Hyperemeis Gravidarum

Warning:  This is a long post.. and one that talks about my experience with hyperemesis.

In my last post, I said I would share more about my pregnancy with Montgomery and the sickness I experienced during it.  The first 13 weeks of my pregnancy were probably the most nightmarish and terrifying for me and my husband.  I'll be honest, without the support and unbelievable amount of help from my husband and mom, I don't know how I would have made it through.  

At this point, I know some of you who are reading probably think I'm being quite dramatic.  Morning sickness happens to the majority of pregnant women, right?  Well, it probably does.  I'm not up to date with my pregnancy stats, but I do know that what I experienced was not morning sickness.  I'm not sure if I even fully understand the severity of my first hospital stay. 

Only two weeks after we told our parents that they were going to be grandparents, I was admitted into the Women's ER at Centennial Hospital for something called hyperemesis gravidarum.  Basically, I couldn't keep anything down and was severely dehydrated.  My OBGYN, who I had not yet even met with, had called in Zofran, a very common anti-nauesa drug, for me earlier that day.  It didn't work.. at all.  After 30 hours of continuous vomiting, Ben decided it was time to take me to the ER.  I am so thankful that he did!  I learned after my hospital stay that my dehydration was extremely severe.  I was hours away from permanent damage to my brain and body.  

Thankfully, after an hour of poking and prodding, the team of ER nurses were able to successfully get an IV in my arm.  At this point, I had nothing left to give.  My body would begin to hurl and I could feel an agonizing burn as bile came up and tears came down.  After trying different forms of Zofran, the nurses finally put some kind of pure gold into my IV and my body allowed me to rest.  Then a new nurse came in.. she wanted to hear the heartbeat.  THE HEARTBEAT that I had never heard at this point.  I was only 5-6 weeks along.  She assured me that we may not be able to find it this early, and that I shouldn't worry.  I think the tears were streaming at that point.  To my surprise and absolute relief, she found it! It was the first time we had ever heard our sweet baby's heartbeat.  I knew that I was still pregnant, which meant I was okay.  

The next day, they wanted an ultrasound done.  A very disgruntled employee came to roll (or speed race) my bed to ultrasound imaging.  I had finally calmed down and this lunatic was about to make my body start all over again.  When we got there, he told Ben that he could not go in the room with me.  I think my raging pregnancy hormones kicked in at that point and I let the guy know that I had had enough and demanded that my husband was able to see the first ultrasound of our child with me.  Ben was able to come in, and the ultrasound tech was really nice.  Even with this, the experience was not a great one.  Everything looked fine and we were able to see our baby, but I was uncomfortable and exhausted and fought back the urge of getting sick the whole time.  Not at all how imagined our first ultrasound to go.  But, my baby was okay. 

A side note: This was the first of many times where I heard my baby compared to a parasite.  I was told that even though I was unable to eat, that my baby was still thriving.  That he would take all of my nutrients.. like a parasite.  I know the nurses and doctor were trying to comfort me, but it wasn't very effective.  Now, it doesn't ruffle my feathers as much, but comparing an unborn child to a parasite to the pregnant momma.. not a good idea. 

I  was discharged from the hospital on February 15th.  We spent our first Valentine's Day as a married couple in the hospital.  I felt so guilty!  I'll never forget what came through the door right before we left, though: a giant stuffed frog, flowers and a huge balloon all held by my husband.  When we got back to our little apartment, it was spotless!  My mom and sister had went over and cleaned everything for us!  

 I was out of work for another week because I was still extremely weak and could only maintain crackers and water.  At the time, I didn't know what had triggered the first episode.  During the next hospital visit, we connected the dots.  Chocolate.  Chocolate is what set my body off and caused me to spiral down so quickly that after the fourth hour of vomiting, Ben once again took me to the Women's ER.  I was immediately admitted and stayed 3 or 4 days.  

I was hospitalized a third time and stayed 5 days due to an allergic reaction to Compazine.  This is the visit where we finally found the solution to end my hell.  Kytril, a drug that is commonly used with cancer patients to help prevent nausea and vomiting, is what stopped the constant hospital visits.  We had to fight our insurance company, but we finally got it approved.  Thankfully, our doctor stood behind us and fought for us too.  

The rest of my pregnancy was amazingly easy.  I avoided chocolate, raw veggies, red meat and any heavy foods or foods that had strong smells.  The last month of my pregnancy I developed a crazy craving for warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream.  Also, a box of peanut butter Capt'n Crunch usually lasted at max two days in our kitchen.  Thank goodness for my magic medicine! I could at least enjoy those cravings during my last month!

 Each time I felt nauseous, I wondered if it was going to put me in the hospital again.  Each time someone asked me how I felt, I was terrified of jinxing myself by answering "great."  Each time I was hospitalized,  I was terrified of losing my precious baby and Ben was terrified of losing his wife.  Not many people understand the severity of Hyperemesis, as it is extremely uncommon.  I lost around 30 pounds during the first trimester, but thankfully my OBGYN was committed to finding something that would work for me and help end my sickness.  I've read of horror stories where the sickness lasted the whole 9 months.  I can't even imagine.  

Now, my sweet baby boy is about to turn two years old! Its amazing how quickly time flies.. and how time can make you forget.  While we do plan on waiting a while before trying again (I'm currently trying to lose some weight to help with our next pregnancy), I have baby fever like crazy!  Several of my friends were/are due in August-November and the cute bellies and adorable baby pictures are driving me crazy!  Let me stress: we are not pregnant.  While my husband is extremely nervous about the thought of another pregnancy, I think the possibility of having to experience HG again is worth it.  While of course I don't want to go through that again (ever), the amazing joy that entered into our lives with Montgomery makes me believe that the pros most definitely outweigh the cons.  I have been told that there is absolutely no way to know if I will experience HG again, or if I do if it will be less severe or worse.  I do take comfort in knowing that we've already been through it once and understand it a little better.  We know what medicine finally worked and we know that we can make it through.  Plus, we have Montgomery now!  God doesn't give us anything that we can't handle with his guidance.  

I was (and still am) extremely blessed.  Both of our families were huge helps and Ben was able to stay most nights at the hospital with me.  When he couldn't, my mom would stay.  Plus, the preschool I worked at was extremely understanding! I did have to take a medical leave (I went back when M was four months old) from grad school, which also ended up being a huge blessing. 

To any mommas who are currently experiencing HG, my prayers are with you.  Don't feel guilty and try to rest whenever possible.  Keep a food journal so that if you do get sick, you (or your husband) can look back and see what may have triggered it.  Don't try to overdo it and think that its magically gone.  No craving is worth another hospital visit.  Remember, that the end result will be a beautiful baby!  

Sorry for such a long post!

Jenni