkshakes tend to be 'easier' than other stuff.

Was meant to go out this morning to a mums' choir I'm in, but just feeling too wobbly to drive. Pretty depressing as it's the only social thing I'm doing at mo. Was having major whinge to DH last night that I can't get anything done as I'm so slow and need to rest all the time (eg going to hosp yesterday wiped out my day). He made mistake of mentioning that I seem OK to manage going to the choir... I ended up coming to bed in quite a huff and crying. This morning though I came downstairs and he had cleaned kitchen, done dishwasher and put all the toys away so I think that was his way of apologising!! 😊

MrsMonkey DH once made the mistake of hinting that I was managing to get through a day at work, so I could do more at home. I think I then went and tried to unload the dishwasher and ended up vomiting in/around the sink, which he then had to deal with as it had set me off retching. I think I went to bed in tears also. I now just need him to know I'm about to attempt to do a kitchen related job, and he takes it off me.

It's so bloody hard and people just don't understand how exhausting it is trying to do anything when you're running on no/little food and every other thought is about nausea or vomiting. You need to go out and do something, whether thats work or socialising or a hobby, because HG can be so miserable and lonely and isolating.

You have my sympathies.

In other words, what sort of music does your choir do?

Thank you special that's exactly how I feel! It's like we can't do anything 'fun' if we're struggling with day to day things. We generally do 'pop' songs, I really enjoy it. It's something I started when DD was tiny and have signed back up since stopping work as I think singing is brilliant mental health wise, plus the other mums are lovely. Will be nice when I can turn up with a newborn and go for something to eat afterwards!

I meant to say sorry to hear you're so uncomfortable, sorry if you said already but are you taking anything for the acid at all (eg ranitidine / omeprazole? Or even gaviscon - although that makes me vom)
Def go back on the anti-emetics if you're struggling. And I wouldn't worry about 'small' baby, particularly if you are small. We can't all have whoppers or 50th centile babies otherwise there would be no average! And it might make the birth a bit easier if you have a vaginal birth. I'm little but DH is huge so we seem to make very tall babies. Will be interesting when I have two teenage girls towering over me!!

rae agreed with the others ... If you can go, it does your head sooo much good. As long as you think it's within your capabilities. It sounds a lovely day!

lucy commiserations on the accident with the savings account. Dreadful how that kind of thing happens isn't it?

Good luck Friday!!

mrsmonkey actually I believe (not entirely sure but fairly sure I remember this correctly) that many people with HG go on to have perfectly normal sized babies. The little buggers strip you of all the nutrition -they- need. You might be a walking string-bean with a giant bump, but the baby'll usually be all cosy and growing strongly ....

wishing everyone an endurable day,

MrsMonkey I completely understand that feeling of people thinking you shouldn't have any fun whatsoever because you're unwell.

I wish there was a Mum's choir round this way, it sounds like a fab idea, and really nice that everyone is friendly and I'm sure you'll enjoying the after socialising once DC2 is out and you feel human again! I do like where I live but sometimes wish I lived somewhere with a bit more going on, particularly now I'm looking at parent and baby things.

I have gaviscon for the acid reflux, and when I get round to making a GP appointment I'll ask about that as well as the anti-emetics. I know logically that some of the babies below the 10th percentile are normal, as thats what the normal range is about, just illogically it's yet another pregnancy thing (along with vomiting and not eating healthily and growing my placenta in the wrong place and having this stupid low Papp-A score) that I'm not doing well at. I know it's daft and beyond my control to worry about such things.

It'll be lovely when you've got two tall teenage girls towering over you! My sisters ex boyfriend's Mum (tenuous link there!) was 5ft nothing, and she had 3 sons all over 6ft. Made for some very funny family photos!

Rae Your day out in Brighton with your DH sounds fab, and I'm sure you can find a way to manage it. A night in a hotel sounds lovely.

Lucy Good luck with your scan. I have a serious problem with buying baby dungarees. I just think small children are so cute in them that I have acquired more pairs than I think baby will wear before he goes into the next size up...

mrsmonkey You are so right about the need for relaxation - though opening the throat enough to sing is very brave with Hyperremesis.
It is awful for people when it comes back really badly in the third tri, suc a disappointment.
SpecialStains That sounds dismal about the washing machine/ sink episode.
The problem is that there are so many household tasks that are unbearable because of strong smells, even normally inoffensive ones such as clean washing. And as for the fridge...
icklekid I think a number of people feel that, and it's a disappointment when it follows the sufferer to work
Waves to all. Still raining here...

icklid Forgot to say, that is poster is so true on here!

Lucy welcome to team chocolate milkshake!!

mrsmonkey epic foot in mouth moment for your DH there!! Glad he's tried to make it up to you though.

Special you're exactly right about people not understanding! I've had a few 'can you come round for a cuppa?' messages off my Aunt this week. She's obviously not happy when I say I can't. Told my Mum this and she went "to be fair, it's probably because they know you're back at work". Yes, I work 4 hours 3 days a week and am so exhausted and sick on my days off I can't get out of bed.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I'll go. What's the worst that can happen eh? 😁

Yay, do go, the worst that can happen is that you'll be sickly, which is the worst that can happen at home too - but at least you can some fun to distract you.

