Author name: Diane

Many pregnant women have morning sickness but for some, symptoms will be much more intense and they’ll experience severe, persistent nausea and vomiting, weight loss and dehydration. This is a rare disorder known as hyperemesis gravidarum. Brianna was a healthy, young mom of a very active 2-½ year old boy when she began experiencing extreme nausea and vomiting while traveling. She attributed it to the nervousness she was feeling due to meeting her birth mother for the first time. Or, she thought she may have a bad stomach bug. She’s Pregnant! However, the vomiting continued even after she returned home. She did the math and decided to take a pregnancy test. The results were positive. She made a doctor’s appointment to confirm her findings and sure enough, she was pregnant. While she was there, she asked her doctor if there was any medication she could take for her symptoms so she was prescribed an anti-nausea medicine. Brianna also learned that she had a hemorrhage between her placenta and uterine wall. Thankfully, though, she was told this condition often resolves itself. While on vacation the following week with her husband, Brianna was still getting sick, even though the medicine did help some. When she returned, she went to her follow-up appointment she was told that the hemorrhage was gone. She also discussed her nausea again with her doctor. Since the medicine was helping, if not completely getting rid of it, she continued to take it. At this point, Brianna resolved herself to the fact that this was just normal morning sickness and would probably go away at around 12 weeks. She was wrong! “I Vomited 30 Times in One Day” Brianna spent the first half of her pregnancy so sick that she had to stay in bed most of the time. A normal day for her was to vomit 20 times. “Just the slightest movement of my head would sometimes cause me to get violently sick. It was miserable,” Brianna shared. Brianna’s husband is in the National Guard and would often be gone for a week at a time, so she had to rely on family to help take care of her son. During this time, Brianna would end up in the emergency room for dehydration about once a week because she often couldn’t even keep liquids down. At about 20 weeks into her pregnancy, Brianna vomited 30 times, leading her to become severely dehydrated. She was admitted to the hospital. Diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum The Cherokee Women’s doctor that was on call that night attended to Brianna. She disclosed to him just how sick she had been. He reviewed her medical history and determined that she did indeed have a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. While morning sickness occurs in 70-80% of pregnant women, hyperemesis gravidarum only occurs in less than .5-2% of pregnant women. And while morning sickness often fades by the end of the first trimester, hyperemesis gravidarum usually lasts longer. It’s a temporary condition for which there’s no cure, but there are ways to manage it. Brianna recalls her visit to Cherokee Women’s Health. She says, “My doctor brought light to what I was going through. He was able to figure out a treatment plan and added some different medicine, which eventually helped. The pregnancy was still miserable, but I didn’t feel like I was dying anymore.” Because of the new medication, Brianna was able to somewhat enjoy the rest of her pregnancy, and finally take care of her son. Going Into Labor Seven days before she was due, Brianna went into labor. She and her husband live a bit far from Cherokee Women’s Health and Northside Hospital Cherokee but she wanted to deliver there because of all of the physicians and advanced practice providers who had seen and helped her. However, nature had another plan. Brianna’s labor came so fast that she had to deliver closer to home. Brianna gave birth to a beautiful healthy seven-pound baby girl, whom she and her husband named Brielle. Brielle is about to start kindergarten soon and Brianna still vividly remembers all that she went through with her pregnancy. “I can never thank Cherokee Women’s Health enough for putting a name to what I was experiencing and treating me through it. I felt so alone before during that time, I felt like I was drowning. But once I knew what I had I began reaching out to others with the same condition. I found a Facebook group and that was a big help.” – Brianna expressing her gratitude for Cherokee Women’s Health Help is Available Brianna continued, “I’m telling my story so that others know that they are not alone. There are great doctors who can help and wonderful support from other women is available.” If you are experiencing any issues during your pregnancy, Cherokee Women’s Health is here to help. Call us at 770-720-7733 or schedule an appointment online at either our Canton or Woodstock location.   

