Chrise's story

Chrise, North Shore, Auckland

In early 2021 I found out I was seven weeks and expecting identical twins! Within a week of this I became bed ridden and debilitated by nausea and vomiting. I spent the next two weeks in bed, unable to tolerate anything by mouth at all. No food, sips of water would have me vomiting neon bile for an hour.  any movement whatsoever made me vomit, and just the slight smell. Even the fridge (clean fridge too) opening at the other end of the house would send me. My partner was not allowed in the room as his scent would also send me into fits of gagging and vomiting.

I lost 10kgs in the first 2 weeks and realized this was not just typical morning sickness. I was completely incapacitated. I spent the days laying still in silence and darkness willing and waiting for this to pass, but it just would not shift. At times I wondered if I was dying, I felt like this would be so harmful to my babies in utero and then also in my darkest moments, considered terminating my deeply wanted and five years in the making pregnancy as I just didn't know if I felt I could survive this.

My partner and family were extremely frustrated with me, willing me to eat, sip water, take meds, get up and move, shake it off. See doctors, have a shower. My boss was losing his empathy and demanding I return to work I could not for the life of me muster up the capacity to do any of it. I was stuck in my body trying to fight these waves but failing. I had been prescribed anti-nausea at some point by my GP however I couldn't keep them down. And on and on the cycle went. I eventually managed to say to my partner I need to go to urgent care, as I felt like I couldn't take any more of this. I got to an after-hours clinic vomiting and shaking the whole way, gagging on the smell of exhaust fumes from the cars around us, where I was seen by male doctors and told that I have morning sickness and prescribed more anti-nausea medication. I valiantly tried again to keep medications down and returned to bed for another week. I felt so defeated and that I must be so lazy and useless to not being able to handle morning sickness and pregnancy. At this stage my LMC midwife came on board and advised me I probably had HG and recommend I muster myself at after-hours again to receive iv fluids. Once again vomiting and shaking the whole way I got there and was treated by male doctors who gave me a printout on morning sickness. More kinds of anti-nausea and some IV fluids. This did not touch the sides for me and later that night I returned home and felt much the same. Again defeated. A few days later I started turning green. I had lost 15kgs in a month.

I had BV, thrush, low blood pressure, and I felt my body was starting to succumb. This time I said to my partner, “I think we need to go to the hospital.” I arrived in ED and was immediately given IV fluids and IV anti-nausea (which I reacted to) so was admitted into the ward for five days. Once they got control of my dehydration, malnourishment and nausea through IV, we realized one of the anti-nauseas I had been trying to take didn't agree with me and had been exasperating my sickness. So with that off the table, I eventually became able to tolerate things via my mouth again and with this, was able to manage my nausea and vomiting better. The feeling did not stop until the end of the pregnancy on the most part, but the medication helped me be able to live more comfortably I was able to eat plain things and drink water again for the remainder. And then of course my two beautiful girls came into the world and the rest is history.

 I recall it as the sickest and lowest I have been in my life. Unbearable and misunderstood, By my family, doctors at Urgent Care and work colleagues. It impacted my job severely. By the third trimester I no longer had a job, partly because of the HG. It wasn't until I was admitted to the ward that I found out I had hyperemesis - or even what it was. There was a ward full of women suffering with the same thing as me and I wasn't alone in this experience. Thank God for those understanding nurses and doctors (females, may I add) at the hospital who knew what was happening to me.

My advice is: don't delay to seek medical care when you become unable to look after yourself sufficiently and advocate for yourself until you get the right care for you! The medication can help when you get it right. Also shout out to all the woman who experience HG with other kids to look after at the same time. I can't even comprehend! 

Of course it was all worth it and is a distant memory now. But HG is no joke and the lack of understanding about it creates so many challenges. Sending my love and support to anyone going through HG. A hard battle but worth it!