Preventing HG Podcast: Hyperemesis Gravidarum | Pregnancy | Morning Sickness | Nutrition | Root Causes | Alternative Treatments: Recent Episodes

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You've probably heard of a labor doula. Someone who stays by your side throughout the labor and delivery and afterbirth process to provide physical and emotional support. A bereavement doula is just how it sounds, someone to stay by your side while you grieve the loss of your baby.

I had never heard of a bereavement doula but after getting acquainted with Kathleen Garcia, I'm glad that there is someone out who wants to help parents walk through one of the hardest of life's experiences: the loss of a child. Kathleen says that she never wants a Mom to have to suffer alone.

In this episode:

• Dealing with grief
• Dealing with miscarrriage
• Dads are often shut out and not allowed the same space to grieve.
• "rainbow baby"
• "A loss is a loss at any stage"
• "Miscarriage is a labor and a birth."
• HG and abortion
• HG and loss
• Stillbirthday.com: Find a doula, get support, become certified to help others
• Beyond Morning Sickness: This book was like a balm to my soul after having HG.
• Just knowing that you are not alone is a comfort.
• October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day.

To connect with Kathleen, visit her website here: http://kgempoweringmothers.com/

She also has an etsy shop here: Oils Of The Rainbow

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Dr. Joseph Sgroi was talking about Hyperemesis Gravidarum on twitter recently and we chatted (tweeted? Twittered?) about a few different things related to that, so I thought it would be fun to have him on to talk about what he sees in his practice in Melbourne, Australia.

In this episode:

• h.pylori infections
• Urinary tract infections
• High levels of HCG
• Molar pregnancy
• Thyrotoxicosis: Here is an article that explains it better. It's worth getting your thyroid hormone levels checked as being hyper and hypo can cause problems for you and the baby.
• Mutations at the hCG receptors and of the hormone itself, possibly.
• Misfiring could over-stimulate the thyroid
• No tests to predict this, unfortunately.
• Progesterone and Estrogen could also contribute to HG
• Can't smell, can't get HG? (Does anyone have any anecdotes about that?)
• Possible helps: REST, modify foods, acupressure, medication, being proactive, ginger (there are studies, as we know), zinc, hospitalizations
• Important to plan for pregnancy and maximize your health prior. Find out if you have any deficiencies.

To get in touch with Dr. Joseph Sgroi:

Website: http://www.drjoseph.com.au/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrJosephSgroi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJosephSgroi

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Jessica Spry-Sinay and husband, Willem, daughter Yaiza Jessica Spry-Sinay lives in the Netherlands with her husband and 2 daughters. She wanted to share her experience with two HG pregnancies and hear about the differences in treatment and care in other countries. She volunteers for a support group in her own country and reaches out to support groups in neighboring countries to offer help whenever she can.

We talked about:

• Emesafene: first choice anti-emetic for HG in the Netherlands
• She was told she had normal morning sickness at first, but then needed a 13 day hospital stay.
• Had HG with her missed abortion (sac was found but never a heartbeat).
• Metoclopromide:
• 3rd pregnancy was hospitalized at 6 weeks
• After the HG abated around 22 weeks, she was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes
• She saw 8 different OB-GYNs and got 8 different treatment plans.
• in the Netherlands, Ob-GYNs are typically only for high risk pregnancies or complications. Midwives handle all normal pregnancies but they don't have a protocol for HG.
• The Netherlands supports homebirth, low c-section rates and very low epidural rates. Only complicated births are in the hospital.
• Hyperemesis Gravidarum Support Group in Holland
• Hyperemesis Gravidarum Facebook Support group in Holland
• They "cracker" and "ginger" women with HG over there too.
• 2 meters equals about 6 ft. 5.5 inches. That's tall!
• Don't brush your teeth after vomiting. Just rinse with water.
• Jessica feels a duty to stay in the groups and offer support and experience to the new women coming in every day suffering from HG.

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Part 2 of Genna Rourke's interview (check out part one here) about her two HG pregnancies and the charity she started.  HGwarriors.com is for women all over the world struggling with Hyperemesis Gravidarum. If you're past HG but want to help support other women, you can volunteer here. The number one thing that women who have gone through HG in the past say is that they felt so alone. This is a great way to help one more HG woman feel like she is not alone. Check out the FB group here.

