by JennyK » Jul 18, 2005 11:02 pm
I couldn't stand it so I had to email the author of the article. Aside from the hg comment, wouldn't it be unnatural for parents not to do a certain amount of worrying? Amyway, here's what a wrote to her:
I just came across your article "The pregnancy panic attack," which I found interesting and much-needed. However, I just wanted to share with you another perspective about your friend's comment about hyperemesis gravidarum.
I was delighted to finally get a postive pregnancy test and made an appointment with a certified nurse-midwife. Women have done this for thousands of years and pregnancy and birth are natural, not medical events, right? A couple weeks later hyperemesis hit and I found myself vomiting bile every fifteen minutes around the clock. In two weeks I had lost a significant amount of weight and found myself being fed through a catheter to my heart. The symptoms eventually eased up, but I vomited daily and needed drugs intended for chemotherapy patients until delivery. Without the best treatment and care, I wonder whether my 17-month-old daughter and I would be here today. Having hyperemesis is like having food poisoning that lasts for months. I doubt physical suffering can be any worse than hyperemesis. My induced labor and delivery--which I chose to do without any pain medications--were a walk in the park compared to hyperemesis.
So when your friend said, "please tell me you were a little queasy," I wonder if she was really asking, "how can some people be so violently ill while others feel great?" I admit to being envious of and even sometimes angry at women who feel well during pregnancy, but I, for one, certainly do not think there is anything wrong with escaping without morning sickness. I only wish my fortune was so good.
Jenny
Annie, January '04
Will, August '06