Pregnancy Sickness Hub – Information, Support & Relief

The nausea started just a couple of days after I found out I was pregnant, and very quickly it turned from dry retching into severe, all day nausea and vomiting. I finally reached my breaking point around week 7 when I was throwing up every half an hour through the night and decided I needed to get treatment.

My sickness improved greatly by half way through the pregnancy, although I did still have bouts of nausea and vomiting right until the end. However, the earlier stages were awful – I felt so isolated, cried every time I threw up and lost bladder control, couldn’t brush my teeth, spent most of the day in bed surrounded by sick bowls and considered termination for a very wanted baby. I wanted nothing more than to have someone just sit by me and keep me company, but I couldn’t bear talking much and the sound of my husband’s voice would trigger the vomiting too. Whilst the worst of the sickness only lasted those first few months for me, they were traumatic and have left a huge impact on me.

When my husband and I found out we were expecting our first baby, we were thrilled. It felt like the start of a beautiful new chapter—one filled with love, hope, and excitement for the future.

But by six weeks into the pregnancy, things took an unexpected turn. I was suddenly hit with intense and constant sickness. It was debilitating. I couldn’t eat, and even sips of water made me sick. I became completely bedbound, signed off work, and felt like I had lost my identity and my life as I knew it.

The isolation was overwhelming. As my physical health declined, so did my mental wellbeing. I felt deeply alone and at times questioned whether I could continue the pregnancy—not because I didn’t want our baby, but because I was struggling to survive each day.

Eventually I sought treatment from my GP which helped a little but it was a very long and difficult journey.

I was so excited to find out I was pregnant, I found out quite early at about three weeks. However, by six weeks, I’d lost a stone and a half through vomiting. The constant nausea and vomiting continued throughout my pregnancy, and I required regular medical intervention and medication until my daughter was born. 

I found myself having no excitement for my pregnancy, and thought about termination regularly. I couldn’t eat or drink much without vomiting, and for much of the time, sleeping was the only way to relieve this. I was bed bound and signed off work throughout the pregnancy, leading to being isolated and very low in mood. There weren’t many people around me who understood how I felt, which was isolating in itself. The nausea and vomiting stopped as soon as my daughter was born, however the journey to her birth was long and incredibly difficult. I had peer support from around six months through Pregnancy Sickness Support. Being in touch with  people who understand the impact of nausea and vomiting was truly invaluable, and ultimately life saving

I experienced overwhelming nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, from 6 weeks to around 20 weeks. As well as this, I was more exhausted than I have ever been, physically very weak, faint at times, extremely distressed by certain smells and suffered from hypersalivation which I found incredibly shameful. I was unable to carry out self-care activities such as brushing my teeth, due to the toothbrush making me vomit. The relentlessness of the physical symptoms had an impact on my mental health, and I shut down. I was barely able to advocate for myself (I realise now this is a skill I use in my day-to-day life) but managed to access some medication from my GP. 

I firmly believe that there should be more education and recognition of this debilitating condition. Women should have support and access to medication for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy to help manage symptoms and the risk of becoming dehydrated and malnourished.