Australian radio presenter Fifi Box has shared on Instagram that she is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) – a serious condition that can happen during pregnancy, which causes extreme nausea and vomiting.
Box, who announced her pregnancy through an anonymous sperm donor in February this year, posted a photo collage of her face to demonstrate how debilitating HG had been for her.
“I’ve had a lot of people curious about my pregnancy condition hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) and wondering what exactly is wrong with me,” the 42-year-old explained.
“HG has made this much wanted and longed for pregnancy an incredibly tough journey.
“This is the reality of how I have looked every day for 9 months, debilitated by nausea, bedridden and at times hospitalised.”
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I was told by my GP that I had it in my second pregnancy as I had lost more than 10% of my prepregnancy body weight by the end of the first trimester but as I was able to keep some food down (for some reason I could only eat english mustard on toast and fruit tingles, everything else would bounce within minutes) and wasn't hospitalised for dehydration I wasn't prescribed anything. Wasn't easy with a 2 year old. It finally stopped towards the end of the second trimester. I have no idea how friends who have been on the extremely severe end of the scale coped as I barely coped as it was.
Pretty good explanation here, I don't know how people like Fifi and Amy Schumer get through it with their public profiles.
For me, the only relief was when I was sleeping. Before I went on medication, I could barely stomach a single glass of water in a whole day, barely ate, was bed ridden and felt progressively more nauseas throughout the day before spending the evening throwing up, only to still feel just as sick afterwards. Also while somehow still feeling ravenous. Medication didn't make it go away but it stopped the actual vomitting (most days) and allowed me to go work (most days), thankfully I was in a pretty easy contract role at the time and only 3 days a week.
It's very hard to understand unless you experience it, but I agree with Fifi in that it was one of the most mentally and physically challenging experiences of my life. I was beyond exhausted and in a very low mood by the time my son was born, and pretty quickly fell into PND. Wouldn't wish it on anyone!