Download "Hyperemesis Gravidarum, The Ultimate Survivor's Guide", here. Especially if you're in the UK, you need to know how to navigate the medical care system to get the treatment you need. She is currently working on a guide for women in the US.

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Dr. Tim Jackson is a doctor of Physical Therapy. He also studied nutritional biochemistry, digestive health and its systemic effects, as well as functional endocrinology. He helps people with all sorts of disorders over at HealYourbody.org. He also does online consults through his Heal Your Body Program.

In this episode we talked about:

What MTHFR means: (It's not your first thought. I know what you were thinking.) It stands for Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. (Say that three times fast.)

It basically means that if you have it, you lack the ability to activate folic acid into methyl-folate.
Then you don't have the useable form of folate and you have too much folic acid sitting around.

That's when disorders start popping up. Miscarriages have been associated with MTHFR.

Best place to get tested: 23andme.com. You will just get the raw data, no interpretations.
Get interpretations at livewello.com or MTHFRSupport.com.

Heterozygous means you have one copy
Homozygous means you have two copies
Polymorphism is a SNP (Single-nucleotide polymorphism)
Genetics refers to actual mutations someone might have. Trisomy or Down's Syndrome are examples.
Epigenetics are modifiable risk factors, which give us a predisposition to certain diseases or disorders. The key word is modifiable. They are not set in stone.
"HG can be the straw that breaks the camel's back."
Allostatic load means the sum total of internal and external stressors on the body.
"It can take a disease from subclinical to clinical" (expressed).
"Any stressor can effect the expression of genes."
Exposome means everything you've been exposed to in your life.
You can have too little or too much methylation. This effect neurotransmitter production (mood disorders), T-cells (infection and allergies), and Glutithione (which controls free radicals).

Can Hyperemesis Gravidarum be an allergy to the hormones, the placenta or the baby? Short answer....YES.

Neuro-immune is more accurate than "Auto-immune" to describe this.

Liver Detox:
Phase 1: oxydation
Phase 2: conjugation-methylation
Phase 3: Transport to the cell

Milk Thistle supports Phase 1 detox. If phase 2 is not adequate, the byproducts of phase 1 sit around causing oxidative stress.

B vitamins, NAC (N-acetyl cysteine-precursor to glutithione), Glutithione and Glycine support Phase 2 detox.

Oxidative Stress causes all disorders, which go through 3 stages.
Stage 1: energetic imbalance (you don't feel bad in this stage)
Stage 2: Functional: Fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. You feel the effects but there are no biomarkers to show what's going on.
Stage 3: lesional-can be seen on an MRI (like Multiple Sclerosis)

Inflammation causes fatigue ad premature aging.
Lipid Peroxidation: damage to cell membranes

What to do about it:
Support the methylation cycle
Reduce oxidative stress

Diet:
Clean out processed foods and additives.
Remove sugar and gluten.
Consider removing dairy
Heal your gut (mood disorders are related to leaky gut.)
Just because you don't have symptoms, doesn't mean you don't have a disorder.
"The system that is disordered might not be what's expressing itself."

Supplements:
Glutithione: Oral liposomal form, transdermal creams and oral s-acetyl-glutithione
Magnesium and zinc are cofactors for methylfolate and other b vitamins.
B12 needs methylfolate. Taking methylfolate without B12 could cause "methyl-trapping". To learn more about this, check out my paper about the importance of Magnesium, Zinc and B vitamins. Sign up here and I'll email the paper to you.

For more suggestions, check out Dr. Jackson's website.
He suggests not taking supplements all at once but after changing your diet to reduce insulin (which is pro-inflammatory), increasing healthy fats (which fuels the liver, tissues and cells and helps balance hormones) then layer in supplements, one at a time. Minerals first, magnesium, then zinc. Then add B vitamins, starting with B12. The last supplement to add is methylfolate.

Liver, gallbladder and pancreas:
We know the importance of the liver. The gallbladder helps with bile flow. Bile is dependent on glutithione. If you're not methylating in the liver and the bile is backed up, toxins back up. This can mess up our ability to process carbohydrates (diabetes is carbohydrate intolerance) and this has an effect on our pancreas, which produces insulin.

