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Since the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, started suffering from extreme morning sickness, there's been more attention on the pregnancy complication. But some women in KELOLAND are all too familiar with the condition.
Tara Lee says her baby girl is the best thing in her life, but her pregnancy with now one-month-old Briar was not so pleasant.
"It started to get really bad around seven weeks. I started to throw up close to daily and was really nauseated a lot of the time" Lee said.
But instead of getting better, Lee got worse and actually lost weight during her first trimester.
"I started to get really sick again around 26 weeks and had to go in two to three times a week for IV fluids," Lee said.
Doctors diagnosed Lee with hyperemesis gravidarum, better known as extreme morning sickness.
"The criteria is women who lose at least five percent of their body weight," Avera Dr. Molly Uhing said.
Dr. Uhing says around one in 300 expectant mothers have to deal with the dangerous pregnancy condition.
"If they are losing weight, they are not taking in appropriate nutrients for the baby. And as all the organs are developing, it's very important that they have folic acid and their prenatal vitamin and all their nutrients, so that's a worry," Uhing said.
So how do you know if you should come in and see a doctor for extreme morning sickness? Uhing says you should see a doctor if you aren't able to eat or drink anything for six to eight hours.
"If they can't tolerate any food or liquid, then they have to be hospitalized because if you can't drink, you need to have IV fluids," Uhing said.
Lee is thankful her pregnancy is now over and she has a healthy, happy baby to hold.
"I'm not going to say right now if I'd do it again. It's still too recent. She's only a month old, and I can really remember being so sick the whole time. But it was 100 percent worth it. She's the best thing I've had in my life," Lee said.
Doctor Uhing says extreme morning sickness is more common in first-time moms and younger women.
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