A mother has revealed how her heartbreaking pregnancy nearly drove her to abortion after vomiting 90 times a day.
Carys Grant, 23, was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum – the same condition that saw the Duchess of Cambridge hospitalised while expecting Prince George.
Unable to eat for seven months, her life was put at risk after she plummeted from 13st 8lbs to just 7st while being in hospital.
At one point medics had even ran out of sick bowls to give her, forcing them to place an emergency order.
Concerned doctors often told her family that she would be unlikely to survive the devastating illness.
However, she managed to pull through the little-known condition and being fed through a tube to give birth to her son Ieuan, now two.
But the horrific ordeal, which left her depressed, has left her unwilling to have any more children because she doesn’t want to ‘risk it again’.
Carys Grant, 23, was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum – the same condition that saw the Duchess of Cambridge hospitalised while she was expecting Prince George (pictured with her son Ieuan, now two)
Miss Grant, from Cardiff, said: ‘At my worst I was being sick 80 to 90 times a day. One time the hospital run out of sick bowls and had to do an emergency order.
‘My whole life changed. I couldn’t do anything. I felt close to death. When I wasn’t sleeping I was being sick.
‘I was in and out of hospital because I had no fluid intake. I would be discharged and then 12 hours later I would be back in. It was very isolating.
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‘I had a drip in my neck. My hair was falling out. I had kidney failure during the pregnancy and I had to have my gall bladder removed afterwards.
‘It’s very raw, but I was ready to terminate the pregnancy. I was so weak I couldn’t speak but wrote it down on a paper “I need this baby out”.
‘I can’t remember my pregnancy at all because of the medicines. I was in and out of it the whole eight months. It’s just a blank, I don’t even remember the first time the baby kicked.’
Unable to eat for seven months, her life was put at risk after she plummeted from 13st 8lbs to just 7st while being in hospital (pictured in hospital)
Around 10,000 women a year in the UK are affected by the debilitating hyperemesis gravidarum.
It is far more severe than ordinary morning sickness and some women are left bedbound or need to be admitted to hospital due to extreme dehydration
Symptoms normally occur in the first three months of pregnancy but some women experience them throughout their full term.
One explanation for it is that it is a severe reaction to a hormone released in early pregnancy called beta human chorionic gonadotropin.
The Duchess, 35, cancelled engagements as she battled the condition. And in 2012, while expecting, she was admitted to hospital when it left her severely dehydrated.
Miss Grant met her partner, Stephen James, through friends nine years ago. They conceived in March 2014.
However, by the fifth week, the sickness was so bad, she was unable to do anything and was forced to leave her job as a carer assistant.
Initially her condition baffled doctors and it wasn’t until her 12 week scan that she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum.
Mr James said: ‘It was so hard to see the person I love so vulnerable and unable to do anything for herself and lying so helplessly in a hospital bed.
Concerned doctors often told her family that she would be unlikely to survive the devastating illness (pictured with her partner, Stephen James)
However, she managed to pull through the little-known condition and being fed through a tube to give birth to her son Ieuan, now two
WHAT IS THIS CONDITION?
Excessive nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), and often needs hospital treatment.
Unlike regular morning sickness, HG may not get better by 14 weeks.
It may not clear up completely until the baby is born, although some symptoms may improve at around 20 weeks.
Some pregnant women be sick many times a day and be unable to keep food or drink down, which can have a negative effect on their daily life.
Exactly how many pregnant women get HG is not known as some cases may go unreported, but it’s thought to be around 1 in every 100.
Signs and symptoms of HG include prolonged and severe nausea and vomiting, dehydration and low blood pressure.
Source: NHS Choices
‘Carys was so outgoing and happy, then she became a body unable to function for daily activities.
‘What should have been such an amazing experience was heart-breaking. I was often told along with Carys’ mum, that they think she isn’t going to survive the pregnancy or the baby.’
Miss Grant eventually had a quick labour and gave birth to her son after 36 weeks in November 2014.
Baby Ieuan spent 10 days in a special care baby unit before the family were finally able to take him home.
However, the physical and mental trauma from Miss Grant’s pregnancy ordeal came home too.
She said: ‘After, I had really bad post-natal depression. I had to adjust to going outside again.
‘After all that time doing nothing, I couldn’t look after myself. I couldn’t wash or dress myself, I was sent into this spiraling depression
‘Once I had Ieuan, I soon felt better and I gradually put on weight. But I still get anxiety over certain foods that I think might make me sick.
At one point medics had even ran out of sick bowls to give her, forcing them to place an emergency order (pictured in hospital)
‘I still have severe depression and anxiety because of being in the hospital so long.’
Although Mr James is hoping for another child, she admits that she is too scared to try again.
Instead, she hopes doctors gain a better understanding of the little-known condition and provide better help to sufferers.
Miss Grant said: ‘I wish there was more knowledge of the condition, at first no one in the hospital had heard of it.
‘There should be more counselling and help during and afterwards. I also wish there was an opportunity of home care rather than just hospital admissions.
‘No one should ever have to go through what I did.’
Mr James added: ‘I owe my life to Carys, she is my hero. It is amazing to have her still here and she is a fantastic selfless mother to Ieuan.’