Hyper-G

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. It is generally described as unrelenting, excessive pregnancy-related nausea and/or vomiting that prevents adequate intake of food and fluids. If severe and/or inadequately treated, it is typically associated with:

* loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%)
* dehydration and production of ketones
* nutritional deficiencies
* metabolic imbalances
* difficulty with daily activities

HG usually extends beyond the first trimester and may resolve by 21 weeks; however, it can last the entire pregnancy in less than half of these women. Complications of vomiting (e.g. gastric ulcers, esophageal bleeding, malnutrition, etc.) may also contribute to and worsen ongoing nausea.

....That's copy and pasted from a website I've spent alot of time at recently.
http://www.helpher.org

Rach is 12 weeks pregnant, and should be feeling like a champ according to anyone who's had a normal pregnancy. Needless to say from my last two posts... she could be feeling better.

I'm sure that most of the peeps that I talk to probably think I'm just trying to elicit some kind of sympathy. Truth is, all I wanna do is vent some of this stuff that's tying my stomach in knots. Both of us hate drugs and hospitals and everything they imply. We are not the kind of people that even like to take headache meds. I'd rather find the cause and encourage the body to heal itself. Rach'd rather sleep through it or ignore it.

And yet we're stuck. Both of us fighting with these damn meds to find a balance of sanity and control. Chasing down drug names and interactions and side effects. All the while worrying about how this drugged up little baby is gonna feel in a suddenly drug free world. Are we ****ing him up by coursing these freakishly disturbing chemicals through Rach's body.

But there's no choice. Rach's health is critical to both her and any chance for this little guy to get out alive. It's almost like an allergic reaction Rach is having to this baby inside her. Only instead of reacting against it, it's overacting to protect it. At the cost of Rach's health and self-sustainability.

My hope is that this is all just a reaction to some bleeding in the placenta, and that once that's all healed up (and hopefully soon), Rach's body will go back to normal pregnancy mode. We have an appointment on Tuesday, and hopefully we can have a good chat and try to clear up some of the questions in our head. I doubt they'll have any solid answers, but at least I can run some of my theories by them and see what they say. I'm hoping that by understanding it a little better, I'll be able to better cope with it all.

And with that, I'll get back to sleep. Pray for us. All three of us.
-len