If you want to get in touch with Dr. Jackson, you can visit his website at healyourbody.org. Check out his facebook page. Or email him at drtim072981@gmail.com.

Let me know what you think! Does this connect some dots for you about your health?

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I talked to Ashley Ziegler of the blog, Itsy Bitsy Blessings about her experiences with Hyperemesis Gravidarum.

We talked about so many things:

Her most visited post is a guest post by Brad Klingele titled, "So, Your Wife is Barfing her Guts out". You have to read it. And then pass it around to all your friends and their husbands.

How we can fall into the trap of thinking we can "will ourselves through it". I know I did that before getting pregnant.

The paranoia she felt when she was hospitalized, thinking that she was surely going to die and thinking that no one was telling her the truth.

When her Doctor said that she didn't know anything else to try, a combination of drugs, phenergan and zofran, actually finally worked.

Consider lowering your dose of medication is the side effects are too much. Or ask about raising your dose if it's not working. Many drugs are dose specific and will work better at a higher dosage and in combination with other drugs. Don't be afraid to ask.

Ashley's blog series on women with HG.

We talked about why HG women in particular feel the need to have other people understand.

Ashli McCall's book, The Chronicles of Nausea, where she talks about her Hg experience in a diary like prose. She also talks about her experience with cancer in conjunction with HG.
Her other book is "Beyond Morning Sickness". I would recommend them both.

Ashley Ziegler is currently pregnant with her fourth pregnancy.

Email me if you are interested in hearing more about the International HG Day Meetups. rachel@hypergpregnancy.com

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What should you do if Zofran or the other prescription medications aren't enough to combat the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy? What if you're not eating or drinking and no one in your town knows how to treat Hyperemesis Gravidarum? What are you options?

In this episode, I talked to Katie when she found herself in this exact scenario. She found that marijuana was more helpful and allowed her to eat and take care of her child than the prescription drug Zofran.

In this episode:

• Mental effects of HG and malnutrition
• Zofran made Katie feel like she was on drugs
• Immediate relief that lasted for hours
• The options: edibles, tinctures, smoking, vapor
• CPS and mandatory testing in the hospital
• Link to article discussing the dilemma of eating vs. illicit cannabis
• More information about HG and Medical Marijuana

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Kyle Davies is a Chartered psychologist, therapist, coach, consultant, speaker & author. He specializes in helping people overcome chronic health challenges, get unstuck and transform their lives.

We talked about:
The role of emotions in the body.
Why we divorce emotions from physical illness.
What stress is and how to "deal" with it.
How illness starts and then stays chronic.
How a label can become your identity.
How to get unstuck.

If you want to get in touch with Kyle, you can find him on his website:
kyledavies.net
facebook
twitter

What do you think of his approach? Did it resonate with you?

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Today I ranted a little about my pet peeves about how we sometimes talk about HG.

The baby gets everything it needs from you, so don't worry.

While true, the only time there's no negative effects of that is when Mom is fully stocked with baby making products (i.e. minerals, amino acids, vitamins and fat.) It's hard to do when you're not eating, starting out at a deficit and running on empty. That's when the body goes after the reserves in the bones, teeth and tissues. And that's when compromises happen, whether for the baby or more so for the Mom.

This is not to make you feel guilty, because I know you're doing everything possible to get through it. It's more a rant at how seriously doctors should take the malnutrition that happens during an HG pregnancy. We can't say that folate matters and women need to eat healthy and then turn around and tell Moms it's fine to throw up every day of their pregnancy and lose weight and everything will be fine. You may both survive it, but it's not ideal. And there are things we can do about it. Doctors and nurses: Act like it is the crisis that it is!

I took XYZ and my baby was fine, so yours will be too.
This one is harder because I know that it comes from a place that wants to reassure the Mom that she is doing everything she can and it's going to be alright. And there is a place for that. And when you're just surviving, not vomiting is the top priority and then the next one is to actually consume food and drink.

But it's actually means nothing that one person took something and nothing bad happened. Just because someone says something is safe doesn't actually mean it's safe for you or your baby. I mentioned the germline exposures. Here's a podcast episode to get a taste of it. Genetics is obviously individual and can cause different results in different people. It's something to pay attention and know about yourself. I didn't mention this in the podcast but this is why vaccines can be harmful to one person and not to another. At the same time, epigenetics means that it's not a static system. We can effect change in our bodies by changing the environmental and food exposures to our bodies.

