Pregnancy Sickness and HG Support Thread

[Hotchocolate4]

Many years ago there was a lovely lady that had an ongoing pregnancy sickness and HG support thread which was amazing. It really helped me through some of my darkest months.

I wanted to start this thread incase there is anyone who needs support or help with any level of pregnancy sickness to horrible HG level.

An amazing UK charity is: https://pregnancysicknesssupport.org.uk

Medication
If you go to the GP you should be offered a first line medication (there are then second and third line moving up the ladder if other medications aren’t helping). Medications can be combined and if you aren’t feeling better in 4/5 days go back to the GP and ask for something different.

Urine / Ketones
Most hospitals use to only admit when your ketones are 4+ (severe dehydration) but luckily most have now changed to how you feel as a patient.

General Tips

• pick foods that are easy on the stomach
• don’t worry about nutrition - any fluids / food are winner (words from my consultant)
• ice lollys are your friend
• rest as much as possible, tiredness makes sickness worse

Disclaimer
There are lots of women who terminate a wanted baby due to HG, there is no shame or judgement here, if an additional support thread is needed for this I am happy to set this up.

Anyone struggling mentally or physically please join for support and knowing you aren’t alone 🥰

Omg this! It’s so bad makes me retch really badly. Nothing I’ve tried works!

I do have this but I don’t think it bothers me too much other than feeling like a dog.

i think I’ve read about avoiding citrus / acidic and starchy foods. Someone once said chewing gum helped but in my head it would make it worse?

I think I will be doing this tomorrow 👍 ice chips tonight!

Agreed - I can’t think about the long game, I’m just celebrating getting through each day at the moment. Sometimes it’s hour by hour but focusing on something more manageable helps for me xx

@Hotchocolate4 thank you for your response! Yeah my husband is doing literally all of it atm, taking her to nursery, collecting her, shopping, cooking, cleaning! I just lay on the sofa like a potato! We don’t have family local so unfortunately it’s just us trying to muddle through best we can…Lots of screen time is being used, so much so she comes straight in and hands me the remote now 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

This was us too! No family help and my husband did so much. I’m really happy you have a supportive partner. Hopefully you start to feel a bit better soon

How’s everyone doing this weekend?

for fluids I was able to keep down complan with ice quite well. It is thicker than a pure liquid which I think helps. It is also nutritious. All I ate for about 2 months. Omeprazole is worked well for me. Interesting to read gardenflowerposter was prescribed it - how is it going?

Went outside today, briefly.
then came home and wet myself while throwing up. Is it worth the effort of leaving the house. Probably not. Also think I threw up my recent dose of tablets. Annoyed.

Oh bless you! A pad will save your clothes and the clean up if this is something that happens frequently. Or bucket for puke whilst sitting on the loo? Could also try an strengthen your pelvic floor as i think that might help.

I've wet myself throwing up in the loo before and have also thrown up all over the towel radiator whilst weeing before! Bet it happens to loads of us.

How is everyone?

Got an official diagnosis of HG as was in hospital on Saturday to have fluids. Now on a combo of cyclizine and Prochlorperazine which seems to take the edge off but doesn’t help my gag reflex so still a challenge to swallow the tablets…but at least it’s allowing me to drink a little more.

Feeling very spaced out on meds.

Also had a scan whilst in hospital - they were worried the heartbeat was irregular so back in on Friday, dreading the worst 😖

I too had a visit to hospital yesterday for fluids! I have been prescribed xonvea now so got to get that to the pharmacy to hopefully get today/tomorrow!

I agree with feeling spaced out on meds, I feel really weak as well

hope your scan Friday goes well!

I posted earlier today in the pregnancy thread about nausea I'm experiencing before my period following a HG pregnancy. I'd be really grateful if anyone in this thread could have a look and share any similar experiences!

Thank you OP for starting this thread again, the original version helped me so much through my first HG pregnancy and was the push I needed to get help - which resulted in numerous admissions in the end. It can be hard to believe how serious it is.

I am out the other side of my two HG pregnancies now, but will keep and eye and see if I can offer any help. I was helped so much by other women during my pregnancies that I hope I can pass on some support.

I hope those of you who’ve managed to get xonvea find it effective. I couldn’t believe the difference when I got it. I was bed bound (and had been for weeks) then I took my first dose and the next day went out with my daughter for her birthday and even ate some lunch!! It was like a miracle.

I also had omeprazole, prochlorperazine, cyclizine and ondansetron at the peak of my second pregnancy so if one or two medications aren’t working do keep pushing for more.

