My HG story: Rachel Bates
The first few days I found the vomiting cute. It made me happy. A true sign that I was really pregnant. My friends and family showered me in words of encouragement and support. The first days turned into twelve weeks. I had already become quite puffy (I learnt later this is from severe dehydration). Everyone told me that once the second trimester hit I would feel myself again. No one was showering me in encouraging words instead with phrases like, ‘you’re being really negative. Just be happy that you’re having a baby. It’ll be worth it!’ I quit talking about how sick I was. Every appointment I was asked, ‘how are you?’ Every appointment I responded with, ‘I puke all the time but other than that I guess good.’ Every time my provider expressed sympathy and said nothing more. I thought I was the only one this was happening to. I didn’t even know the name for this at the time, just that I had been puking for sixteen weeks. It didn’t stop during the second trimester. Nor the third.
During the third trimester, people asked me constantly if I was looking forward to meeting my baby. The truth was that I was only looking forward to not being pregnant. I hated every moment of my pregnancy. I resented the baby I was carrying. I made jokes about wishing I had never become pregnant to family and friends, but I wasn’t joking. I always imagined that if I got pregnant it would be so joyful! Baby showers, maternity shoots, babymoon the whole thing. I had none of those things because I was too sick.
In my 36th week, they found that my amniotic fluid was really low and that my baby was likely too small. The most likely cause of this was chronic dehydration. This was the first time I was told that I should be getting fluids via IV if I couldn’t keep food or water down. I had been this way for THIRTY-SIX weeks and no one told me. My labour was induced and fortunately, I had a healthy average size beautiful baby.
Hyperemesis stole the joy of pregnancy that I thought I was entitled to. Hyperemesis stole my chance for a natural labour. I love my baby, but I hated the journey to get her here.