Tuesday, May 4, 2010

34 weeks down, 6 weeks to go

Waking up at 7:00 AM to puke for half an hour is not how I envisioned starting off my day. Happy 34 weeks of pregnancy to me.

Sure, there are aches and pains associated with pregnancy. No one said growing another human was going to be easy, but Hyperemesis Gravidarum is a beast in a class of its own. I don't expect people who have never experienced hyperemesis to understand just how debilitating it can be. I don't expect people who haven't experienced it to truly understand that it is more than "severe morning sickness". Not only does it break you down physically, it robs you of the opportunity to fully enjoy your pregnancy.

The good news is that there are many treatment options that can be pursued. Unfortunately for people like me, the treatments don't always work or it takes quite a few weeks to achieve just a tad bit of relief. My experience has been more like that of Tomoeh Murakami Tse, a staff writer for the Washington Post, who published this article on her bout with hyperemesis in 2008.

I had hyperemesis with my first pregnancy and I was truly hoping that I wouldn't have to ever go through it again. Obviously, that wasn't in the cards. I thought I knew what to expect, having gone through it before, but it seems this time my body turned it up a notch. I honestly did not think I would make it through this pregnancy. That was until I found a hyperemesis support group. Having the help and support of women who knew exactly what I was going through was invaluable. These women gave me hope and kept me focused. Trust me, it's easy to get discouraged when you've been throwing up 12 times a day for days at a time and you've become so weak that you can't even stand up for a few minutes to brush your teeth in the mornings. It's hard to keep hope alive when your friends and family can not believe that you're in your second or third trimester and you're still so sick and you start hearing one horror story after another. I look forward to providing moral and emotional support to those going through this.

It has been a long road. 34 weeks is quite an accomplishment for me. I can only take the next 6 weeks one day at a time. Wish me luck.

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BabbleOnMom
Breastfeeding, babywearing, clothdiapering enthusiast. Single 30-something mom to a 4 year old goddess and a little prince born in June 2010. Just enjoying life with kids, rolling with the punches and sharing my lessons along the way.
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