Pregnancy should be one of the happiest times in a woman’s life. But what do you do when your morning sickness causes you to vomit morning, noon and night, leaving you bed-ridden, unable eat or leave the house?
The press have recently reported the story of 34-year-old Cheryl Harrison, who made the difficult decision to abort her healthy baby at nine weeks after her morning sickness threatened to jeopardise her health. Cheryl had a difficult first pregnancy, but assumed her morning sickness would pass when she fell pregnant for the second time.
But her symptoms worsened – speaking to a newspaper, she said: 'I had one day when I could not move from the bathroom - I was sick 27 times. I couldn't get Scarlett [her toddler] anything to eat even though she was starving. I dragged myself across the floor, managed to get her some chocolate from the fridge and thought, 'I can't do this again.' Cheryl said choosing to terminate her baby was 'the most horrendous decision I have ever made'.
Affecting one in 50 women, hyperemesis, or severe morning sickness, is characterised as extreme vomiting during pregnancy. Other symptoms include weight loss, tiredness, dizzy spells, dehydration, confusion, heart palpitations, headaches and nutritional deficiencies. The NHS say those most at risk are first-time or young mothers, women carrying twins or triplets, or women with a history of nausea and vomiting whilst using the Pill. For a full list of symptoms, causes and risks, visit the NHS.
Academics are due to meet for the first Pregnancy Sickness Support Conference to discuss how severe morning can be treated. In the meantime, for those suffering from the condition, the organization recommend the following:
- Keep a daily diary of when you feel sick, when you are sick and when you feel fine. You will begin to notice a pattern with your nausea-free intervals, so use them to eat.
- Use your nausea-free intervals to drink plenty of fluids. Water, fruit juices and lemonade are best, and limit yourself to three cups of coffee or a tea day.
- Eat cold foods as these are less odorous than hot foods, which can trigger nausea and vomiting.
- Talk to your GP about being prescribed antihistamines and Vitamin B6, as both reduce morning sickness. Over the counter won’t do – you must see your doctor.
Picture kindly from here
