My husband showed me this. It is SO encouraging to hear. I still shudder when I think about the first few months of baby girl's pregnancy and to hear there may be a cure makes me so happy for all first time moms who may get HG!!!
I recently heard about this, and had the same reaction as you! I so severely ill during my pregnancy...and the worst was when I had other people tell me there was no way I could be that sick...I would try to explain but it was hopeless...it was literally all day sickness and had just a few things I could stoamch. it was awful. I hate that you dealt with it too, and pray for all of the women out there dealing this this they have relief soon.
I know several friends who sadly only had two babies because the morning sickness was so terrible each time. A cure for HG sounds very attractive and interesting! One would have to carefully weigh individual pros and cons, long-term safety data, side effects for a new product. Informed consent is sometimes neglected in enthusiasm for a saviour.
I’m so thankful for this breakthrough. I had morning sickness on the worse end of “normal,” and yet I know it barely scratched the surface of what so many women experience. I pray the solutions will come quickly and effectively, and that doctors will prescribe them readily, taking seriously the risks that untreated HG present.
I saw this! I'm so glad you're writing about it too. I really hope this brings some measure of relief to HG sufferers. I had HG with my first pregnancy, which overlapped with Princess Kate's first pregnancy. She was diagnosed a couple weeks into my pregnancy and so that's how I knew my morning sickness wasn't normal. Her HG prompted me to talk to my midwives about it. For months I couldn't eat hardly anything (weirdly, mango lassi and hot dogs were ok?? Nothing else would stay down.) and I was unable to drink flat/still water for the entire pregnancy. I drank coconut water and took little sips of fizzy water.
I lost over 20 lbs (I had about that extra to spare going into the pregnancy) so my weight at time of delivery was two pounds more than my pre-pregnancy weight.
I'm eternally grateful that my later pregnancies were normal all-day queasiness with only the occasional vomiting, instead of HG. The HG + PPA/D made us seriously question having more than one child. In fact, we didn't for several years. The trauma was too much. I'm grateful we did (eventually) have more children (my first pregnancy/post-partum was my worst), but I hold other mommas who endured trauma and decided to stop with one in the highest regard.
I was hospitalized twice for HG with my twin pregnancy. It was miserable 😖 So excited to hear this news! A little sad though that it wasn’t discovered four years ago 😂
I can't relate in the ordinary way - my pregnancy sickness is bad, but not unbearable - but I have a severely irritable uterus and I immediately recognize the attitude of "wow, you're (I'm) weak/overreacting and possibly not cut out for this pregnancy thing". So many afternoons wasted getting checked for preterm labor. I love babies, but I'm struggling to get excited about asking God for another because of how debilitating the constant contractions were. THAT part I understand.
I was an HG mom! ER visits, huge weight loss during pregnancy, all of it. It carried on until just partway through the last trimester, and it took me a year after birth to regain my strength. My God, it was awful.
I was for years embarrassed to admit that for some weeks in early pregnancy, I imbibed nothing but Coca Cola and a few tortilla chips. They were the only things I could—sometimes—keep down. Water was impossible. Vegetables made me vomit at the sight of them. I remember looking at a zucchini in the fridge one day and running to the toilet. We had a garden and I couldn’t even pick the tomatoes because the smell of them made me sick. Bread and crackers came right back up. I spent most of my time locked in a bedroom away from the smells of the kitchen—or lying on the bathroom floor.
I am so glad there is hope on the horizon for other women. The HG, plus my age, played a big role in my decision not to have more children. If I weren’t an HG sufferer, I would almost certainly have chosen to increase my family size. 💙
I haven't experienced HG, but the constant low-grade-and-sometimes-miserable nausea for a few first trimester weeks was enough for me to realize HG was worse.
