Student midwives' lecture - delivered at last

On Friday 7 February 2014 I gave my long-anticipated lecture on hyperemesis gravidarum to sixty student midwives at Birmingham City University.  As a solicitor, I might not seem like the obvious choice to lecture on a midwifery course!  But I suffered from the condition during both my pregnancies and I am now a volunteer for the charity, Pregnancy Sickness Support (PSS), so I am probably more qualified than most.

My remit for the session was to share my own experiences in order to help the students understand the impact that hyperemesis has on the sufferer and her family and to discuss how midwives can best help anyone suffering from hyperemesis .

Since having my two children, I have a huge amount of admiration for midwives and the important role that they play in bringing new life into the world.  I imagine that many regard it as a privilege to be involved in one of the most precious moments that a family can experience.  However, sadly, they will also encounter loss and grief and they will need to show strength and compassion to support families through dark and tragic times. I believe it takes a very special person to take on this role.

It was not surprising then that the group I lectured were a really lovely bunch of ladies.  I had no problems engaging them in discussion of the case studies I had prepared and they were very willing to share any experience they already had of hyperemesis . 

During the session I spent time discussing the significant differences between hyperemesis and the "normal" pregnancy sickness that many people will be familiar with. My intention was to give an honest and personal account of what I went through and to highlight the support and resources available from Pregnancy Sickness Support.

I ended the session with five key messages for the students to remember:

• Hyperemesis is not morning sickness. It is not a normal part of pregnancy but a serious complication which is both mentally and physically debilitating.
• Hyperemesis requires proper treatment and support otherwise there are risks to mum and baby.
• Safe and effective medication is available.
• A midwife’s role is to believe, listen to and support the woman and to ensure she gets the medical treatment and support she needs. 
• Support, information and resources are available from Pregnancy Sickness Support.

From my own perspective, I felt the lecture went very well. That said, I was not expecting the round of applause I got at the end of the session!

I would like to thank Rachel and all of the students for giving me the opportunity to come and speak to the group. It was a real pleasure and I would be delighted to come again next year if the University will have me.  

If you have enjoyed reading my blog please sponsor me for the Nine Months of ... campaign here. You can find out more about the Nine Months of ... campaign here.  Thank you.

Student midwives' lecture - two days to go

It doesn’t seem very long since I was writing about my excitement and trepidation at being invited to speak to student midwives at Birmingham City University about hyperemesis gravidarum.  You can read my previous blog post here.  At the time, February seemed such a long time off but, as is so often the way, time has flown by and here I am just a few days away from the lecture.

I thought I would get the students thinking early on in the session with some multiple choice questions about HG. Why don’t you have a go at the questions yourself and see how well you do? You might be surprised at some of the answers! Answers are at the bottom of the post.

1. Which of the following symptoms are associated with HG?

          (a) Excess saliva

          (b) Aversion to noise

          (c) Sensitivity to smells

          (d) Severe fatigue

          (e) Dehydration

2. Which of the following are likely to help a woman suffering from HG?

          (a) Ginger biscuits
      
          (b) Acupressure bands

          (c) Eating little and often

          (d) Rest

          (e) Thinking positively

3. At what point will most HG sufferers’ symptoms start to improve? 

          (a) 12 weeks

          (b) 16 weeks

          (c) 20+ weeks

4. What percentage of HG sufferers continue to experience at least some symptoms of HG for 9 months?

         (a) 5%

         (b) 30%

         (c) 60%

5. A woman is more likely to get HG in a subsequent pregnancy if she has had it before. True or False?

6. A woman is more likely to get HG if her mother or sister had it. True or False?


7. What percentage of women require time off work because of pregnancy sickness or HG?

         (a) 30%

         (b) 40%
         (c) 50%

Answers: 1. All 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (c) 5. True 6. True 7. (a)


If you have enjoyed reading this please sponsor me for the Nine Months of ... campaign here.  You can find out more about the Nine Months of ... campaign here.  Thank you.

Charity pamper evening in pictures

Head and shoulder massage, mini-facial, hand and arm massage, mini-manicure and express hair styling ... these were just some of the fabulous treatments on offer at last night’s Charity Pamper Evening at Shear Success Salon and Spa in aid of Pregnancy Sickness Support and their Nine Months of ... campaign to raise awareness and funds for the charity.

