"The Whining Puker" - Now What?

Well, here we are! I am now writing from "the other side" that I contemplated when I started this blog - I have completed another pregnancy after having experienced HG with my first term pregnancy. I praise the Lord that I did NOT develop HG with this baby (thank you, Zofran! and thank you, God!), though I did get good and sick.

My first term pregnancy was drug-free, due to my ignorance (didn't know there were anti-nausea drugs, and since I wasn't hospitalized, I didn't find out) and also due to the fact that we had no health insurance at the time. So... it was ugly. Very ugly. Not as ugly as many of you ladies have experienced, but very ugly. A place of utter darkness which is impossible to explain if you haven't been there and to which I hope never to return.

My second term pregnancy would have been worse if I had been again sans drugs... As I've said before, I could tell that it was worse because the nausea hit earlier and harder. I started getting nauseated at 3 weeks (as opposed to 5 weeks with #1), a full week before I could confirm a positive pregnancy test. By the time I did get a positive test, I had already needed to start front-line anti-nausea drugs. I don't even want to know what this pregnancy would have been like without Zofran.

So... I have faced my fears! I've done it again. But "facing my fears" doesn't mean that they're gone - they're still here as much as ever. I am very scared of getting pregnant again, and I intend to do all I can to prevent that. I regret it, but HG is not something to play around with. (I know of at least one HG mama who, as a providentialist - i.e. no birth control for any reason, ever - has experienced HG repeatedly - 6 or 7 times. I don't have that stamina.)

And so - what now? What do I do with this blog? I started this blog for two purposes: (1) to organize and publicize my research into natural remedies for HG (almost none of which worked, LOL!), and (2) to work through the spiritual issues and fallout I've dealt with in my Christian life as a result of HG.

Well, #1 is complete, and the result is - use Zofran!! lots of it!! LOL Natural methods may be great for lesser complaints, but for HG - go for drugs. (And this is coming from a natural-medicine-minded, homebirthing, midwife-loving, crunchy, granola-type!) Drugs are very, very good. Mmm.... Zofran.

#2 - Not complete, but in process. I'll write more about that later. Honestly, I don't think one can ever work through something like that, in terms of "I have all my answers" - but there's a time when one has to move on. At least partially. Again, I'll write more on that later.

Now that I've gotten into blogging (and LOVE it!), I'll always have a blog. But should it be this one? I can either turn this into my personal blog and keep it up, or I can start a personal blog and leave this one intact as an HG blog and just add HG-only things as they come up. The second option might be better in order to leave this blog intact as a resource for HG mamas. There aren't many HG blogs on the web - I only know of three, including this one. I'll have to think about it and come up with something.

Anyhow, this blog has been a wonderful experience for me. I'm so thankful for my friend Jennifer, who got me into blogging and encouraged me with her advice. I have loved connecting with the HG community and getting feedback on my thoughts - it has been so helpful. Hopefully there will be better treatment for HG in the future! (They'll probably discover that it can be totally prevented by drinking carrot juice pre-conception, or something ridiculous like that!)

And now... Off to bed! More when I have time!