A mother-of-four has detailed how she almost died of the same severe morning sickness condition that is currently affecting pregnant royal Kate Middleton.
Jenn Morson, a mother of four, suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum, a disease that affects up to two per cent of pregnant women, and causes extreme nausea and vomiting.
The Annapolis, Maryland, resident was only five weeks into her first pregnancy when she first started experiencing debilitating symptoms, as she recounted in a piece published by Cosmopolitan.
Serious illness: Jenn Morson, a mother of four, suffers from hyperemesis gravidarum, a disease that affects up to two per cent of pregnant women
At first, Morson thought she was going through morning sickness, like many other pregnant women, and tried typical remedies such as ginger ale, saltine crackers, and ginger chews.
She even spent more than $100 to purchase electric shock bands that she was told might help, but quickly realized that nothing could relieve her extreme nausea.
‘I puked until it felt like my stomach was being wrung out like a wet washcloth. If I was conscious, I was vomiting,’ she wrote.
The mom went to the ER on several occasions, but doctors didn’t spot the condition and instead kept treating her dehydration before sending her on her way.
Signs: The mom of Annapolis, Maryland, was only five weeks into her first pregnancy when she started experiencing debilitating symptoms that didn’t go away
Duchess: Kate Middleton (pictured in 2013 while pregnant with Prince George) has suffered from hyperemesis gravidarium during all three of her pregnancies
‘When I felt like I might just die, I would drag myself into the ER, and after waiting for hours because I wasn’t a high priority, they would do some tests, determine I was severely dehydrated, flood me with IV fluids, and send me home, saying, “morning sickness happens, it just means the baby is healthy!” with well-meaning sympathy plastered on their faces,’ Morson recounted.
The treatments provided her with short-term relief, but it wasn’t long until the vomiting resumed. By the time she was due for her next OB appointment, the mother had lost 10 per cent of her body weight and was exhausted.
Yet, her doctor remained unconvinced as to the seriousness of her condition, and after suggesting she try the same usual remedies she had already used without success, prescribed some anti-morning-sickness pills.
But apart form causing her to sleep, the drugs didn’t help Morson, so she took herself back to the ER.
There, doctors found ketones in her urine, meaning her body was using too much of its own energy because it was so depleted.
Diagnosis: Morson (pictured with her husband) learned the name of her condition after several ER visits
‘In other words, this was not me being a wimp about nausea. My body was patently rejecting anything I put in it on account of the pregnancy,’ Morson wrote.
She received her hyperemesis gravidarum diagnosis that night, and was treated thanks to medication injected directly into a semi-permanent IV line, as well as vitamins and fluids.
After a few days, the mom became able to eat and walk a little, but still needed a nurse to come to her home and help her shower once a week.
Her symptoms eased off around the 20th week of pregnancy, when Morson started taking oral medications again.
During her second, third and fourth pregnancy, the condition returned, but the mom now knew the diseased and was able to make sure she received appropriate care.
‘Without that one doctor who finally recognized what was happening, neither myself nor my four children would be here,’ she added.
The Duchess Of Cambridge, 35, who announced earlier this week she is expecting her third child, has suffered from the same condition ever since becoming pregnant with Prince George.
She had to be hospitalized during her first pregnancy, and received home care while expecting Princess Charlotte.
This time around, she is also being treated in Kensington Palace, and has had to cancel an engagement. She was also absent as George headed to his first day of school with his father, Prince William, today.