We are shaped by our mother's mother's mother, so we can't be blamed for that. But we do have the responsibility of what we do today.

My body has betrayed me. My body is stupid/broken and hates me.

I know that's how it feels. I know that we feel like we're dying and no one is saving us. But in fact, symptoms are a sign that the body is protecting itself. Organs shutting down is actually the very last ditch effort the body is making to preserve you. It's thrown out every sign/symptom/cry for help it could find to get your attention. Your body would never betray you. It's always on your side. Just because it doesn't make sense, doesn't mean there's no reason for it. Our problem is we haven't figured out why it's happening. But we will.

This is why I say that we must pay attention to what is happening when you're not pregnant. All symptoms are signs we need to pay attention to. If you start there, you make a huge difference.

Which brings me to the last one:
There's nothing I can do. This is me. Nothing can change. There's no hope.

There is always hope! There is always something we can do. The body is always trying to heal, it just doesn't always have all the raw material that it needs. Don't give up. Don't accept less than a long and happy life. Recovery and healing takes time but it can happen. Believe that it's possible. And then set about making it happen.

Ultimately, as crazy at it sounds, I see getting Hyperemesis Gravidarum as the best motivator to pursue a healthier life than anything that's ever happened to me. Sometimes bad stuff saves us from something worse.

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Who is Julie Kelly?

As a Food Scientist, Julie Kelly’s passion for all things edible began in her college days at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She discovered her knack for helping people ‘find their way with food’ while cooking for friends in the evening and studying nutrition during the day. After working towards a Masters in Dairy Science, working in the corporate food world, and then the management consulting world, Julie met her husband Chris, fell in love over bikes and food, and opted for a more meaningful career as Mom to their daughter Ivy, and a nutrition consultant at Nourish Balance Thrive. Julie enjoys geeking out on nutrition science while also sharing her knowhow with ‘real people’ at NBT. Her favorite part is working with women and families to sort out their dietary, immune and hormonal challenges.

In this episode we talk about:

Protein:

• 20-30 gms protein per sitting (204 oz of meat, typically)
• Depends on your goals, body size, activity level and individuality
• They are complex molecules and take energy to digest
• Better to "frontload" protein at the first part of the day
• Pay attention to how you feel

Fat:

• Fat doesn't make you fat
• unless you're eating hydrogenated oils and other "bad" fats
• Seek out good fats
• Hormones are made from cholesterol-necessary
• balances a diet
• makes food taste better and satisfies your appetite
• Only way to avoid sugar cravings
• No more "Hangry" episodes (hungry and angry)

Blood Sugar Control:

• Everyone needs a glucometer
• Hypoglycemia: RED FLAG
• Especially important in the Pre-conception period
• Consider HG experience a blessing, as it motivates you to pursue better health
• lab testing can help you concentrate on your individual problems

From www.thuglifeshirts.com/products/hangry Signs of Adrenal insufficiency:

• Uneven energy throughout the day
• Not being able to go to sleep easily
• Not being able to stay asleep easily
• fat around the waist=cortisol is the culprit
• Lack of drive or motivation

If you're planning to get pregnant:

• Diet
• Figure out macronutrients: Fat, Carbohydrates and Protein
• Sleep
• Exercise (don't overdo it)
• Stress Reduction: Headspace app.
• Blood Sugar management
• Lab testing: can discover hormone dysregulation, gut pathogens like h. pylori, neurotransmitter turnover, liver health, root causes of symptoms

Book a half-price consult with Julie before January 1, 2015 using the code HYPERG. You can also download Julie’s e-book, What We Eat, to see how she makes real food a reality everyday.

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Dr. Michael Fox is not the first person to suggest that the cause of morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum starts with blood sugar dysregulation but he is one of the few OB-GYN and Reproductive Endocrinologists who suggests that eating a ketogenic diet during pregnancy is not only safe for mom and baby but also the answer to this blood sugar dysregulation.

