Martha Kalifatidis has shed light on her troubling pregnancy symptoms after revealing she’s expecting her first child with fiancé Michael Brunelli.
Following the exciting announcement, the Married At First Sight star revealed she had been diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness that causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
“I literally did not get out of bed for two months, I was so sick. I could not eat or drink anything. There were days that I did not even get up to pee,” Martha said.
Martha is four months pregnant.
(Image: Instagram)Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O Show, Martha joked the baby was “sucking everything” from her.
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“Hyperemesis babies are really health and they are actually quite big because the baby just takes everything from the mother,” she said.
While the baby seems to be flourishing, the former MAFS bride revealed she lost 10 kilograms in the first 10 weeks of being pregnant and her overall health weakened including nails and hair snapping.
Although Martha suffered the immediate side effects of pregnancy, Michael felt as if he was breaking just watching his fiancée.
“He couldn’t handle just seeing me sick all the time,” Martha revealed. “Obviously, he was by my side the whole time.”
“I was a vegetable practically and so he was as well. He just sat there with me, day in and day out.”
Martha lost a significant amount of weight early into her pregnancy.
(Image: Instagram)Martha appeared on Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa, where she opened up further about her diagnosis.
“I feel really bad because I don’t really know how to navigate this and talk about this because I feel like there’s women who have the best time when they’re pregnant. And then there’s people who struggle so hard, and they will do anything to be pregnant,” she admitted.
“So I just feel like it’s one of those really sensitive subjects.”
The 33-year-old said the condition, which affects about two per cent of pregnant women, started impacting her about five days after she found out she was pregnant while on a European holiday.
Martha has hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness that causes severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy.
(Image: Instagram)“You can’t drink water. You can’t eat anything. You can’t keep anything down. It’s just it’s the most disgusting feeling,” she continued.
The reality TV star’s condition got so bad that she was constantly in and out of hospital.
Fortunately Martha, has since found a doctor who has been able to prescribe medication that has her feeling “human again”.
“I’ve just started some new medication actually… And it’s been amazing. It’s like the only thing that has helped me,” she said.
Speaking on the Kyle and Jackie O Show, Martha described her condition as, “like you have gastro and you’re hungover and you’re on a boat.”
The MAFS star also got candid on the unsightly body hair she’s grown as result of her changing hormones.
“Do you wanna know something really disgusting? Due to losing so much weight so drastically and being so malnourished I’ve literally grown like this layer of fur all over my body. It’s disgusting, I’m like a little marsupial,” she said.
“It’s so weird because I’ve had my whole body lasered and I haven’t had hair for years and all of a sudden I’m a marsupial. I’m covered, it’s so gross.”
The pair discovered Martha was pregnant while visiting Rome.
(Image: Instagram)The couple drastically cut down their social media presence in July during a trip through Europe, Michael later revealing his fiancée was seriously ill and they had to return home to Australia.
His revelation sparked concern among fans who feared for Martha’s health as she battled an unexplained illness, but worry turned to joy when Martha revealed she’s actually pregnant.
The pair discovered Martha was pregnant while visiting Rome, Italy not long after Michael opened a fortune cookie on a night out with friends that read “A new baby is coming into your family.”
Though fans were worried about Martha’s illness when she and Michael first returned to Australia, the couple said they didn’t want to share the news that they were expecting until she was further along in the pregnancy.
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