Michelle’s HG Story

Having suffered from hyperemesis for all of my pregnancies, I get it. And I know that most people don’t.

With my oldest daughter, I was so ill but I was never officially diagnosed with HG. I knew most women got sick during pregnancy, but I wasn’t handling it as well; so I wondered, “Am I just a huge baby?”

I had a lot of shame and guilt surrounding this. People offered me remedies left and right and for about the first 29 suggestions, I tried them. Nothing worked so finally I told everyone to just…stop.

“No, ginger isn’t helping. No, eating crackers before I get out of bed isn’t helping. No, getting up and moving around isn’t helping.”

People would often suggest the notion of mind over matter. At first I was like no way, but after hearing it over and over, I started to think… “Ummm…I don’t think this is just in my head…” Wait, was it?

I started to doubt myself. I began questioning myself on this constantly. Therefore, one day, I decided to just power through and force myself to get up and go about my day even though it seemed like the most dreadful thing. Let’s just say I got so far as to get into the shower. And that is exactly where my husband found me 20 minutes later after hearing my cries from upstairs. He found me laying in the tub unable to even stand up by myself.

It was at that moment that I accepted *something* was wrong. However, I wouldn’t actually figure out that this thing I had was hyperemesis gravidarum until well after my daughter was born and I had done my own research. Therefore, when I got pregnant with my son, I was ready…well as ready as I could be.

I had lined up as much as I could before I became bed bound for the next few months. While awaiting the doom to set in, I had a session with a counselor I had been meeting with for several years. She sympathized with my fear of this horrible condition–the intense sickness, feeling misunderstood, the loneliness and isolation–would soon be upon me. Near the end of the call she said to me, “God doesn’t waste anything. He uses what the enemy meant for evil and turns it to good.”

After our call, I just sat and prayed on that. It was then that an idea for a ministry to walk alongside and support women with HG was born. Many are left unable to work and care for themselves or others–which can be devastating physically, emotionally and financially. I wanted to help. I didn’t know how but the idea was there. I asked God that if this was truly His will, that He would sharpen this vision and keep it in the forefront of my thoughts. And that He did just that. 4 years later, I was still thinking about it and I offically decided to move forward with starting Hugs Over Ginger.