Doing anything in my book is heroic, I have no idea how you ladies are keeping other humans alive whilst feeling like this, must be super human.

The chocolate milk has still stayed down, brilliant. Hoping the baby gets some calcium.

Heart scan was horrific. Had an echocardiogram where they basically alternate between jabbing a probe into your bare breasts & down your gullet. But get this - I wasn't sick! That's a miracle.

Odd question, because my mum mentioned it & my letter says nothing... Do I need a full bladder for a 13 week scan? The other two I had at 4 & 8 weeks were internal & you had to have an empty bladder. Thing is, scan is at 8:35 & I can't keep anything down in the morning, not even water. How am I supposed to have a full bladder?

In other news, the accidental shopping arrived & has cheered up my day of being sick & being poked. One of the teeny sleeping bags was £32 but I got it for £12.80 - is it just me that gets a weird kick out of finding a bargain? I think I may have gone HG loopy! My husband just got in from work & gave me a weird look at my excitement. Oh dear.

Hugs to all.

Lucy Horray for shopping arriving! I've got 4 gro bags. My baby is bound to hate them now I've spent all that . I agree with you about having HG whilst caring for other children! I am in awe of anyone doing it! The heart scan does sound awful- when do you get the results?

I had to have a full bladder for my 12 week scan, and my 20 week scan letter says the same. Maybe call the clinic to check?

Rae The department was closed & the appointment is at 8:35! Oh dear. I guess go with full bladder & use the bathroom there if needs be.

They didn't tell me when I get the results, but have an appointment with my cardiologist on Aug 4th, so presumably I'll know then. The ridiculous male chauvinist pig of a consultant (who described HG as feeling 'so there's nothing wrong, you just feel bit sick then') is trying to convince me to have a natural birth whilst agreeing that there is 'some risk' that I might die. It's like he doesn't hear himself. No no no no no. It's not going to happen. Honestly!

seaeagle think that's right about HG babies being normal size! Baby monkey is certainly looking like she will be a decent weight. DD was 6lb14 at 39w so decent enough size too, indications are that this baby will be bigger.
special I hope you find some nice parent/baby activities to do once baby arrives. DD and I were complete social butterflies during my last Mat leave! I do live in a big city though so there are tons of things on here for babies. Illogical worrying is completely understandable, but try not to!
rae it's a shame your family don't understand - don't take it personally though. A friend in RL who had HG has told me privately that she didn't even think her husband understood how ill she was - fortunately at the time they were living with her parents so I think she got some TLC from them. Glad you're giving the trip a go.
Oh and baby sleeping bags are great! I've just washed DD's first ones ready for baby and can't believe how small they are, DD's current sleeping bags seem giant in comparison!!
lucy the cardiac scan sounds horrific! Well done for getting through it. For the scan/full bladder thing, it seems to depend on the hospital in my experience. I've not had to have full bladder for mine this time, either call and check as rae says, or if you can't get through (it's in the morning right?) I'd just not wee beforehand and then ask when you get there. The more advanced their scanning equipment, the less need for the full bladder, plus (I believe) the reason it became mainstream to ask all women to have a full bladder is because there's a lot more plus size pregnancies happening these days and if you are carrying a lot of extra weight round your tummy, it can be difficult for them to scan. Don't worry too much, sometimes bladder can be too full and they make you go and wee! Depends on the position of your uterus too. And they can always do another internal scan if needed. Hope it goes well.

Hello everyone, hope you're having bearable days. Well done anyone managing some pre baby shopping; we have done nada so far and are starting tomorrow with the pushchair, which I have been told in London is like swimming with sharks.

Just swinging by after my 20w scan to say baby is all well and is showing zero ill effects for its months on the chocolate milk and the thyroid problems.
It's measuring average for everything and sonographer was delightful, really made it a lovely experience (we had a toss time at the 12w scan with a bored and grumpy sonographer).

Anyway, hopefully this is heartening for any of you feeling worried about the impact of HG on baby's early growth; it has got to a normal size on Frijj, jacket potato and boiled sweets. I always like reading on the group about ladies who have gone on to have chubby babies despite the HG, so fingers crossed I'll be one too in not that much longer.

Almond Congratulations on the good scan! Did you find out sex, or keeping a surprise? Pushchair is the one thing we still have to get, but got the car seat which was my main concern (in case I go into early labour).

MrsMonkey I hope you have as nice a second maternity leave as you had with your first - I think you deserve it!

Lucy That consultant sounds awful, as did your heart scan. Fingers crossed for you. Is the heart scan to do with your Elher-Danos? Glad you're happy with your purchases!

Rae Glad you've decided to go. I will keep my fingers crossed for lovely weather for you!

Ickle How's it looking for Coldplay this weekend?

Lucinda How are you getting on? Is your mum ok?

Sorry if I've missed anyone.

Special we found out a few weeks back at a private scan but we're keeping it between us. Even the beginnings of people weighing in with 'oh boys/girls are so much better' and with their thoughts on names wound me up so much that we've decided to just present a named baby as a fait accompli when no one can do anything about it.