Dr. Fox thinks that the problem starts with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), then gets worse when women eat carbohydrates (which turn into sugar in the blood) to combat the nausea (crackers anyone?), which can spike insulin 2-3 times what it would be in a non-pregnant woman, then add in dehydration, which makes everything worse, loss of nutrients (from vomiting and not eating) (especially magnesium, zinc and b vitamins) and so begins the cascade of symptoms that spirals out of control leaving the newly pregnant women feeling like she's dying with no hope of coming out of it. Add in doctors and nurses telling a women that it's "normal" and there is nothing that can be done and you have a very bad scene.

In this episode we discuss:

• Ideal diet for Fertility, pregnancy, and beyond
• Fat provides the most sustained energy for the longest length of time
• Carbs= Sugar
• "Fat protects you against hypoglycemia better than any other macronutrient."
• Minimum time to be on diet to prepare for pregnancy, 6 weeks. 12 weeks would be ideal.
• Older cultures had special foods and preparations for fertile couples to have healthy babies.
• It's hard to convince women that they need to eat a lot of fat
• If ketosis was bad, we wouldn't be here.
• Not enough studies about nutritional ketosis and pregnancy
• It would take thousands of patients to study to be statistically relevant
• Pre-eclampsia related to insulin resistance
• It's hard to accept that nutrition could be an effective treatment
• Many diseases are nutritional in nature

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Dr. Fox Website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Podcast with Diana
• Podcast with Lily about Gestational Diabetes and a low carb/high fat diet
• Diana's article about her experience with low carb/high fat diet to prevent HG

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I've been there before. Panicking in the bathroom, wishing it wasn't true.

It's a hard question to try to answer because nothing I say is going to make you feel magically better. If you're already sick then more than likely it's going to continue to some extent. But learning what works best for you and fighting it everyday could mean the difference between hospitalization and infection, or staying home.

If you haven't done it already, I highly suggest you get a Doctor's appointment, the soonest available.

Ask for medication and start taking it round the clock right away. If you haven't gotten sick yet, you could just have it on hand until it starts. For some people it's violent from the start. Keeping yourself out of a bad cycle of dehydration and vomiting and not eating is the overall goal.

Medication to ask about:

• Zofran: (prescription) (ondansetron) Anti-emetic (it helps control the vomiting)
• Unisom: (Over the counter) (doxylamine) anti-histamine (helps control the nausea)
• Diclectin: (prescription) (Pyridoxine/doxylamine) which is unisom and B6 together in a time release capsule.
• Phenergan: (prescription) (Promethazine), (I.V., suppositories, pill)
• Reglan: (prescription) (Metoclopramide) dopamine-receptor antagonist. It can help with nausea and vomiting by helping with gastric emptying. It's often given to people with GERD. However, one adverse effect to watch out for is called tardive dyskinesia. It can also make you feel tired, restless and anxious.
• Gabapentin: (prescription) (Neurontin) anticonvulsant and analgesic, usually given to control seizure disorders or neurological pain. This is still being trialed and is not commonly prescribed. Adverse effects for pregnancy are unknown.

Dealing with constipation as a side effect of medication, notably Zofran.
You can ask your doctor for a stool softener to be proactive and try to prevent constipation from happening. You can also try milk of magnesia or another kind of magnesium pill or liquid. That can help in numerous ways, including getting some much needed magnesium. If you're already constipated, I would suggest doing more than that to try to get ahead of the problem.
Glycerin suppositories (can be found in more drug stores in the U.S.)
Enemas (like Fleets brand enema): It comes in a self contained package with saline. One time use.

• Willard water
• Saline
• warm water

Magnesium oil: You can make it yourself. It's actually not an oil but a solution of equal parts magnesium chloride and filtered water.

What would you tell someone with HG who just found out they were pregnant?

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Interview with Lily Nichols, RD

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, Certified LEAP Therapist and Certified Pilates Instructor whose approach to nutrition embraces real food, integrative medicine, and mindful eating. Her practice focuses on digestive health, food sensitivities, and of course, prenatal nutrition. She's passionate about helping moms with gestational diabetes control their blood sugar using real food, mindfulness, and exercise. Her forthcoming book, Real Food For Gestational Diabetes, will be available in 2015. For more from Lily, including her free ebook, 33 Yummy & Healthy Pregnancy Snacks, visit PilatesNutritionist.com

In this episode:

