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Both of my pregnancies were horrible. The glow I had was purely green and the sheen on my skin was because I was clammy. I felt like I had a little parasite or body snatcher inside me sucking the very life our of my very being. I vomited so much I lost count, I was nauseous 90% of the whole pregnancy. Nothing I did helped, none of the medications fixed me, they only eased the symptoms. I felt terribly alone and misunderstood.

It wasn’t until my second pregnancy that I found others through an online birth club who were suffering Hyperemesis Gravidarum as I was. I found people who understood what I was going through and in numbers there is hope. My weight loss spiked at 14kg below my pre-pregnancy weight (around 12% of my body weight but I was 6 months pregnant at the time), my teeth started to crumble from acid bile, my hair was falling out, my muscles were deteriorating. Everything physically was failing but having these people who understood around me made me feel so much stronger – like I COULD get through to the end.

After giving birth to my second daughter I knew that was the end of baby making for me. I knew I could never do that again. But I found this roaring passion inside me to help others, to support others. I found out about so many treatment options that were never made available to me through simple lack of education on my medical providers part. I helped start support groups, I volunteer with the HER (Hyperemesis Education and Research) Foundation, I e-mail, text and call women who are suffering and offer them someone who understands to talk to. Unless you have been through HG it is hard to understand and often a woman suffering with HG doesn’t like to open up to someone who hasn’t had it as the severity of it can push others away.

Through intense suffering I found a passion that I am now proud of. Hyperemesis may have taken away the joy of creating life – but it gave me a passion that I have never had before.

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Posted by ronis84, 5th June 2013