The first time I sought medical support for what I suspected was HG, I was met with laughter and told “Everyone feels sick during pregnancy. Just sip on some water”.
During the first trimester, I lost a lot of weight, and felt utterly miserable, overwhelmed, and unable to function.
On one occasion, I went to the hospital feeling awful. I was so dehydrated they couldn’t take blood samples, but my ketones were tested and came back as normal. The doctor simply said “You’re not dehydrated.”
As my pregnancy progressed, the vomiting reduced significantly, but the severe nausea persisted.
In many ways, the nausea was even more challenging, as it left me feeling dismissed by healthcare professionals as I didn’t meet the arbitrary criteria of vomiting enough times to be taken seriously.
I felt like I constantly had to advocate for myself to get the care that I needed, which was exhausting while I was already feeling so unwell.
I reached out to PSS relatively early in my pregnancy, and I’m so glad I did. I was met with incredible empathy and understanding, and was assigned to a peer support group.
They supported me in getting the medication that I needed and provided encouragement and moral support. It was such a comfort to feel understood!
Thank you to Mellissa for sharing her story with us. If you are able to donate to our small but mighty charity so we can help more people like Mellissa, you can do so here.