• Gestational Diabetes (GD) aka "carbohydrate intolerance"
• A1C test gives an average blood sugar of the past 3 months
• Testing in the first trimester can predict GD with 98% accuracy
• By the tenth week, there is a 3 to 3.5 percent increase in insulin production than normal
• Insulin resistance in the second and third trimester is the body's normal way of shunting glucose to the baby
• Why the current recommendations don't make sense
• The difference between nutritional ketosis and diabetic ketoacidosis
• How you can control you GD with diet
• Why medicine may be needed
• Why we don't have enough studies on ketosis and pregnancy
• Why the studies we do have are poorly designed
• Gluconeogenesis: Glucose can be made from fat and proteins

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I had a great time talking to Jessyka Earl about her experience with HG. She has one child from one pregnancy and she was sick right up until her premature labor and birth. She had to change doctors during her pregnancy when she didn't get the care she needed. She was also never formally diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum. This is common but if you're not getting the care you think you need, seek a second opinion.

Jessyka's wake-up call came at about 6 months post-partum when she started feeling like she had HG again. That's when she decided she had to take her health seriously and to try to figure out what was going on. I hope this episode is helpful for you.

You can follow Jessyka here or email her. jessyka.naile@ gmail.com

Things that were mentioned in the episode:
Zofran
Seabands
Stress can cause nutritional deficiencies.
How to know if you need Magnesium.
Why you need Zinc.
Why you shouldn't take magnesium and zinc at the same time. (Take zinc in the morning with food and then start taking magnesium, spread throughout the day.)
I put together a booklet that explains this in further detail. You can sign up for the download here.

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Since I first published this episode, I've heard from many people about this topic. There is a lot of interest about medical marijuana for seizures (especially for children, because it seems like a safer alternative to most anticonvulsives), cancer, pain, and of course, nausea.

I found a few articles about it that I didn't have last time.

Hyperemesis Gravidarum and Clinical Cannabis: To eat or not to eat. It's long, but makes some good points about starvation during HG.

Pregnancy and Medical Marijuana

Here's an interesting study: Infant exposure during gestation

Since then, Ricki Lake announced she was directing a new film called Weed the People. It's about the use of cannabis as a medical treatment for children. I've enjoyed Ricki Lake's other films like The Business of Being Born. (Side note: She's also set to direct a film about Birth Control. I can't wait for that.)

Thoughts?

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Amy Upchurch almost died in her first pregnancy because of an infection she got from her PICC line. She was hospitalized with hyperemesis gravidarum during that pregnancy and the next two.

It was during her fourth pregnancy that she took matters into her own hands. She and her husband had been researching the causes and associations with HG and they had developed a protocol which she started as soon as she got pregnant.

While she still had nausea and some vomiting, it was a huge difference from any of the previous pregnancies. She and her husband now sell these products in their online store called, Pink Stork Solutions. Listen to the podcast to hear what she did and why.

Check it out and sign up to her mailing list to get a coupon code and the full protocol that she developed.

You can contact Amy on facebook, twitter, or through the Pink Stork Solutions website.

For more information about the Folate vs. Folic acid debate, check out this article.

If you want to learn more about how Magnesium, Zinc and B vitamins work together to help prevent HG, check out my e-book here.

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Have you ever wondered what Acupuncture was or whether it's worth the time and money? In today's episode I talked to Julie Chang from Fertility Revolution. She's been an acupuncturist for the past 15 years. She uses Chinese Medicine, which includes herbs, acupuncture, supplements and nutrition to help women and men grow their families.

Fertility Revolution Podcast is a 5 day a week podcast talking to anyone from infertility doctors to attorneys and infertility advocates.

We discussed when to start therapy, how to evaluate whether acupuncture will work for you and the best time to seek treatment. Hint: it's not when you're vomiting 10 times a day.

I found several interesting studies that showed that acupuncture could limit nausea and vomiting in Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The key is consistency which can be a problem for women if they don't have enough help or support or funds. If this is an option for you, it's certainly worth a try.

Send Julie an email or connect on Twitter. Listen to her podcast here.

Have you tried Acupuncture? Did it help you? I'd love to hear about your experience.

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Today's guest, Dr. Tom Guttuso, is currently conducting a four-year clinical trial to test the efficacy of Gabapentin otherwise known as Neurontin, with refractory Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Initial results of the small pilot study were positive. Dr. Guttuso also talks about how drug trials work and the only thing that they're testing.

