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.
