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Hyperemesis Gravidarum

When the joy of creating life turns


into a struggle for survival and hope
I Wish . . .
I wish that I had never tried to get
pregnant
I wish that in a few months I would
be able to hold my baby

In Honor of Casey Lee

Lost and
Loved Angel
Hyperemesis Gravidarum
"I weighed 96 lbs at one point and looked like walking death. I
wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy."

HG is a debilitating and potentially life


threatening pregnancy disease marked by
rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and
dehydration due to unrelenting nausea
and/or vomiting with potential adverse
consequences for the newborn(s).
With more information, we can
help families bring their babies into
this world with as little struggle as
possible. Karen
- The HER Foundation
All information is provided by the HER Foundation and survivors of HG
Complications for the Mother
Debilitating fatigue inability to work or take care
of their families
Malnutrition and dehydration
Frequent vomiting of blood or bile
Organ dysfunction/failure gallbladder,
liver, gastrointestinal,
heart
Depression and "I lived on my bathroom floor with my
down comforter over me or in the
anxiety hospital getting an IV... My life turned
Post traumatic upside down... I went from a vibrant,
happy, loving, spontaneous, career
stress disorder driver type A personality to essentially
- nothing."
Complications for the Baby
"I have had 5
unsuccessful pregnancies
in a period of nine years.
Pre-term labor I had my gallbladder removed
and had pancreatitis due to
Low birth weight the severe HG. I went from
weighing 125 pounds to
Developmental delays weighing 98 pounds. I do
not even know where to get
Congenital heart disease help. I really want to
experience
Skeletal malformations being a mother."
Behavior/emotional problems
Pregnancy loss and miscarriage (25% for
HG pregnancies)
A Journey Through HG
To add insult to injury, our OB refused to authorize Zofran
and told Jen she was no longer eligible for disability.

On January 10th we had our follow


up appointment with our doctor.
She still refused medication and,
even though Jen was still 5 pounds
below her pre-pregnant weight at about
23 weeks pregnancy, she would not allow
further disability time.

In honor of Jordan William, Trisomy 18, son to a HG mom

Lost and Loved Angel


The Voice of HG Women
HG robbed me of the joys
of pregnancy. It shattered "My 19 year old daughter
my dreams of having a large
family.
died on March 19 2002.
She was 13 weeks
pregnant. and had been to
the hospital twice the
"I hate that this disorder week before and
makes me PETRIFIED of diagnosed with
pregnancy, that it has to be Hyperemesis Gravidarum."
so life altering, that I have
to feel so sick for so long.
Every day I think about
HG, I feel like I am not
the same person since I
have endured so much, HG I have found touched
dramatic as that sounds." every bit of my life, like
Kendis tentacles, reaching into the
farthest corners of my soul.
A Journey Through Severe HG
I was having a ton of iv's and my arms
were covered in bruises.

For some women,


the vomiting is so
severe that they
must be placed on I have had IVs every
week for 4 weeks and
PICC lines or my arms have bruises
up and down them. I
feeding tubes to help have been trying to
sustain them and fight off having to have
one because of the
their developing risks, but it has got to
the point where I am
babies. 92 pounds . . .
The experience is so raw and scary and yes the outcome is glorious but the
journey almost killed me."

How You Can Help


"With no family or support, we reluctantly put
our daughter into daycare because I was
unable to care for her." "I was hospitalized
[from] 5 weeks
Provide emotional support Listen [until] 17 weeks with
without judgment admissions till delivery,
the emotional [and]
Provide practical support Help with
household chores and childcare, physical toll were horrific.
transportation to medical appointments [I was] vomiting 70+ times
a day, nose bleeds, torn
Provide financial support The more esophagus, burst blood
severe HG is, the higher the medical care vessels in my eye . . . My
costs involved
son has
Be an advocate Visit the HER special needs."
foundation website to find practical ways
that you can help those you know
struggling with HG today and those who Good works are links that
may struggle with it in the future form a chain of love.
- Mother Teresa
Where to Find Help
HER Foundation
Hyperemesis Education & Research Foundation
provides education & support for mothers suffering from
hyperemesis gravidarum and those who care for them.
With the right information, we can help others.

www.HelpHER.org
Information
Support
Hope
The HER Foundation was founded in 2000 by a registered nurse, Kimber Wakefield
MacGibbon, after suffering from nine months of severe hyperemesis gravidarum.
You don't know me now
Warm smiles, Dreams, Raucous laughter
Energy, Passion ,Drive
That was all before
What HG Has Done to Me . . .
Before the flood of vomit came pouring out of me
Ripping out my soul, my mind
Taking with it the sure knowledge of who I am and what I am capable of

All that is left is the memory


of dark rooms and dark places
in the corners of my mind
that I did not know existed and fear may rise again

There is no joy in creating life for me . . .


Just the endless torment of days spent hoping, to no avail, that I could eat,
or drink, or at least sleep until it was over

At the end of each day there is no hope


Just the prospects of another day with this new person
Merely a shadow of my former self
for a part of me died with you
and now there is no reward
Karen

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