Hyperemesis Gravidarum Support and Research Forums

Hello, my name is Tory, 17 weeks, still suffering. I am pregnant with my second. I was very sick with my first but did not have HG (I thought that was as sick as I could get! Ha! ) I have HG for this one and have lost tons of weight. My concern is the size of the baby. My first guy was 10 lbs of chubby health. Am I still going have a good sized baby or will his weight be affected?

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this. Thanks in advance for any responses.

Tory, Portland, Maine

Welcome,

I had horrible HG with my first, and she was 7 pounds 6 ounces and completely healthy. With my second my HG wasn't near as bad and she was 5 pounds 3 ounces and completely healthy. I don't know why when the HG was worse, she was larger but she was.

Hi Tory,

From what I have heard, a lot of hg babies are a very good weight, often more that average. I don't know why but they obviously are getting all the nutrients and reserves of the mother and she gets none! I had hg with my two pregnancies and the birth weights were 8lb 3oz and 9lb! I wouldn't worry about this if I was you, nature seems to favour the child not the mother. I lost a lot of weight and had a very poor diet throughout and all turned out fine with both children being very healthy.

Hope this has helped.
Goodluck! Mandy x

Generally, I'm told that HG only results in lower birth weight babies if it is left untreated (no meds, no IV fluids, etc.). I had HG with my first the whole nine months, and he was 9 lbs. 11 oz. !! I couldn't believe it. My Dr. said that even starving women in Ethiopia have normal weight babies - that mother nature makes sure the babies are cared for by taking the nutrients from the woman's body; it's the women that usually suffer. With my first, I was convinced that there was no way my baby could survive and be okay, between the lack of nutrition and all the violent vomiting. But, he and I (miraculously) both survived! He is a healthy 2-year-old now.

I read recently, that the reason HG sufferers have average to large sized babies, is that there is a larger supply of blood, almost two time sthe amount of a person with a 'normal' pregnancy so there are plenty of nutrients being brought to the baby, even stiffing you, as the mother. Your baby takes what they need from you, depleting you often... but most HG'ers have said that they didn't see any affects on their baby.

I"ve wondered mayn times if I'll have a small baby, because of the malnurishoud state I might get into. But in reality, and this drives me crazy, after the fact, most bbies from HG are perfectly healthy and a good size.. Hope that comforts you a bit.

You'll live, and your baby will be georgous!!

Christy

Christy--

Thanks for the response with the science of it all. It makes sense to me because supposedly alot of -normal- morning sickness comes from making the placenta a good one and the the size of the baby is contingent on the plancenta so big babies it is. Thanks alot, it seems silly but I'd hate to have one big boy and one much smaller. Both of them would feel odd at some point.

-Tory

Tory -

My HG baby was a decent size and was perfectly healthy. It's amazing how it all works out after 9 months of suffering!

Since you're 17 wks, I just wanted to invite you to join us in the 2nd Trimester folder. I'm a moderator and we'd love to have you. Please post about yourself...what meds you take, how you are feeling, any questions you may have, etc.

I'll see you there soon!

- Anna

Hi, Tory, and welcome! Congratulations on the second pregnancy, and sorry it's giving you the HG experience.

Most HGers have absolutely normal to even big babies. Our bodies see that Baby gets everything it needs well before ourselves. Some studies caution that HG can produce low birthweight babies, but that is rare and is usually only the moms who have severe HG through to delivery and deliver early because of threatened organ failure--very uncommon. My 3 were all the exact same size, despite the fact that with #3 I was nauseated and losing weight through to the end. Your body is programmed to make babies a certain size, and odds are you'll have another bouncing baby boy!

Don't worry - you might be suffering but odds are your bub isn't! I lost 10 kg both pregs - my daughter was 7lb 14 oz, my son 9lb 5 oz! Both healthy and happy despite their Mum's misery!

Hi
Re: the baby's weight. My daughter was a bouncing 8lbs 6oz when she arrived and didn't look any the worse for wear for enduring months of me vomiting numerous times daily. Also (this may be a bit gross so sorry in advance!) when I delivered the placenta, the midwife and the student midwife could not get over how big it was. They said it was the biggest placenta they had seen. Did anyone else have this?
Natalie. xx

I had awful HG in the first half of pregnancy with DS (did have Gestational Diabetes as well) and my beautifully healthy baby boy was born at a whopping 11 pounds 6 ouncesjavascript:emoticon(':D')!