Pregnant Amy Schumer has hyperemesis, extreme morning sickness, and women feel her pain
This is not your mother’s morning sickness.
Or maybe it is if your mom was laid out flat on her back in the hospital hooked up to an IV line during her pregnancy.
Comedian Amy Schumer, who is pregnant with her first child, announced Thursday that she is in the hospital with hyperemesis gravidarum, a.k.a. extreme morning sickness.
Think of it as hyper upchucking, or constant, debilitating vomiting.
Schumer posted an Instagram photo of herself lying in a hospital bed.
“I’m fine. Baby’s fine but everyone who says the 2nd trimester is better is not telling the full story,” she wrote. “I’ve been even more ill this trimester. I have hyperemesis and it blows. Very lucky to be pregnant but this is some bulls**t!”
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, also famously suffered two cases of hyperemesis when she was pregnant with her first two children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. The second time around in 2014 was so severe she had to cancel her first solo royal tour to Malta, according to The Guardian newspaper.
“For those of you who haven’t been briefed yet: no, it is not just ‘morning sickness’ and no, ‘drinking flat coke or eating a ginger biscuit’ won’t make it stop,” wrote the Guardian’s Miriam Phillips, who experienced the condition herself.
“Quite frankly, the comparison of hyperemesis to morning sickness is like breaking your arm in several places and then being told you’ve just knocked your funny bone. Hopefully, this increased media attention will help the poor expectant mums, who like me, were wiped out by the condition.
“Most sufferers face a barrage of people who cock their head, give a sympathetic look and ask: “So is it morning sickness?” I’m not sure that anyone in their right mind who was suffering from severe vomiting up to 50 times a day would react well to that question and I’m sure it’s not one that the Duchess of Cambridge is forced to answer.”
Compared to the nausea and vomiting many women experience during pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum is rare in its severity, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The condition can cause severe dehydration “or result in the loss of more than 5 percent of pre-pregnancy body weight.” says the clinic. “Hyperemesis gravidarum may require hospitalization and treatment with intravenous (IV) fluids, medications and rarely a feeding tube.”
Women who have it might get dizzy or faint, urinate less and vomit liquids they drink, according to the clinic. Some people think it’s a sign that a woman is pregnant with a girl because being pregnant with a girl is a risk factor. And if women had the condition in a previous pregnancy, they’re more apt to get it again, the Mayo Clinic says.
When Schumer announced her hospitalization, other women started sharing their own hyperemesis horror stories with her on social media.
“Hyperemesis with both my pregnancies. Pic line, TPN and the works. Just remember, this hell has a happy ending.,” one fan wrote on Instagram wrote. “Almost immediately after delivery you will feel back to normal. Just keep taking each day as it comes, and know you can do hard things. Praying for you and your little one.”
“It is totally acceptable to punch anyone who recommends ginger,” another woman wrote. “I would rather stick pins in my eyes than go through Hyperemesis again! Hang in there!”
And there were others.
“Completely understand I had this condition as well. Many hospital visits. Medication morning and night. Don’t worry it is so worth it in the end.”
“I had this and absolutely nothing worked! All ‘home remedies’ made me up chuck!”
“Water with lots of ice helped me feel better during hyperemesis, if you want you should try it.”
“Omg feel better, I had the same thing! It was so bad that I couldnt even work! My 1st doctor said it was all in my mind and I need to think differently (crazy and I switched drs) I thought I was the only one who suffers from that. It seems everyone I know has great pregnancies from start to finish and you damn sure dont hear about any celebrities suffering from it. Thanks for being open and human! P.S. fortunately mine was over in during my 4th month. good luck many blessings.”
Schumer canceled a Texas appearance on her comedy tour because of the hospitalization, Variety reported. She’s slated to perform Saturday at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, Variety says. No word yet on whether she’ll make it.