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, phone them on:
024 7638 2020
Lastly, the NICE guidelines on treatment are useful:
cks.nice.org.uk/nauseavomiting-in-pregnancy
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.
It has been suggested that I add some practical tooth cleaning advice: a lot of sufferers find using a child's small toothbrush and strawberry toothpaste far less nauseating.
On my image of a pink castle: that is an image I use because when I was little, my family had a Snakes and Ladders board with an image on the last square of a pink castle in the clouds. As Hyperemesis is so like a grotesque version of Snakes and Ladders - eat a meal, go up a ladder, first thing in the morning bile run, down a snake - I have used the image of that pink castle on the last square of that Snakes and Ladders board as a metaphor for the happy end of Hyperemesis.

norbert woohoo on the scan and congrats on boy. Try not to worry too much on head measurements, they'll look again next time. Your daughter will get over it!!

It went much better than I expected and she's very quickly decided that she does want a baby brother anyway (called Tag - thanks Duggee!)

Oh I am pleased she came round quickly!! Our little boy chops and changes on a daily basis!

beforeihit30 I am so glad that my suggestion about that 20 week hormonal surge was helpful. I am also delighted you are heeding the flapping and clucking about not going back to work too early.
eallison Thank goodness baby is staying put. After this pregnancy, I am inclined to think you would find the endurance tests in the Marines a walk in the park...
beanhunter...And on walks in the park,I do hope the tramp (or waddle) round the farm park sets things off...
norbert It's good she's adapted so easily. Various people on here have been upset about measurements, head and others, and it has turned out to be nothing to worry about.
DeadDoorPost My goodness, that must have hurt. On phantom kicks, I still have those soft, feathery early movements in dreams to this day. It is very odd.

A spring day here in Mid Wales. I hope everyone is coping. Waves to cattaxi *Reastie and everyone....
Great advice from everyone.

Grrrrr! Just lost a massive post!
Not feeling great today, so won’t rewrite it all.

Glad baby is staying put @eallison88.

Waves to everyone else! It’s my scan tomorrow & im feeling worried due to age and increased risks.

cattaxi it's so frustrating when that happens. Sorry for the bad day - hopefully tonight and tomorrow will.be better!!
Wishing all a peaceful, restful night

V quick check in. Read everyone's posts and sympathies and wishes for remaining time to speed along.
Baby is named Rosemary Joy (to be known as Rosie).
She is confused that meant to be awake to feed and asleep to be put down so not managing much of either!
She also has what the paeds think is a congenital skull abnormality - a sizeable dent in her skull on the R side, but she is beautiful and they haven't suggested pregnancy medications could have been a factor so I haven't probed that thought any further.
Good wishes to all and well try to check in sporadically x

Thanks for the reassurance everyone, I'm going to try and put it out of my mind for a while. Thanks also for the 20 week surge heads up @LucindaE - I had no idea and have been much worse this week and back to being sick again. I'm hoping it goes as quickly as it appeared!

Best wishes to beautiful baby Rosie @silversplodge xx

Silver does the skull issue mean any problems later in or just one of those things? Hope you get some sleep soon, thanks for checking in to keep us updated, it helps to know there will be an end.

Eal fx for keeping baby in a bit longer but I’m glad they’ve given you the steroid injections incase things happen early. I’ve heard they are very painful injections!

Lucinda do you know when the main hormone surges are throughout? I’m now 29 weeks and I think there’s a surge around 32 weeks (?) are there any more as well to be prepared for?

Hello to everyone else.

Mixed day yesterday after a bad evening the one before. Tried going on my bike yesterday but just couldn’t it made me feel so bad. I’ve been trying so hard to do gentle exercise but it just makes me so much more sick, am debating scrapping it for just doing a few stretches in the hope being more gentle makes things easier.

silversplodge What a beautiful name - Rosemary Joy, known as Rosie. . It's also so one of my favourite plants.

eallison I hope all is jogging on. Are you confined to bedrest?
Reastie I wish I knew for sure about the hormonal surges apart from the tenth and twentieth week ones. I am less sure of the ones later on; you may well be right about one coming between 30 and 32 weeks!
It is so frustrating that you are not in the position to do much walking or swimming as the best gentle exercises. I supose gentle stretching or dancing in time to music - if you can stand it - could at least be indoors? Or even usinga step to go up and down? But these may well be silly suggestions.

That’s a good point Reastie, I feel like we should have some sort of timetable of hormone surges a bit like the vaccination schedule they give for small children, so you know when to potentially expect some sickness/nausea regression!

Had several anxiety dreams last night, by which I mean dreams which are clearly the continuation of thought processes and exposing underlying worries - I don’t wake up feeling anxious, thankfully. I’ve had these since I was a child, on a very occasional basis, for instance I always had them during exams (dreaming that I woke too late for the exam), and I usually get them before I have to travel (eg dreaming I miss my flight). I’ve always been an over thinker, it’s a strength in some areas (I’m very good at planning and risk management!) but I have made a concerted effort over the years to learn to quiet my mind and try not to overly control every area of life. However it seems to leak out sometimes! Last night it was all about returning to work and giving birth. My mum and granny are exactly the same, it seems to run in the family. I woke up feeling more nauseous today, haven’t done much so amusing myself at the thought that I over exerted myself in my sleep

silver a lovely name, enjoy your newborn snuggles

reastie definitely painful injections!!
lucinda not restricted to bed rest, but encouraged to rest and be careful, but also try and do a bit of exercise where I can. Gonna try some swimming next week. I've actually literally just been discharged as my sugars have been behaving. Strict instructions to come back in if any more fluids lost or bleeding, or changes in baby's movements, or regular contractions. Just trying to sort someone to come and pick me up!

silver congratulations! Beautiful names:) Rosemary is on our shortlist for middle names, it's a beautiful name, especially shortened to Rosie. Enjoy the pink castle and newborn snuggles. And eating and drinking what you want!!!

