Hyperemesis Gravidarum Survival Guide

I've previously shared my personal experience with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) (Diagnosis, Treatment  & Hospital and Recovery) with the view of hopefully helping some other poor suffering ladies that could take comfort in knowing they're not alone. Today however I've decided to share my tips for surviving HG and how to make life throughout those horrible weeks/months that little bit more bearable.

Rest, rest, rest! HG runs a vicious cycle -- your sickness exhausts you and your exhaustion makes you sick. That's why it's important to rest as much as you can. Even if its just lying in bed feeling sorry for yourself, with a sick bucket beside you -- refrain from doing anything strenuous. Call in family to baby-sit if you've other kids to care for, ask your doctor to sign you off if you can't face work and forget about those dirty dishes - they can wait (& they'll still need done in 9 months time. Or in 18 years for that matter...). You'll probably find your energy levels are at their lowest anyway but it's important to listen to what your body is telling you.

Keep hydrated. By any means possible! Be in sucking ice cubes, keeping a wet flannel pressed to your lips or drinking any combination of unhealthy sugary drinks. Any liquid that gets into your system (particularly those that stay there) are good fluids. Of course in an ideal world, as recommended by Health Care Professionals (HCP), sipping water is best but the reality is that this can be enough to send you into a sickness frenzy, not only depriving you of any gained fluids but causing you to lose any stored fluids too. So just do whatever works for you.

Eat whatever you fancy, when you fancy. During one of my hospital stays, I met with a nutritionist who recommended small frequent meals of easy to digest food. Avoid fatty foods, dairy, fizzy drinks... Basically avoid anything with taste or substance! I opted not to follow this advice, mainly because the thought of her suggested foods were enough to make me sick, never mind actually eating them. Instead I followed the advice of other experienced HG suffers I'd spoken with and ate what I wanted, when I wanted. Sure, this meant I'd go days at a time only eating Ricicles but in truth, it was better than nothing at all.

Seek help from Health Care Professionals. I was very lucky in my HG battle to encounter understanding & educated HCPs -- not every lady is so lucky. If at first you don't succeed, try again, and again, and again until they'll listen to you. Most HCPs assume you're simply exaggerating morning sickness but the reality is that HG is much more than that -- it's a life altering illness that needs specialist treatment. Be it anti-sickness medications or hospital stays with IV fluids. Even now, not much is known about HG so if you find your HCP isn't taking you seriously, print out one of the fact sheets from the Sickness Support website.

Take it a day at a time. Don't dwell on how long your HG will last as the reality is, you just don't know. You could be feeling better a week from now, it could be months. The important part is to make it to the end of each day. You'll be one day closer to meeting your little one and down one less day of suffering. And on those really bad days, even take it an hour at a time.

Take comfort in knowing your at low risk of miscarriage. Not a great deal is known about the cause of HG but research shows its likely to have some form of connection to the levels of hCG (the pregnancy hormone) which is usually a lot higher in HG sufferers. This also means your likely to be having a strong pregnancy -- or perhaps even multiples! Also meaning your less likely to miscarry than non-HG sufferers.

Speak to people who know what you're going through. I found great comfort in speaking with the ladies on the Hyperemesis Gravidarum board on the Baby Centre Community -- whether it was for advice on medication or just to have a moan, the ladies there were always happy to help. There's similar groups all over the internet, including the Pregnancy Sickness Support's Facebook Support Group. Sometimes just knowing you're not the only person in the world going through HG is enough to make a bad day better.

(A big thank you to all the lovely ladies at the Hyperemesis Gravidarum board on Baby Centre Community for sharing your own advice and experiences with me!)

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