Morning sickness is one of the most commonly known and most joked about pregnancy symptoms, second only to peculiar food cravings. While unpleasant, it can often be alleviated to a certain extent with plain foods, plenty of fluids, maybe some ginger—your typical nausea remedies. And usually, it clears up on its own by the 20-week mark. Usually.
But sometimes, it doesn’t. Sometimes moms experience stomach sickness and vomiting, right up until the baby is born, on a much more severe level.
Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), isn’t as widely talked about as regular morning sickness, but those who go through it are likely to never forget it. Persistent, extreme nausea and vomiting lead to other symptoms like dehydration, fainting, low blood pressure and even jaundice, to name a few.
Emily Boazman, a mom who had HG while pregnant with her third child, showed just how big of an impact it can make in a viral TikTok.
The video, which now has 6.6 million views, shows multiple instances of Boazman hunched over and exhausted, completely unable to take care of her other kids or keep her house from falling into disarray. It’s a brutal, miserable sight.
Boazman’s video soon received a flood of comments from other moms who had gone through similar experiences. Many felt that it robbed them of the joys of pregnancy and made them not want to get pregnant again.
“Hyperemesis gravidarum absolutely destroyed me. I couldn’t function. It took such a beautiful thing and turned it into my nightmare 😔,” wrote one person.
“Hyperemesis is why I will no longer have any more kids…I almost died with my last…it’s such a real dangerous thing and people don’t understand that,” wrote another.
While there is no cure for hyperemesis gravidarum, there are some treatments that may help. According to WebMD, doctors might recommend lifestyle changes (such as smaller, more frequent meals and drinking through a straw), or supplements like ginger, vitamin B6, thiamine or an electrolyte drink. In some cases, certain medications or even hospitalization is required.
As for Boazman, having gone through HG does not stop her from wanting to become pregnant again. In a subsequent TikTok she shared her goal to have five kids. Fingers crossed for smooth sailing on the next two rounds.