I had a relaxing head and shoulder massage and express hair styling (after which I felt very glam) followed by a lovely hand and arm massage whilst lying on a heated bed with dimmed lighting and soothing music ... bliss!  

Although I had arrived feeling a little frazzled after rushing home from work, doing the school run, the nursery run, making the tea and getting ready in 5 minutes flat, I was soon feeling chilled out with all the other guests.

We were treated to bubbly and canapés and the salon kindly donated a wonderful raffle prize of a mini-facial or mini-massage plus a blow dry.

It was a perfect evening with great company and we raised £136 for Pregnancy Sickness Support.  Thank you to everyone who came and helped to make the event a huge success. Thank you also to Angela and all the staff at Shear Success who were amazing.  They did everything which meant it was very easy for me to organise the event.  All I had to do was sell tickets ... and then enjoy the evening.

I have only one question – when’s the next one?

If you have enjoyed reading this please sponsor me for the Nine Months of ... campaign here.  You can find out more about the Nine Months of ... campaign here.  Thank you.

What do I have in common with Theo Walcott?

Not a great deal, I imagine. But there is one thing. As I watched the news last week, when the BBC newsreader reported that Walcott had suffered “the injury that all footballers dread” I knew, I just knew. I turned to my husband and said “ACL”.  Bingo, I was right! He had suffered the same injury I suffered - a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament - and has just had the same knee op that I had twelve weeks ago.

It must be a pretty common injury even among mere mortals who do not command seven figure salaries for kicking a round thing around a field.  There are at least four parents’ of children in my son’s class who have had the same injury … and as far as I know none of us are footballers.

But what has this got to do with charity?  Hang in there, I am getting to the point.  According to the news Walcott is likely to be out of the game for six months.  I can certainly vouch for the fact that it is a long recovery process.  Three months into my recovery, I have only just been allowed to do my first jog since the op. It was only round the corner but it was indeed a jog, not limp or a hobble or even a fast walk but a proper jog!  This was a small step but a significant one for me.

This brings me to goals (excuse the pun). Walcott has major incentives to get his knee back into shape as quickly as possible after surgery – his career, playing for his country, not to mention that seven figure salary!

But what about me? In recent years I have become less and less active as the effects of my injury increased and the stability of my knee deteriorated.  Of course, I want to be able to do sport, get fitter and maybe even lose a bit of weight but my main incentive and motivation is this: as my children grow up I don't want to be afraid to play tennis with them, kick a ball around in the park or even just kneel on the floor to play for fear that my right knee might “clunk out of place” and have to be then clunked back into place.  This is why I got it fixed.

I have been very conscientious with my physiotherapy but I am beginning to feel that I need a concrete goal to aim for.  So, I am thinking that it would be good to do some kind of run, cycle, swim (not all three, of course, as that would be madness!) and that as an added motivation I could do this for charity.

But what? And when? I have no idea what would be an achievable goal or an appropriate timescale to aim for. Clearly, I will not be doing an Ironman Triathlon or the Marathon des Sables any time soon but there must be something more realistic I could aim for.  Bearing in mind that I am currently not allowed to jog for more than about 10 minutes at a time, as well as the shamefully low fitness level I am starting from, I expect that I will need a long time to prepare!

So, I am now on the lookout for opportunities towards the end of this year (or even next year) and any suggestions would be appreciated.  Answers on a postcard please ... or via more 21st Century means of communication if you prefer!

New Year Pampering

What better way to start the New Year than with a bit of much-needed pampering?


The date of my Charity Pamper Evening in aid of Pregnancy Sickness Support has now been set as Tuesday 28 January at 7pm at Shear Success in Sutton Coldfield.


Tickets have sold fast, so much so that I now have a waiting list! Some people have yet to pay so places may become available. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like me to put your name on the waiting list.

Here’s the deal:

Tickets are £10 (£5 of which goes to PSS) and guests will receive a drink on arrival and canapés.

Everyone will receive:

·         a head, shoulder and neck massage,

·         a stress relieving hand and arm massage, and

·         hair style or colour advice.