Man. I have such respect for women who deal with HG. I would say my morning sickness is perhaps worse than average, but the combination of nausea and zero wiggle room in my diet is awful. And then with our third I had gallbladder attacks that made it impossible to eat much... after that pregnancy a friend expressed surprise we’d have more because I had been so sick and I almost cried with relief bc someone saw and validated how awful I felt. I just think that people severely underestimate the emotional toll of something that you and baby need for your actual survival becoming a source of severe trauma. It’s not just a physical thing -- people are really emotionally battered from it.
A dear friend has HG pregnancies -- she is expecting her fourth. She is without a doubt one of the bravest people I know. She really does approach the situation with humor, but it's caused so much suffering in her life. I'll be sharing the article with her for sure! Glad to hear that more pointed research is being done in this area ❤️
Finally some good news in the world!! And The discernment for difficult pregnancies / postpartums is so hard. I feel there is no guidance in NFP circles & the rhetoric on “selfish reasons” has probably left me permanently scarred. I still have not fully healed from my fourth c-section (another PT consult this week and the baby is about to turn 1 😫). I was at a park playdate in the fall when I could not even hold the baby & another mom asked me when I was going to have a 5th. I’ve also had several secular friends make jokes about when we’re having a 5th child and I feel like I have to put on a polished PR front. As if it’s my personal responsibility to make NFP look appealing.
Through four pregnancies I never got the HG diagnosis but the morning sickness and vomiting and exhaustion were absolutely devastating. When I am pregnant, all I can do is be pregnant. With the most recent baby it was probably easiest because the other kids were big enough that I could pop a Zofran, teach the bare minimum, then leave the nine-year-old to make lunch and put on Magic School Bus while I crawled to bed. I think Catholic circles sometimes romanticize pregnancy as a tremendous blessing (it is! It is!) but it can simultaneously be the best and worst thing ever to happen to a person. I’ve thought a lot about this, mostly while lying, nauseous and exhausted, in bed--can you tell? Haha.
My husband showed me this. It is SO encouraging to hear. I still shudder when I think about the first few months of baby girl's pregnancy and to hear there may be a cure makes me so happy for all first time moms who may get HG!!!
I recently heard about this, and had the same reaction as you! I so severely ill during my pregnancy...and the worst was when I had other people tell me there was no way I could be that sick...I would try to explain but it was hopeless...it was literally all day sickness and had just a few things I could stoamch. it was awful. I hate that you dealt with it too, and pray for all of the women out there dealing this this they have relief soon.
Wow! This is great news! I didn't have HG but I was so miserable, and I know many women have it worse than I do.
I know several friends who sadly only had two babies because the morning sickness was so terrible each time. A cure for HG sounds very attractive and interesting! One would have to carefully weigh individual pros and cons, long-term safety data, side effects for a new product. Informed consent is sometimes neglected in enthusiasm for a saviour.
I’m so thankful for this breakthrough. I had morning sickness on the worse end of “normal,” and yet I know it barely scratched the surface of what so many women experience. I pray the solutions will come quickly and effectively, and that doctors will prescribe them readily, taking seriously the risks that untreated HG present.
Such fabulous news that they can finally determine the hormone causing it! I really hope this helps women soon!
I saw this! I'm so glad you're writing about it too. I really hope this brings some measure of relief to HG sufferers. I had HG with my first pregnancy, which overlapped with Princess Kate's first pregnancy. She was diagnosed a couple weeks into my pregnancy and so that's how I knew my morning sickness wasn't normal. Her HG prompted me to talk to my midwives about it. For months I couldn't eat hardly anything (weirdly, mango lassi and hot dogs were ok?? Nothing else would stay down.) and I was unable to drink flat/still water for the entire pregnancy. I drank coconut water and took little sips of fizzy water.
I lost over 20 lbs (I had about that extra to spare going into the pregnancy) so my weight at time of delivery was two pounds more than my pre-pregnancy weight.
I'm eternally grateful that my later pregnancies were normal all-day queasiness with only the occasional vomiting, instead of HG. The HG + PPA/D made us seriously question having more than one child. In fact, we didn't for several years. The trauma was too much. I'm grateful we did (eventually) have more children (my first pregnancy/post-partum was my worst), but I hold other mommas who endured trauma and decided to stop with one in the highest regard.
