Little did I know, infertility wasn't the end of our struggles. It all goes back to that ER visit spurred by dehydration from what I thought was a stomach virus I just kept getting back for weeks. Spoiler alert, morning sickness and stomach flu are pretty easy to confuse. So there I was 8.5 weeks pregnant and thinking WOW, this first trimester is almost over. Only a few more weeks of morning sickness and I'll be off to enjoy my pregnancy.
LIES! First came the second trimester and everyday I thought, this is the LAST day I'll fight this. Somewhere around 16 weeks I asked on Facebook, “When does the puking end? Why won't it go away?” Everyone reassured me that by the 18 week mark it was pretty much over. Two more weeks? I've got this. I can totally survive two more weeks of smoothies, ginger ale, and nausea medication every 4 hours on the dot.
At this point I had been back to the hospital 4 times for IV fluids and lost 37lbs. It wasn't getting any better, if anything it got worse each day. The labor and delivery nurses warned me that each IV was harder to start than the last. Soon something more would need to be done. Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It had been in the back of my mind since 12 weeks, but I couldn't admit to myself that was what this was. It couldn't be, but it was. I had known for weeks that a PICC line was the next step. They'd put a long tube into my arm and pump me full of fluids and nausea medication 24 hours a day. I'd have a home health nurse swing by once a week to change the dressing and check my overall health. This would be a game changer.
At 22 weeks we made the appointment and spent an entire day in labor and delivery while waiting for the line to be placed. The process was much less painful and expected, but absolutely terrifying at the same time. The nurse met me at home and brought over bags upon bags of supplies. This was my life line. This would keep me and the baby alive for the next 14 weeks. I was elated to think this was the end.
Week one down I go to the doctor and despite the efforts, I've lost another pound, I'm still unable to eat, and I'm attempting to go back to work (Yes, I worked 40 hours a week on my feet this whole time. I might be insane.) We added a second nausea med every 4 hours on top of the continuous flow of fluids mixed with the max dose of Zofran my doctor would prescribe. This did the trick. While I didn't gain weight, I stopped losing and that was huge progress. I ate nearly everyday, I still vomited most days, but not nearly as often as I was before. I made it. I had overcome this struggle, this surely would allow me to enjoy my third trimester, right? You think by know I'd know not to be so optimistic.
Through Breaking Birth Barriers, I am able to offer antipartum services to those in need of support for the harder parts of pregnancy. I started this program after realizing that I would have benefited from a few hours of support each week from someone who had an understanding that pregnancy wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. No one ever told me it was okay to not enjoy every second of my pregnancy, trust me it is fine to think that pregnancy sucks.
Alecia Miller, CD
Breaking Birth Barriers
*For more information on hyperemesis gravidarum, please visit www.helpher.org*
LIES! First came the second trimester and everyday I thought, this is the LAST day I'll fight this. Somewhere around 16 weeks I asked on Facebook, “When does the puking end? Why won't it go away?” Everyone reassured me that by the 18 week mark it was pretty much over. Two more weeks? I've got this. I can totally survive two more weeks of smoothies, ginger ale, and nausea medication every 4 hours on the dot.
At this point I had been back to the hospital 4 times for IV fluids and lost 37lbs. It wasn't getting any better, if anything it got worse each day. The labor and delivery nurses warned me that each IV was harder to start than the last. Soon something more would need to be done. Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It had been in the back of my mind since 12 weeks, but I couldn't admit to myself that was what this was. It couldn't be, but it was. I had known for weeks that a PICC line was the next step. They'd put a long tube into my arm and pump me full of fluids and nausea medication 24 hours a day. I'd have a home health nurse swing by once a week to change the dressing and check my overall health. This would be a game changer.
At 22 weeks we made the appointment and spent an entire day in labor and delivery while waiting for the line to be placed. The process was much less painful and expected, but absolutely terrifying at the same time. The nurse met me at home and brought over bags upon bags of supplies. This was my life line. This would keep me and the baby alive for the next 14 weeks. I was elated to think this was the end.
Week one down I go to the doctor and despite the efforts, I've lost another pound, I'm still unable to eat, and I'm attempting to go back to work (Yes, I worked 40 hours a week on my feet this whole time. I might be insane.) We added a second nausea med every 4 hours on top of the continuous flow of fluids mixed with the max dose of Zofran my doctor would prescribe. This did the trick. While I didn't gain weight, I stopped losing and that was huge progress. I ate nearly everyday, I still vomited most days, but not nearly as often as I was before. I made it. I had overcome this struggle, this surely would allow me to enjoy my third trimester, right? You think by know I'd know not to be so optimistic.
Through Breaking Birth Barriers, I am able to offer antipartum services to those in need of support for the harder parts of pregnancy. I started this program after realizing that I would have benefited from a few hours of support each week from someone who had an understanding that pregnancy wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. No one ever told me it was okay to not enjoy every second of my pregnancy, trust me it is fine to think that pregnancy sucks.
Alecia Miller, CD
Breaking Birth Barriers
*For more information on hyperemesis gravidarum, please visit www.helpher.org*