My HG story: Emily Liberatore
It was supposed to be the happiest time of my life, but it turned into a nightmare. I was just 4 weeks pregnant when the nausea began, and I thought it was normal morning sickness but at just six weeks pregnant I already had my first hospital visit where I was told I had hyperemesis gravidarum. This was a debilitating condition that completely ruined the joy I should have felt during my pregnancy and was characterised by constant vomiting, nausea and trips to the emergency room due to dehydration and not being able to eat. A midwife told me that hyperemesis usually clears up by sixteen weeks and that I would feel much better soon, however, by twenty weeks my hope faded, and I knew that I would be stuck with this horrible illness for the remainder of my pregnancy.
I went to the emergency room multiple times a week for dehydration and also developed many urine infections which made me feel even more sick. After needing to constantly visit the hospital for being so weak that I would faint, not be able to eat, or fall over from dizziness the doctors became sick of me visiting the hospital and told me to just go home and deal with it as it would only be 9 months of this and then I would feel better. In fact, one doctor was so horrible that he said “what do I have to do to make you stay out of hospital” as he was angry and thought I was overreacting. I will never forget that particular visit as the doctor sent me home while I was constantly having painful contractions due to my dehydration at 36 weeks.
I will never forget one morning when my husband was at work and I was alone. I began to feel so sick that I couldn’t stand up and was on the floor feeling petrified so I dialled for an ambulance but to my surprise, the paramedic laughed at me and told me that I was just like Princess Kate and I would be fine if I had a drink of water. She then continued to tell me that it wasn’t an emergency and that I would have to wait an hour for an ambulance, and with that, I knew not even the paramedics would, believe me, so I hung up the phone and had to call my mum who was at work. When we got to the hospital, I fainted at the reception desk and the doctors immediately laid me down on a bed, put fluids into my arm and were horrified by how low my blood pressure was. If I had waited any longer, I don’t know if my bundle of joy would be here with me today.
Over the course of my pregnancy, the doctors continued to give me the same medications and refused to try any other options to keep me more comfortable. I developed severe inflammation in my stomach and severe acid reflux issues from the constant vomiting. I constantly told the doctors at the hospital that I couldn’t bear it anymore and was in so much pain, but they refused to give me other antacids or anti-nausea treatments that were safe. They also refused to keep me in hospital to look after me which was really hard for me and my family as at home I had to be fed, showered, put to bed, and couldn’t do any activities at all. My vomiting was so severe that I barely slept at night and constantly had my head in the toilet or a bucket.
At 37 weeks and 4 days, I woke up and my water broke. I was thrilled as I knew the nightmare would nearly be over. My husband and I went to the hospital where I was in labour for over 16 hours, and when the doctor discovered that I was not dilating I had to have an emergency caesarean section. My hyperemesis was so bad that I vomited through the surgery and my blood pressure skyrocketed. I will never forget how traumatic it was for me. But then my beautiful son was born on January 22, 2019, at 11:33pm. We named him Matteo which means God’s gift and it was the perfect name for him. Through a very hard pregnancy and labour my son never stopped growing and fighting. He was so strong throughout it all and gave me the strength to not give up. Now I live with stomach inflammation issues but am on lots of medication which is helping me a lot. As for my hyperemesis gravidarum, I developed PTSD which I am slowly getting through and I think I am handling it really well now.
Medical professionals need to stop treating hyperemesis gravidarum sufferers poorly and need to understand that it is a REAL illness and it is very serious. If I had the support that I deserved I believe that my pregnancy would have been easier to get through. The public health system failed me and now I will live with stomach issues for the rest of my life due to the poor treatment I received, but on the bright side, I have an absolutely gorgeous son who brings my whole family so much joy. He truly is God’s gift.