The Duchess of Cambridge should be on top of the world, finally pregnant with her first and much longed-for child. But instead, she is in a hospital bed, attached to a drip and expected to stay that way for several days.
The palace released a statement saying Kate is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a type of severe morning sickness that affects less than two percent of pregnant women.
It’s a condition that hasn’t garnered much sympathy for poor Kate, with many people suggesting she’s being a “princess” checking into hospital just because of a bit of morning sickness.
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But journalist Linda McSweeny knows exactly what the Duchess is going through. She suffered from the condition during her second pregnancy in 2010, and still finds it difficult to talk about the months of hell.
“It was completely debilitating,” she says. “I couldn’t function. I was vomiting 24/7. I would wake up every hour to vomit.
“I couldn’t keep anything down, not even water. It got to the point where I was just vomiting bile, again and again. There was no relief. As soon as I vomited, I was on the cusp of vomiting again.
“If I moved in bed, I would vomit. It got to the point where I couldn’t leave the house.”
Linda started feeling severely nauseous nine weeks into her pregnancy. She had experienced some normal morning sickness during her first pregnancy, but soon realised this was something else.
Her weight plummeted 5kg, and she could barely get out of bed. At 16 weeks, she went to her GP, worried she was endangering her life, and that of her unborn child.
“I was at my wit’s end,” she says. “I literally couldn’t go on another day. I’d lost 5kg when I should have been gaining weight. I needed help.”
Linda’s GP prescribed three separate drugs, which helped get her symptoms under control long enough for her to get some rest and eat some food each day.
“The medication offered a brief respite,” she says. “I could rest and eat but within a few hours, I was vomiting again.”
The symptoms continued until the birth of Linda’s child, when they completely stopped. While most new mothers are exhausted in the weeks after childbirth, Linda felt like a new woman.
“It was euphoria,” she says. “All of a sudden I felt well. I wasn’t vomiting, I wasn’t nauseous. It was the most wonderful feeling.”
Linda is now back to full health and her daughter doesn’t appear to have suffered any side effects from the medication her mother was taking.
More than two years have passed since her illness, but it is still fresh in Linda’s mind, preventing her from even considering having another child.
“I wouldn’t get pregnant again,” she says. “I’m too frightened. It was a life-changing experience and I’m still traumatised.”
Like Kate, Linda was also forced to endure comments that she was overreacting to her condition.
“One friend told me it was all in my head, while another said she just didn’t have time for morning sickness when she was pregnant,” she says.
“It’s a very common reaction for people just to tell you to ‘suck it up’ and get on with your life, but if you’ve got this condition, getting on with your life is impossible.
“I implore all women who suspect they might have hyperemesis gravidarum to seek medical help immediately. Don’t just think you have to pull yourself together because you just can’t pull yourself together with this.”
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Hyperemesis gravidarum is a rare complication of pregnancy, the cause of which is still unknown.
Sufferers have been known to lose up to 10 percent of their body weight, and without proper medical intervention, it can be fatal. The condition is believed to be the cause of author Charlotte Bronte’s death in 1855.
The Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly responding well to treatment and will no doubt get the best medical care to ensure she and her baby stay healthy.
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