Roseann did not expect to develop gestational diabetes while she was pregnant with her 3rd child. After all, everything had been going well. While she had suffered with a lot of morning sickness and heartburn with the pregnancies of her two boys, this baby girl pregnancy had been smooth sailing—until the third trimester. During her 7-month visit to Cherokee Women’s Health Specialists, it was time for Roseann to take the glucose test, which is used to check the mom’s blood sugar level. Roseann failed the one-hour test, and then the three-hour test. She was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. What is Gestational Diabetes? Gestational diabetes occurs because of hormonal changes during pregnancy. Increased levels of certain hormones interfere with the body’s ability to manage blood sugar. This condition is known as insulin resistance. As the placenta grows larger during pregnancy, it produces more hormones, increasing the resistance to insulin.  If a pregnant woman’s pancreas is unable to produce more insulin to overcome the effects of additional hormones in the body, blood sugar levels will rise, resulting in gestational diabetes.  This is when everything changed for Roseann. She had to attend a diabetes nutrition class, begin a low carb diet, and add exercise to her routine. She also had to do a finger prick test four times a day to check her sugar levels. And to make matters worse, a few weeks after her diagnosis, Roseann was out shopping for the baby’s crib when she went to the bathroom and saw she was urinating blood. She called her doctor and was sent to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection and put on antibiotics. Admitted to the Hospital One week later, Roseann was still urinating blood when she went for a checkup. Upon examining her, her OB/GYN at Cherokee Women’s Health had Roseann admitted to Labor and Delivery to watch her and to see why this was still happening. During her stay in the hospital, Roseann had to see a urologist and have three scans to check for kidney stones. She also had a Foley bulb catheter to flush her out. Finally, after six days in the hospital, the bleeding stopped. Roseann had to make a lot of changes at the beginning of her seventh month so it a very difficult time for her. She was busy with her 12-year-old and his full calendar of school commitments and extracurricular activities, plus she had a very active 2-year-old. But she still managed to follow the suggested diet and even wrote down everything she ate. However, her numbers were still going up and down. Roseann jokes, “On top of everything else going on, I couldn’t even indulge in my food cravings. Well, except for those two times for my birthday and my baby shower—doctor approved, of course.” Meeting Dr. James Haley In a practice such as Cherokee Women’s, it’s not uncommon for pregnant patients to see multiple doctors, so during one of her next visits, Roseann saw Dr. Haley. “Dr. Haley’s so nice and very knowledgeable. He patiently answered all of my questions, and believe me, I had lots of them. Dr. Haley is amazing!” Roseann shared.   Roseann already knew that when it was time, she would be delivering via C-section since that was how her last baby was delivered, and because of her current complications. She also considered having a tubal ligation after her baby was born, but wasn’t quite sure, so she asked Dr. Haley a lot of questions. Dr. Haley explained that adding a tubal ligation to a C-section is a common occurrence. He also told her that if she even had a 1% doubt about the tubal ligation, that she shouldn’t do it. Roseann shared, “I always appreciated the way Dr. Haley didn’t sugarcoat anything, but also always spoke so kindly.” Delivering a Baby–and a Pizza! At 39 weeks, it was time to deliver her baby. Dr. Haley performed the C-section and baby Ava was born. Although Ava did fail her first glucose heel prick test, she passed the second one and was given a clean bill of health. Roseann did decide to have the tubal ligation, and has no regrets. She says she’s very grateful for her beautiful, healthy family. And, because her diabetes went away after the birth of Ava, Roseann decided to splurge on Cherry Coke and pizza. She said nothing ever tasted so good! Sharing Her Story to Help Others The reason Roseann decided to share her story is to help other women who may experience issues like hers during pregnancy. “I felt so scared and lost during this ordeal. I would have loved to have been able to read a first-hand story from an actual patient of the same practice and doctors that I was seeing.” Roseann says, Seek Expert OB/GYNs      Having gestational diabetes—or other pregnancy related issues—doesn’t mean that all can’t turn out well. Being treated by doctors who are experts in their field can make the difference. Please contact us for an appointment and let us help guide and care for you during your pregnancy. Call today at 770.720.7733.