There is a closed facebook group dedicated to talking about Gabapentin during pregnancy. Request to join if you'd like to interact with other women who have taken Gabapentin during their pregnancy or would like to. There are other Doctors in the U.S. who are willing to try Gabapentin before the study is complete, especially for severe Hyperemesis that was controlled with other drugs. The group often post studies that they find, like this one. The results look promising.

I know many women can't wait until the study is complete to try to have another baby. Would you consider taking Gabapentin or will you have to wait to see the results in 4 years?

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Is a low carb, high fat diet the answer for Hyperemesis Gravidarum? Diana had 3 full-term pregnancies with Hyperemesis Gravidarum before her current pregnancy. During this current pregnancy, she was not free of nausea but she has not taken any medicine or vomited even once. The difference? She stuck to the low carb, high fat diet from before conception through to today.

There is a lot of controversy about using a ketogenic diet during pregnancy. Some say it's unwise, impossible, and not worth the risk. Others, like Diana, have found it to be a lifesaver. In fact, she said that this pregnancy was the first pregnancy that she did not fear being pregnant and found herself feeling happy. That sounds like a win.

I plan to continue to explore this idea. I don't know that it's for everyone and there is very little research done at this point, but some women are trying it out of desperation. Logically, I think the risk is small, but I know that many will disagree with me. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.

Resources you might want to check out about Ketosis: Keto Pregnancy
This blogger's wife was in ketosis during two pregnancies
Message boards are often the best places to see people talking about this
Article discussing metabolism and ketones
JImmy Moore's Podcasts about Low Carb diets and Ketosis
And his book, Keto Clarity (Affliate link)

Resources mentioned on the podcast: Diana's blog
What is Blighted Ovum? (Diana's story)
What helped Diana with Post-partum Nausea
Diana's protocol for very low carb before pregnancy
Facebook group about Ketogenic Pregnancy

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I struggled with this one. I started interviewing my guests months ago and I asked each of them this question, but I hadn't really thought about answering it for myself.

It's a hard question to answer.

Every time someone answered I had that feeling like I could've said that. I've thought that. That was my experience. Except my guests said it in a more articulate way. Last night as I was trying to answer this question for myself, and I kept bumping up on this...for lack of a better word....contradiction. It's a contradiction.

I want to get rid of HG. I want to lessen the severity. I want to never have to go through it again. And yet, I'm thankful? It's made me a more resilient person?

This is true in so many areas of life, right? Overcoming poverty makes a person stronger. Overcoming cancer makes a person pursue a healthier life. Being bullied makes someone an advocate for the defenseless. But that doesn't mean we want poverty, cancer, or bullying. Or that we don't want to prevent it.

It is a contradiction. But we can still hate the bad things and use them to make the world a better place AND not want anyone else to go through what we went through.

Maybe it's in the overcoming it where the magic is because it still hurts to hear of someone who has HG. It still makes me remember the nausea.

At least that's my conclusion.

What do you think? How did HG change your life?

Mentioned in the Podcast:

Tara Bulin: Preventing Hyperemesis Gravidarum facebook group
Jessyka Earl: The Unexpecting Blog
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Amy: Previous interview with Amy.
Ashley Ziegler: Itsy Bitsy Little Blessings blogDiana Johnston: The Whining Puker blog
Vanessa Pack: The Ayden Rae Foundation
Dani Doughty: The Ayden Rae Foundation
Amy Upchurch: The Pink Stork Solutions

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Today's podcast is an interview with Albert Donnay, a toxicologist, who became interested in Hyperemesis Gravidarum when he saw that the symptoms were similar to Carbon Monoxide poisoning. It was around the time when the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with her first child and suffering with HG.

I know many people are skeptical of this theory and I was to at first. I don't know if this applies to me, but what is interesting is that it does match up for others. Not everyone knows if they've been exposed to carbon monoxide because it's odorless and tasteless. Listen in to find out:

• The risk factors in your life that could have contributed to carbon monoxide exposure
• Why the symptoms go away as soon as the baby is born
• The simple and free solution

Resources: www.mcsrr.org
CO detector: Rattler T40

Take the SURVEY HERE. This is for any woman who has been pregnant to fill out, even if you did not have Hyperemesis Gravidarum. Thank you for taking the time to fill it out. It will help Mr. Donnay do more research.