Checking in after a bit of a headfuck of a morning. My scan showed a larger than ideal nt measurement. So we had to have a consultation with a specialist midwife to talk about what to do next. The outcome being that I’m going for a cvs on Monday to have some of the placenta cells collected for testing.
Feeling sick & exhausted this afternoon. And gutted as I was really excited to tell ds about the baby tonight, but have decided not to until we know the results.

@eallison88 so glad you have been allowed home. Do rest up & take good care of yourself.

Congratulations @silversplodge! What a beautiful name! I hope the skull thing isn’t causing you too much of a worry. Enjoy those lovely newborn snuggles.

I get those dreams too @beforeIhit30! The mind has a very clever way of processing things.

Waves to everyone else & hopes for good days all round.

Sorry to hear you had a worrying scan @cattaxi I'm sure you're in good hands but I can imagine Monday feels very far away. I hope that your nausea and tiredness has eased by now and you can rest up x

I'm going to scream! Just woken up by 3 year old (who is now in full on paddy mode that it's still the middle.of the night) to discover that I am bleeding, yet again, fairly significantly. I woke up at 1 for a wee and was fine, no blood or fluid, tho was having quite a hard (not particularly painful) bump. Woke up a few times inbetween with a hard, not painful bump. But went for a wee cos awake, to find pad pretty soaked and then clots when I weed. I can't do this every couple days, or more, for the next6 or 7 weeks. And i cant spend any more time.on hospital admissions. My son's behaviour has deteriorated, which is fine considering, but it's cos he's unsure, he's confused etc. Just rang triage and they want me to go straight to delivery, not triage. And I'm not allowed to drive myself there, which was what hubby and I just agreed so he could stay with son, she wants me to call 999. Which seems excessive.

You just need to focus on getting in @eallison88 your son will be ok and it sounds like you need to be in hospital so they can take care of you. Ring an ambulance and don't worry about all the other things, you're the priority xx

Called the ambulance. Sat in delivery with the monitor on. Baby's heartbeat seems fine. I'm just so bloody frustrated now.

Oh gosh eal what a night! Keep us updated on how things go, I’m glad hb is fine. This has been such a hard pg!

Oh Gosh @eallison88, I’m so sorry you keep having to go through this. Thinking of you.

Thanks @norbet. Monday and the wait for results feels like years away. Didn’t sleep well last night, all kinds of what if’s going through my mind. Going to allow myself a bit of a wallow this morning & then try to put it to the back of my mind.

Have been thinking of eal all day today and hoping no news is good news

Ladies, sorry to leave you hanging. Baby and I are fine on the basic level! My consultant has now made the decision that I am going to be induced on 29th April (so there's a due date for you start, lucinda!), when I will be 34 weeks exactly. Too many complications and possible risks to keep baby in after that point. If baby decides to take things into his/her own hands before that point, then there will be no attempts to stop labour, we'll just be rolling with it. Also cos of all complications I'm now an inpatient til baby is here. Which I'm actually relieved about- Yes food will be difficult, and I'm likely to lose my mind to boredom, but I no longer have to make decision calls about how much blood is enough blood to come to hospital, or how much movement is normal vs reduced. Anything and I now just press the buzzer and someone who knows more than me decides! I'm obviously worried about having such and early baby, but I think my consultant is probably right, on balance. And the silver lining is that, fingers crossed, I'll be in the pink castle much sooner than I thought and able to eat and drink again.

Please, no one feel they need to moan or vent less...! I've got plenty of time on my hands now to sympathise and try and offer advise if I can. I very much care about all you ladies and your journeys too, still!!

Eal I’m so glad they have a plan in place. Will they induce you or will you have a csection? With the steroids you’ve had and getting to 34 weeks I’m sure everything will be absolutely fine. Even at this point now statistically things are incredibly good for birth. I was surprised how high outcomes were from as early as 28 weeks. And being in hospital they will be able to monitor everything for you. I’d recommend noise reducing headphones if you can get a pair, it’s on my list of things to get to take to hospital! At least you know now the end is close and you’ll be over this soon. This sounds so selfish but I’m jealous of you finishing this nightmare so soon as our dates are quite similar and I likely have another 9 weeks of this to endure, but I kmow that’s selfish as I don’t actively want things to happen earlier than ideal.

Average day today but felt rubbish this afternoon. Yesterday evening was bad again.

Wow that's big news @eallison88. Sounds like you are in very capable hands and being very pragmatic though. You are a real trooper!

My much less big news is that I'm attempting work again next week. Just two afternoons from home. Let's hope for no regression this time.

Hello. Baby girl bean arrived late last night. Haven’t since delivering. Very weird!

reastie I totally understand the jealousy - I feel a little guilty about how relieved I am that it's all going to be over in terms of sickness so much earlier than I thought. Luckily I'm in a room of my own, so am hoping it will be relatively quiet. My consultant talked about induction on 29th, but we're going to have a chat with her about pros/cos of induction vs c section.

elkie I'm so glad that your return to work is able to be such a gentle one and from home. I'm glad work are able to accommodate such a pragmatic approach. Do still be gentle with yourself tho!!