HG hits Royalty

It's been all over the news this week about Princess Kate being pregnant.  I'm sure her and her husband's joy over learning they were to be parents was quickly turned into worry with how sick Kate was.  Sadly, pregnancy for Kate also means a battle with HG.  

 

My first reaction when I read the news was that maybe this would raise HG awareness and teach others that HG is real and the women who get it are not just wimps who can't handle being sick.   I was sorry to hear that Kate was sick, but thankful she was in the hospital getting the care and medicine she needed. 

 

I've struggled with some anger with the media (and comments I've read after the articles) this week. But being a mom who has suffered through HG 3 times, I have a hard time when HG is made light of. 

 

And for the record:

 

*HG is not "common" as the media says

*HG does not go away at 12 weeks

*HG sometimes gets a little easier at 20 weeks, but doesn't go away for all women

*She doesn't have HG because she is so thin! (I've started a pregnancy at 103 pounds and a second pregnancy at 118 pounds - I was sicker at 118 pounds!)

*HG does not always mean twins -  I have had HG 3 times and of all the HG blogs I've read, none of us had twins.

*HG is not just "vomiting" - it is so much vomiting that you can't keep anything down

*Just because a news reporter had morning sickness when she was pregnant, doesn't mean she had HG.  Simply having morning sickness is not HG. 

*Treatment for HG is not just rest - meds are needed to help control it and even then most women are still sick.   (I like to think that with all the meds I took, brought my HG down to 'normal' morning sickness.  And I know how much worse it would be without the meds.)

 

FINALLY, I read this on an article "Catherine, was receiving treatment for hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that causes more severe nausea and vomiting than typical morning sickness."  

I hope that people don't judge Kate and mock her sickness.  She truly is sick and believe me, I am sure she does not want to be as sick as she is.  It's possible she is counting down the days until her due date and she can feel normal again. 

 

Kate will be in my prayers. 

2 Years Later

My baby turned 2 on the 6th of this month - wow, where did the time go?! 

The week he turned 2, I weaned him.  Sad in some ways, freeing in others, and an accomplishment I have wanted since my first was born.  He was my only baby to nurse to age 2.  I am pretty sure that my first would have gone to age 2, but as I've written before, I was forced to wean her at 13 months when I was 10 weeks into my severe HG pregnancy. 

 

How did it go with delaying solids?  The first time I attempted giving him food was just over 10 months old.  It didn't work and he HATED it.   I didn't push it and mostly gave up, just giving him some baby mum mums on his highchair to experiment with while I ate.  It wasn't until a couple of weeks after he turned 1 that he really started to eat, but he wanted nothing to do with baby food.  It took me a while to realize this, but once I gave him table food feeding time was a lot easier.  I did use the baby food pouches for the diaper bag....so easy! 

I have no regrets whatsoever about delaying solids or nursing him for so long!  He has no food allergies (unlike his older brother).  I'm not sure if this is due to the delayed solids or not.  I'm just happy about no allergies! 

 

I am thankful we chose to have a 3rd baby even though we knew the pregnancy would be long and hard.  As much as I would like another child, there is no way I can go through another pregnancy - stupid HG.   Our days are full with me homeschooling the older two (1st and 3rd greade) and keeping a busy toddler happy.  We do have our crazy days from time to time, but in the end I wouldn't change anything!  Well, maybe one thing....... it would be nice if the toddler didn't have to yell all the time :) 

 

Whoever penned the saying "The days are long, but the years are short" perfectly explains how I feel about my family.  There are many nights I fall into bed completely exhausted by a busy day, but every time a birthday comes around and one of my children gets a year older, I am amazed at how fast time is flying by. 

 

Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with such a wonderful family!