As well as a choice of:

·         a mini facial,

·         a mini massage,

·         threading,

·         a mini manicure or mini pedicure, or

·         a part-body spray tan.

It promises to be an excellent evening. I look forward to seeing you there!


You can sponsor Pregnancy Sickness Support's 'nine months of…' campaign by donating here.

Pamper evening in the pipeline

Plans are now underway for some serious post-Christmas pampering … all in aid of Pregnancy Sickness Support, of course! Thanks to my friend, Julia, for the tip-off that the salon she goes to runs charity pamper evenings.  What better way to raise a bit of money while being pampered and spending the evening with friends?

Here’s the deal:

Tickets are £10 (£5 of which goes to PSS); bubbly and canapés are provided; and everyone gets:

• a head, shoulder and neck massage,
• a stress relieving hand and arm massage, and
• hair style or colour advice.

As well as a choice of:

• a mini facial,
• a mini massage,
• threading,
• a mini manicure   or mini pedicure, or
• a part-body spray tan.

What’s not to like?

The date is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be towards the end of January (when I’m sure we will all be desperately in need of some pampering!)

So, keep an eye out for more details shortly.  Tickets will be limited so make sure you snap yours up quickly.

Is all publicity good publicity?

 

My only experience of dealing with the press so far has been a very positive one. My local paper ran a great article about my role as a volunteer for Pregnancy Sickness Support.  However, I am also well aware of the media’s ability to distort things.  A fellow volunteer, for example, once spoke in good faith to the media about her own experience of hyperemesis gravidarum. When she saw the article, she was horrified to see that the headline was “My hubbie made me vomit”.  Not exactly a triumph of British journalism!

Two or three months ago, I contacted a different newspaper in an attempt to get some publicity for Pregnancy Sickness Support and the nine months of campaign.  The initial response was great.  A health correspondent contacted me and said she was planning to run a double page spread. Fantastic!  She needed a case study which I was happy to do and so we set up a date for an interview.   But from the start of the interview, it was abundantly clear that the reporter had a very different article in mind to the one I had intended.

First question: “So, how did you feel when you found out you were pregnant – were you happy about it?” Whoa ... hang on a minute. What has that got to do with Pregnancy Sickness Support and the nine months of … campaign?  Alarm bells started to ring!  After a few more questions a picture was emerging of the type of article that would appear in the paper.

Although I tried at every possible opportunity to mention PSS and nine months of (probably to the point of annoyance!) the reporter seemed far more interested in an almost day-by-day diary of my pregnancy and HG symptoms.  She also seemed a little too preoccupied with the mental and emotional impact of the condition.  It’s difficult to put my finger on why but I was beginning to feel uneasy about the whole thing.

They say “there is no such thing as bad publicity” but I beg to differ.  I admit that I might not be the easiest subject.  I like to be in control.  I am a lawyer and naturally cautious.  I am also concerned (rightly or wrongly) about how I come across and what people think of me.  I did not want the focus of the article to be me going into great detail about what I went through from the moment I found out I was pregnant to the day I gave birth in case this was somehow portrayed in a negative way.  Of course, I wanted to convey how awful and devastating HG is but my intention was to have a positive message (i.e. the work of the charity and the nine months of … campaign) to give hope to women who are suffering that they can get through it and to let them know that there is support and treatment available.  It was clear the reporter had a very different agenda.

Although the reporter would not agree to let me see the article before publication, we eventually agreed (or at least so I thought) that she would focus instead on statistics from recent PSS research into HG which showed that 60% of women who have suffered from HG experienced symptoms throughout the whole nine months of pregnancy, and so the section about me would less prominent.  I then went on holiday for a couple of weeks and the plan was that she would read through the article with me when I got back. That was in August and I have not heard anything since.  It may be that the article has been shelved for the time being but it is far more likely that the reporter has decided not to run the article.

With hindsight this is probably for the best.  If my gut instinct was right then our expectations for the article were clearly just too far apart.  Whilst it is extremely disappointing that Pregnancy Sickness Support and the nine months of … campaign did not get the publicity I wanted, I certainly did not want publicity at any cost.