I was hospitalized twice for HG with my twin pregnancy. It was miserable 😖 So excited to hear this news! A little sad though that it wasn’t discovered four years ago 😂
Oh, God bless!!!
I can't relate in the ordinary way - my pregnancy sickness is bad, but not unbearable - but I have a severely irritable uterus and I immediately recognize the attitude of "wow, you're (I'm) weak/overreacting and possibly not cut out for this pregnancy thing". So many afternoons wasted getting checked for preterm labor. I love babies, but I'm struggling to get excited about asking God for another because of how debilitating the constant contractions were. THAT part I understand.
I so hope that a cure for HG pans out!
I was an HG mom! ER visits, huge weight loss during pregnancy, all of it. It carried on until just partway through the last trimester, and it took me a year after birth to regain my strength. My God, it was awful.
I was for years embarrassed to admit that for some weeks in early pregnancy, I imbibed nothing but Coca Cola and a few tortilla chips. They were the only things I could—sometimes—keep down. Water was impossible. Vegetables made me vomit at the sight of them. I remember looking at a zucchini in the fridge one day and running to the toilet. We had a garden and I couldn’t even pick the tomatoes because the smell of them made me sick. Bread and crackers came right back up. I spent most of my time locked in a bedroom away from the smells of the kitchen—or lying on the bathroom floor.
I am so glad there is hope on the horizon for other women. The HG, plus my age, played a big role in my decision not to have more children. If I weren’t an HG sufferer, I would almost certainly have chosen to increase my family size. 💙
This is wonderfully hopeful - great piece, Dixie!
I haven't experienced HG, but the constant low-grade-and-sometimes-miserable nausea for a few first trimester weeks was enough for me to realize HG was worse.
Praise the Lord! I don’t suffer from this but know someone who has with every pregnancy. What incredible news.
It makes me sad to think that Charlotte Bronte probably died from HG. It is such a terrible thing.
Man. I have such respect for women who deal with HG. I would say my morning sickness is perhaps worse than average, but the combination of nausea and zero wiggle room in my diet is awful. And then with our third I had gallbladder attacks that made it impossible to eat much... after that pregnancy a friend expressed surprise we’d have more because I had been so sick and I almost cried with relief bc someone saw and validated how awful I felt. I just think that people severely underestimate the emotional toll of something that you and baby need for your actual survival becoming a source of severe trauma. It’s not just a physical thing -- people are really emotionally battered from it.
A dear friend has HG pregnancies -- she is expecting her fourth. She is without a doubt one of the bravest people I know. She really does approach the situation with humor, but it's caused so much suffering in her life. I'll be sharing the article with her for sure! Glad to hear that more pointed research is being done in this area ❤️
Finally some good news in the world!! And The discernment for difficult pregnancies / postpartums is so hard. I feel there is no guidance in NFP circles & the rhetoric on “selfish reasons” has probably left me permanently scarred. I still have not fully healed from my fourth c-section (another PT consult this week and the baby is about to turn 1 😫). I was at a park playdate in the fall when I could not even hold the baby & another mom asked me when I was going to have a 5th. I’ve also had several secular friends make jokes about when we’re having a 5th child and I feel like I have to put on a polished PR front. As if it’s my personal responsibility to make NFP look appealing.
Through four pregnancies I never got the HG diagnosis but the morning sickness and vomiting and exhaustion were absolutely devastating. When I am pregnant, all I can do is be pregnant. With the most recent baby it was probably easiest because the other kids were big enough that I could pop a Zofran, teach the bare minimum, then leave the nine-year-old to make lunch and put on Magic School Bus while I crawled to bed. I think Catholic circles sometimes romanticize pregnancy as a tremendous blessing (it is! It is!) but it can simultaneously be the best and worst thing ever to happen to a person. I’ve thought a lot about this, mostly while lying, nauseous and exhausted, in bed--can you tell? Haha.