08/05/2025
16 years ago, I had my first pregnancy.
I was very sick for two months until I lost the baby — but at the time, I thought that’s just how morning sickness feels.
How could I have known what other women were really experiencing?
Soon after, I became pregnant again — and 9 months later, I had Ilinca.
Those 9 months were probably the hardest and yet the most miraculous months of my life. At times, I wished I were dead.
Today, I’m choosing to speak openly about my experience to raise awareness of a condition that some pregnant women go through: hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).
It’s a severe and rare condition, often misdiagnosed or dismissed, and its cause is still unknown. HG is not morning sickness. It’s characterized by extreme, persistent nausea and vomiting — often leading to more than 5% weight loss, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalance.
For me, HG meant:
vomiting 12–14 times a day, for the entire pregnancy
losing over 20 lbs
being hospitalized four times
developing pneumonia and being hospitalized again
becoming so weak I couldn’t get out of bed to throw up — my husband had to carry me. I’m so grateful I had his support and understanding.
Emotionally, HG was devastating: guilt for not enjoying the pregnancy, depression, isolation, loneliness.
I even vomited the night I gave birth.
Why am I sharing this now?
To raise awareness.
To tell you: this is not morning sickness.
Please don’t downplay it, joke about it, or make a pregnant woman feel guilty for how she feels. If you’re an employer, please know that accommodations matter. HG can be completely disabling.
Just four days ago, The Guardian published an article on HG, and I’m attaching some of the comments. I cried while reading them — because even after all these years, I finally felt like I wasn’t alone.
There is not medication, herb or solution for this condition.
But there is hope in being heard, validated, and supported.
Health on,
Veronica