Finally, if anyone is in Norfolk there is now a special outpatient pathway at the NNUH for HG so do ask your GP or midwife about it and if you don’t get anywhere feel free to send me a PM.

I am in Norfolk and had no idea about this, do you have any more info? They didn’t offer me Xonvea and although the cyclizine and prochlorperazine is taking the edge off, I’m still pretty much bed bound 😩

Here is some information about the programme which was set up about 15 months ago.
https://networks.sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/resources/reducing-impact-nausea-and-vomiting-pregnancy-ambulatory-approach-green-maternity

I would ask your GP to refer you to the team there, or ask your midwife - I know there has been a definite push to get midwives able to pick up HG more quickly because the trouble is the symptoms often peak before the booking in appointment. Have you had your booking appointment yet? If not you can still call maternity (I can’t remember what they have renamed it now, ‘call east’ maybe?) and speak to a midwife and they should be able to direct you to the virtual ward team.

As a general pointer (not just applicable in Norfolk!) don’t ever minimise or play down your symptoms. When assessing you, if the doctors ask how many times you’ve been sick, they’re asking about each individual gag not a total episode. So if you have five episodes of sickness but each time you’re doing 3 individual bits (sorry no non-gross way to describe it!) then you should say 15 times, not 5.

Re prochlorperazine and cyclizine, I found those were okay in combination with ondansetron in my first pregnancy; and with xonvea and ondansetron in my second. Don’t be afraid to ask for something else - you don’t have to just put up with the sickness before you’ve tried other things to get an improvement and hopefully there will be a combination that gives you some relief.

Sorry should also have said @Salix26, xonvea has to be prescribed by a consultant in hospital in Norfolk I think, hence why your GP won’t have offered it, but hopefully if you get onto the virtual ward or under the HG team at NNUH they’ll be able to prescribe it for you if needed and then you’ll be able to get repeats from your GP after that.

Thank you so much, that’s really interesting I will definitely look into it. I have my booking appt in a couple of weeks time.
Thanks again for your help and support 🙏

Yes this was the case with my GP - was hoping they would prescribe it when I was admitted but they didn’t. I’ll get in touch with the virtual ward and see what they say. Thanks!

That’s not very good if you’ve been admitted and not automatically directed towards the HG pathway, I wonder what happened there.

Unfortunately although the HG team are great, they’re battling to educate the whole system so that whoever women happen to see first knows about them and when you refer to them.

If there’s one thing HG teaches you it’s that you’ve got to be persistent and advocate for yourself even when you don’t think you have the strength or ability to. Keep pushing for help, you will get there. I hope you stay as well as you can in the meantime - one day at a time.

I would have never known they existed had you not mentioned it…
thank you, I will keep battling x

I have read about this on a HG Facebook group, I think some women have got antisickness tablets to use after ovulation/ before period is due. It’s definitely not just you. I think some women said it eases after a few years. It’s so understudied

How’s everyone doing today?

I had a consultant appointment and so far at 16 weeks have cried through every appointment/ scan. Reoccurring loss and HG is another battle. I sobbed saying I just don’t trust medical professionals, I had an awful HG experience a few years ago and my therapist said I have PTSD.

I just didn’t feel listened too, or important and I was admitted to hospital 4 times by 6 weeks pregnant. Yet the care was awful, I remember I wasn’t allowed any lunch as I wasn’t there in the morning so hadn’t ordered any.

My anxiety is so high, I made it past 12 weeks with Xonvea and therpy but I still don’t think people understand the long lasting effect of HG.

Im more scared if HG than pregnancy loss!

I’m so sorry you’re so traumatised by your awful care previously, it shouldn’t be this way. People don’t understand it and health professionals unfortunately often don’t take it seriously or comprehend how horrendous it is.

It can have such long lasting effects. I know a lady whose children are now teenagers and she’s only recently sought counselling for the trauma associated with her HG pregnancies.

I was really surprised when I got my positive pregnancy test for my second how strong my fear was. I had been trying for a baby, I knew it would quite likely be another HG pregnancy, I wanted to be pregnant… but after a flash of happiness I just felt absolutely petrified. And then guilty for feeling scared and not just joy.

Do you have a perinatal mental health team? I wonder if it might be worth speaking with them, although it sounds like you already have a therapist so maybe that’s surplus to requirements.

Are you finding the xonvea is keeping things under control for you?

I have been referred to the mental health team and rainbow team which I am yet to meet but very grateful to have that support.

Xonvea is working and only been admitted once for fluids, still being sick maybe once a day or twice at worst which is more than manageable.

I completely get your positive test guilt / anxiety, I think I felt happy for about 30 minutes until it daunted on me what it might mean. Then the panic started.