What do you think? Have you looked at any old pictures to see if you showed the signs of the telltale face of CO poisoning?

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Amy tells her story of having Hyperemesis Gravidarum during her first and only pregnancy. She described it as a "living hell" and while she's so grateful to have her son, she doesn't know if she can do it again. She was also diagnosed with PTSD, which stands for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. I think you'll identify with much of what she describes.

I often hear women lamenting that they wish they could have one more child or that they dreamed of having a large family, but won't because they can't go through HG again. It's one of the most difficult decisions to make. It's part of what motivates me to continue to figure out the causes of HG.

References mentioned in the Podcast:
Avanza/Mirtazpine: anti-emetic/anti-depressant
Phenergan/Promethazine: anti-histamine
Unisom/Doxylamine: over the counter anti-histamine
B6: It's recommended to get the active form of B6, such as this.
Cloudy apple juice: It's thought that the malic acid that is naturally occuring in unfiltered apple juice softens gallstones so that they can be naturally expelled.
GAPS diet: Diet that stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome is a healing diet, meant to treat inflammation in the body and leaky gut syndrome.

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I wasn't always this obsessed with figuring out the why behind Hyperemesis Gravidarum. It took me a long time just to figure out that what I had when I was pregnant even had a name and was "a real thing". And then for awhile, I bought all the lies: that it meant the baby was healthier, that the baby could get everything it needed from me, even if I wasn't eating or I was eating junk food and, the biggest one, that there's nothing I could do about it.

Don't get me wrong, there's no simple answer for most people. But as science has advanced (especially since I took genetics in college) we have a better understanding of genetics. We no longer are doomed by our genes, but can effect change on our genes. We can turn genes on and off. So even if there is a genetic component to HG, that doesn't mean we can't have an affect on them through our nutrition and exposure to our environment.

I'll give you an example from my own life. When I was 9 years old, I developed asthma. I started coughing and wheezing and no one could figure out why, so they took me to the ER. They decided I had asthma and was allergic to wheat dust. And I lived in Kansas on a wheat farm. So, I took a lot of medicine. I never left the house without an inhaler. I wore a mask during wheat harvest and I coped. I wasn't severe. It went up and down with the seasons and exposure, but I was fine. I was manageable. I moved away to college and it was the same thing. Up and down, don't leave the house without an inhaler. I was an asthmatic and I believed I always would be.

All throughout my pregnancies and moving all around the country, I kept that albuterol inhaler nearby. It wasn't until right before I got pregnant for the fifth time, that I had a paradigm shift. Or the start of one. I made an appointment with a new doctor as we had just moved to the area. She asked me if I'd be willing to change my diet. I thought that was weird, because I had asthma. Why would I need to change my diet? She gave me a prescription for medication, a list of supplements I should look into taking and some foods I should consider excluding. I took her advice. Not all right away. Especially because a month or so later, I found out I was pregnant for the fifth time. Having had a terrible time with my fourth pregnancy, I immediately went to the first OB appointment I could get and got a prescription for Zofran and took that and Unisom as soon as the nausea started.

That was the beginning of the end for me, though because it was being attached to those drugs and the words of my doctor echoing in my head that made me say, "Why? Why do I have to take medication at all?" It didn't seem right to me.

I've learned a lot since then. I've changed a lot since then. I'm still learning and changing and growing. But here's the best part. I am no longer taking asthma medication. I still have an inhaler in my medicine cabinet. I don't consider myself CURED, but I do consider myself recovered. And this experience, as well as talking to many other women who have changed their own health, has made dig deeper into the why of Hyperemesis Gravidarum. I don't believe it's normal. I don't believe it's healthy. And I don't believe it's not fixable.

I don't believe I needed to suffer like I did and it pains me that so many women are still suffering so much just to have a baby.

And I do believe that in finding out what is causing Hyperemesis Gravidarum, we can help countless women take back their health. Not just during pregnancy, but for the rest of their life.

References in the podcast:
Gelbvieh cattle (They're handsome beasts aren't they?)
Unisom -I didn't mention vitamin B6, because I could never keep it down. But the unisom helped. (I would notice if I didn't take it.)

What's your experience with Hyperemesis Gravidarum been like?