Sebastian Archer arrived early this morning in my bathtub at 2:16 AM after a little less than 3 hours of labor, midwife barely made it in time to loop the cord over his head ;) 7 pounds 11 ounces 19 3/4 inches 

mquester:

I lost 42 lbs. WHILE pregnant and could have easily lost my youngest son, Mouse, who had to be born early due to being small for gestational age and had blood sugar issues due to this condition. HG is serious for both mom and baby and something most people never even hear about…

And for God’s sake, when a women tells you she’s battling with hyperemesis gravidarum, DON’T suggest she try crackers and ginger ale. For all you know, she has a picc line of Zofran taped to her thigh as you speak. Trust me, she’s way past morning sickness cures, even if you mean well :(

She isn’t faking or exaggerating - without modern medicine an HG mom is literally dying to have her child. Raise awareness!

(Source: mockingbirdmomma)

kingswoman:

Until yesterday, most people would never have heard of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), the acute form of morning sickness so publicly affecting Catherine of Cambridge (don’t even get me started on the wording of the Guardian article about her pregnancy this morning). It’s a relatively rare complication of pregnancy (0.5-2% of women will suffer from it), and may result in severe nausea and vomiting for the first trimester, or even the whole pregnancy. Arguably, the most famous sufferer of this condition is NOT Kate Middleton, but Charlotte Brontë, who may have died of its complications - severe dehydration and liver disease, as well as rapid weight loss that poses a risk to the mother and the child. 

It’s hard to say why some women get this extreme form of morning sickness - it is likely that a large epidemiological cohort study is needed to get to the bottom of this condition. This is where genetics could prove helpful to women like the Duchess and Charlotte Brontë. If a woman has HG in pregnancy, her identical twin is twice as likely to develop HG in pregnancy as a non-identical female twin would be. HG clusters in families - if your sister has HG, you are more 17 times more likely than average to also have HG if you become pregnant, and the risk also increases if your mother had HG. HG is also found more often in women with certain genetic conditions - all adding up to the fact that Catherine and Charlotte may not merely be unlucky in the occurrence of this condition; they may have been genetically at risk their whole lives. The current media attention on hyperemesis gravidarum may be what’s needed to spur a genome-wide association study on this condition. Given the low prevalence of HG, it would probably need to be a world-wide collaboration from several cohorts. If we knew what genetic variants predisposed women to this condition, you could be screened for it when you go for your first scan - or if a female relative has suffered from it - and the correct treatment could be given more quickly.

I may have to become “Disgruntled Scientist of Cambridge” and send this excellent research paper (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20974461) to any ignorant hack who publishes an article suggesting this condition is in some way Catherine’s fault.

anatomyinmotionapp:

What is Hyperemesis Gravidarum?
From American Pregnancy Association

Hyperemesis gravidarum is a condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and electrolyte disturbance. Mild cases are treated with dietary changes, rest and antacids. More severe cases often require a stay in the hospital so that the mother can receive fluid and nutrition through an intravenous line (IV). DO NOT take any medications to solve this problem without first consulting your health care provider.

The majority of pregnant women experience some type of morning sickness (70 - 80%). Recent studies show that at least 60,000 cases of extreme morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) are reported by those who treated in a hospital but the numbers are expected to be much higher than this since many women are treated at home or by out patient care with their health care provider. It is believed that this severe nausea is caused by a rise in hormone levels; however, the absolute cause is still unknown. They symptoms of HG usually appear between 4-6 weeks of pregnancy and may peak between 9-13 weeks. Most women receive some relief between weeks 14-20, although up to 20% of women may require care for hyperemesis throughout the rest of their pregnancy. There is no known prevention of Hyperemesis gravidarum but you can take comfort in knowing that there are ways to manage it.

Distinguishing between morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum:

Morning Sickness:
Nausea sometimes accompanied by vomiting
Nausea that subsides at 12 weeks or soon after
Vomiting that does not cause severe dehydration
Vomiting that allows you to keep some food down

Hyperemesis Gravidarum:
Nausea accompanied by severe vomiting
Nausea that does not subside
Vomiting that causes severe dehydration
Vomiting that allows you to keep some food down
Vomiting that does not allow you to keep any food down


More Signs and symptoms of hyperemesis gravidarum:
Severe nausea and vomiting
Food aversions
Weight loss of 5% or more of pre-pregnancy weight
Decrease in urination
Dehydration
Headaches
Confusion
Fainting
Jaundice
Extreme fatigue
Low blood pressure
Rapid heart rate
Loss of skin elasticity
Secondary anxiety/depression

More information found here: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hyperemesisgravidarum.html

Morning sickness compared to HG

http://www.helpher.org/

paste off & let darken for a day

37 weeks