Pregnancy Sickness and What I Have in Common with Kate Middleton

Posted by Ali | Friday March 1, 2013

I have a ton in common with Duchess Kate. Actually, I'm pretty sure if we met we'd be instant best friends. Here's why:

1. We're both natural brunettes
2. Both married to a Prince (mine might be figurative)
3. Entrepreneurial family
4. Excellent British accent (one might be faked)
5. Bald(ing) husbands
6. Love of hats
7. Love of shoes
8. Baby due this summer
9. Hyperemesis gravidarum

For those of you that don't speak Latin, hyperemesis gravidarum roughly translates to "getting b*tchslapped by my digestive system", or more specifically, extreme nausea, vomiting, and dehydration due to pregnancy.

I'm sure the Royals didn't want to release the pregnancy news as early as they did, but I was relieved when I heard the story because I just went through it myself. Unfortunately, some people have a perception that women who suffer from extreme nausea in their first trimester are either wimps or faking it for sympathy.

I encountered this attitude firsthand when I was just 6 weeks pregnant with my first child. I was on a media trip and had been feeling well until that point, but when room service stopped by with a complimentary platter of seafood from the hotel the smell nearly made me yack. I knew right then I wouldn't be able to handle bobbing on the ocean waves during a catamaran tour that afternoon.

Being so early in the pregnancy I was reluctant to speak of it, but I felt I should tell the organizers the truth since my participation was expected. One of the women in charge was sympathetic and understanding but the other brushed it off saying, "Oh you'll be fine. When I was pregnant I never felt better!"

Needless to say I let Ms. Pregnant-Is-The-Best-I've-Ever-Felt be disappointed and spent the afternoon by the pool instead. Sadly, hers was only the first of several similar comments I received where the implication was that I am weak or worse--a drama queen.

To be clear: I do like drama, but preferably in the form of a rose ceremony or an elderly couple holding each other as they drift off to heaven. I'm not going to pretend I have a gross condition that makes people feel queasy just listening to the disgusting details.

My first experience with "morning sickness" was very unpleasant, but it did not prepare me for what I have faced during this new pregnancy. Though I haven't been hospitalized like poor Kate (other than one short visit to the emergency room), I have been quite sick and needed to take medication just so I could digest some food and carry on with the day. Thankfully we are both in our second trimesters now and I am feeling much better. Hopefully she is, too!

If you, like Kate and me, are going through something like this please know you are not alone and that it will improve at some point. Don't feel bad if you have to take the medication. I'm pretty sure it is better for both you and baby to be on a well-tested certifiably safe drug for a few weeks than to waste away on the bathroom floor unable to keep anything down.

For those of you who do enjoy super easy pregnancies and a short labour before delivering your baby naturally…I'm happy for you. I really am. I might hate you a little bit on the inside.

What was/is your pregnancy like? Have you had to take medication? Did anyone make you feel bad about it?

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12 Comments

	on March 08, 2013 roadee 2,181 said: Congratulations Ali! I love the way you started off your post. So witty! I hope things are going along more smoothly in your second trimester! You're thinking about booking a c-section? How Posh and Becks of you! ;)
	on March 07, 2013 kimmykup 969 said: First off, I do believe a congratulations is in order ! Hopefully things start getting better for ya, fingers crossed that it does ! I have no plans to hop on the baby makin train any time soon, but when the time comes I'm sure I'll be re-reading everything of yours pregnancy related a million times over !
	on March 05, 2013 TammyK 1,073 said: Sorry I'm a bit late on this but CONGRATS ALI!!!!!! Time goes by fast I can't believe you're pregnant again! Hope little Jake is excited about his new baby sister/brother. Congrats!
	on March 01, 2013 Ali de Bold STAFF said: Thank you all for the sweet comments! I am doing much better now. It was the first 14 weeks that were really rough. I'm just into my second trimester and while I don't feel amazing and all glowy, I'm definitely feeling much more normal, which is a huge relief! It's interesting to see how split the comments are between those who had great pregnancies and those whose were miserable. But in the end we all get an amazing gift that makes it all worth it. I'm really excited for this next baby. Having Jake showed me how incredible Motherhood is, so it's worth all of the rough stuff. smiley_gen - Hope to hear good news from you soon! nscott84 - It definitely sounds like you had it. That's pretty much how it works. I'm so glad that is over for you now! takoda - Wow that must have been so scary for you! Thank God everything turned out ok. midnightsun2288 - Your Granny is my hero. There is no way I could ever do this 4 times! Bren - 24 hours of labour is awful! I too had a really long labour followed by c-section for my son. I'm debating just booking a c-section this time so I don't have to do both. Cowgirl - I've heard of cases where it lasts the entire pregnancy. I can't even imagine how long that must have felt for you. It's hard to be excited and happy when you feel that rough. I'm so glad that is over for you now and you have your sweet baby. XO
	on March 01, 2013 nscott84 4,013 said: It is absolutely real (not dramatized at all) although when I was pregnant with my first my.doctor didn't diagnose me with that condition reading the symtoms I believe I had it. I would get so dehydrated and even passed out in the supermarket one day. I am already plus sized but lost 40lb. the first trimester because I couldn't eat anything but ramen noodles with half of the.season packet (argh) and often time that wouldn't even stay down. They tried putting me on a nausea med which made my throat feel weird which made it worse so I had to just trump through it. I know its hard but you can do it! Congrats on your little angel :-)
	on March 01, 2013 smiley_gen 9,832 said: Sorry to hear about your sickness but a big congratulation on your new addition! Thanks for the tips, i'm hoping to be pregnant soon with our first and sure hope the ride will be smooth...if not, i'm sure you will hear about it! ;)
	on March 01, 2013 Cowgirl 764 said: I had a baby just over a year ago--my first--and I suffered with severe nausea all through my pregnancy. There wasn't a lot of actual vomiting but the nausea was awful. I was on medication and still nauseous. The worst part was one of my best friends, every time I talked to her, gushed and gushed about how much she loved being pregnant and how wonderful pregnancy was. I seriously wanted to punch her in the face. It's nice that some women have fantastic pregnancies, but a little bit of sympathy for those who spend nine months in absolute wretchedness would be nice.
	on March 01, 2013 fredamans 12,209 said: Sorry to hear you've been sick... I was lucky with both of mine.
	on March 01, 2013 Bren 26,031 said: Congratulations on your second pregnancy!I had one son and my pregnancy was tough I was very nauseated it was awful.He was born in September.that summer was extremely hot so I was swollen up everywhere and overheated!I was in labor over 24 hours.I sure feel for people who have rough pregnancies.The end result however is all worth it!
	on March 01, 2013 midnightsun2288 6,053 said: My grandma was throwing up multiple times a day, every single day of her pregnancy. And to top it off she refused to take any medication (which ended up being a really good thing because the drug her doctor suggested was later proven to cause severe birth defects). I honestly don't know how she did it, and the kicker is that she had 4 children (with the nausea everyday for all 4 pregnancies). Hopefully if I am ever pregnant, I won't have any morning sickness (because I am a total wimp about throwing up) but if I do, my grandma's story will be my mantra to get me through it. And congrats Ali!!!!