So Your Misses Got Hyperemesis (Gravidarum)
Chapter 4: Eating With Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Part 5: Food Supplements With Hyperemesis Gravidarum
When we reached week 20, we felt like we finally can contain and manage the hyperemesis gravidarum. It’s not that the journey became any easier, but we already knew how to react to many situations, and we managed to cope with the hyperemesis. And then, just when it seemed like things were under control, I realized we still had another peak to conquer.
Around the same time, I met a friend who has knowledge in nutrition, as well as firsthand experience with hyperemesis gravidarum from her own pregnancy. She was upset with me for not encouraging my wife to take nutritional supplements and recommended starting them as soon as possible. This is because week 20 is a critical period where the baby’s organs and important systems begin to develop and require various nutritional components: the brain needs folic acid, the bones need calcium, and more.
Nutritional supplements are recommended almost universally during pregnancy to assist in the healthy development of the fetus. In a pregnancy with hyperemesis gravidarum where the mother hardly eats, supplementing nutrients is not just a recommendation, it’s a necessity. Without the addition of nutritional components, the fetus’s development could be at risk, as well as the mother’s health.
I told my wife about the conversation, and she didn’t take it well. In the early stages of pregnancy, my wife tried nutritional supplements that made her vomit and suffer. After 20 weeks of hyperemesis, we finally managed to handle the HG, and my wife didn’t want to go back.
I assured my wife that we would find a way to incorporate the supplements without them becoming another chore or causing nausea.
Oral Consumption of Nutritional Supplements With Hyperemesis Gravidarum
We searched for ideas and found a prenatal multivitamin supplement that comes in powder form. It looked promising. Each serving included many of the components a pregnant woman needs daily (vitamin C, iron, B12, and more), and the powder form gave us hope that we could sprinkle it on toast so my wife could consume it effortlessly.
How did it go? Not great… We tried the supplement several times, but the taste was too strong for my wife, and it caused her to vomit severely each time she tried it. After a few attempts, we realized that for my wife, the supplement was doing more harm than good, and we decided to let it go.
Although we didn’t succeed, I recommend consulting with an expert and finding a supplement that provides your wife and the fetus with the necessary nutrients. Highly recommended vitamins include B6, B1, folic acid, iron, and more.
For us, pill or powder supplements didn’t work, but maybe they will for you. Keep an open mind, keep trying, keep learning, keep searching for creative ways to help your wife get the nutritional components she needs.
Nutritional Supplements With IV During Hyperemesis Gravidarum
Eventually, my wife received a number of multi-vitamin supplement infusions when she was hospitalized, as well as iron supplement infusions. The few times she received these infusions made her feel better and stronger. Even her nails and hair looked better.
By the way, in most cases, my wife received these infusions because we specifically requested them from the medical staff. Read more about it in the important chapter on dealing with the medical staff that take care of your wife.
Nutritional supplements through infusions are a less pleasant way to have them compared to taking them orally, but it’s important to know that the option exists. If it’s not offered to you, you can ask your doctors and caregivers. If your wife needs multi-vitamin infusions, make sure they include B1 and B12.
Also, ask for iron infusions specifically as needed. I’ll expand on this topic later.