Hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, can affect women the entire day long, for the entire nine months. Some women feel so ill that they cannot keep down any sort of food or beverage. Some vomit every morning, while others feel nauseous or vomit throughout the day and night. Women with hyperemesis may suffer from food aversions, dehydration, headaches, dizziness, or jaundice.
Diagnosing Hyperemesis Gravidarum
A woman is diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum if she has lost more than 5% of her pre-pregnancy weight, shows both nutritional deficiencies and metabolic imbalances through blood and urine tests, and has difficulty functioning in daily life. If her nausea and vomiting is severe enough, it may warrant medical intervention to ensure the health of both mother and baby.
Coping With Hyperemesis Gravidarum
If the hyperemesis is relentless enough to cause hospitalization, a woman may be put on intravenous fluids to re-hydrate and nourish her body. In rare cases, a woman may be given a percutaneous endoscopic gastronomy, or a surgically placed tube to pass nutrients into the woman’s body. In less severe cases, she would be prescribed one of several medications including those from the antihistamine and anti-reflux families. An obstetrician may also recommend bed rest, acupressure to reduce nausea, and peppermint or ginger teas to settle the stomach. Lastly, a woman who suffers from hyperemesis needs extra love and support during her pregnancy. She may seek this through her spouse, a family member, a close friend, a counselor, or clergyman.
Other Impacts of Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Severe morning sickness can disrupt the life of a pregnant woman far more than she anticipated. Some other impacts of hyperemesis include:
- Financial strain due to increased doctor or hospital visits and prescriptions, or loss of employment
- Strained relationships with family members as patient cannot perform daily activities
- Loss of employment
- Loss of enjoyment about the pregnancy
- Feeling resentment and disconnection toward the baby
- The feeling that she just wants the pregnancy "to be over"
- Difficulty parenting other children
- General feelings of depression
- Lower birth weight baby
- Reluctance to get pregnant again
Unfortunately, the causes of hyperemesis gravidarum are still being carefully researched, and cannot yet be attributed to any one thing. Overall, the only true cure for hyperemesis is delivery of the baby. Once the hormone levels have returned to normal, most women find their nausea has disappeared. While coping with hyperemesis can be exhausting, frustrating, and debilitating, it is the one condition which results in a wonderful gift—a newborn baby.
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