HER Foundation

Black Breastfeeding Week 2023
2023-08-25 - 2023-08-31
The 2021 theme for Black Breastfeeding Week 2023: We Outside! Celebrating Connection & Our Communities! #WeOutSide

Read why Black Breastfeeding Week is important.

Breastfeeding After HG with Susan Fuchs
2023-08-13 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
​Join our Instagram Live with Susan Fuchs, MS, IBCLC, “Reclaiming Your Power Through Breastfeeding” on Sunday, August 13th, 2023, at 5pm Pacific. Hear Susan share her HG journey and expertise on breastfeeding in a conversation with Kimber MacGibbon, RN.
Learn more about:

How breastmilk adapts to baby’s needs.
How breastfeeding impacts our health.
How breastfeeding affects mental health.
How breastfeeding and weaning are affected by HG.
35% of HG patients do not breastfeed compared to 11% of controls.

Submit your questions here.
Breastfeeding is not an option for every mother. Those who have struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), who are facing malnutrition, trauma, and other complications may have greater difficulty successfully breastfeeding or may decide to nourish their baby with formula. Whether or not to breastfeed can be a complex, personal choice. In the end, the best choice is the one that ensures the well being of you and your child. Read our blog.
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG): a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease that may cause malnutrition, dehydration, and debility due to severe nausea and vomiting, and may cause long-term health issues for mom and baby.
SHARE THE FACTS

HG, hyperemesis gravidarum, is a pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting.
HG is not the “morning sickness” of healthy, normal pregnancies. It is a distinct diagnosis marked by severe and relentless symptoms that pose significant risks to the health of both mother and baby. Over 1/3rd of HG babies do not make it to term.
HG babies are at increased risk for low birth weight, small size for gestational age, and preterm birth. In utero exposure to HG is linked to a 3.6-fold increased risk of emotional/behavioral & developmental disorders.
Nearly 20% of HG pregnancies are lost to therapeutic terminations, citing “no hope for relief.” Current treatments are not adequate to prevent termination of these planned, wanted pregnancies.
Mothers with HG’s most severe forms can experience pneumothorax, organ rupture, retinal detachment and blindness, eardrum and jaw damage, rib fractures, esophageal tears, the neurological syndrome Wernicke’s encephalopathy, or even death.
18% of women report full criteria of post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSS) following an HG pregnancy. More than half of mothers have post-traumatic stress symptoms.
In 2009, inpatient treatment for HG in the U.S. cost more than $250,000,000. HG is the leading cause of hospitalization in early pregnancy, and is second only to preterm labor as the most common overall cause of hospitalization during pregnancy.

World Breastfeeding Week 2023
2023-08-01 - 2023-08-07
Each year, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action promotes World Breast Feeding Week from August 1-7. The 2023 theme is Enabling breastfeeding: making a difference for working parents. While there are benefits for breastfeeding, not all HG survivors are able to breastfeed. Learn more about breastfeeding across the globe from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Any conversation about breastfeeding includes the benefits of breastfeeding. The conversation must also acknowledge health and other factors in a mother’s ability or decision to breastfeed. “Breastfeeding is not an option for every mother. Women who have struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), who are facing malnutrition, trauma, and other complications may have greater difficulty successfully breastfeeding or may decide to nourish their baby with formula. Whether or not to breastfeed can be a complex, personal choice. In the end, the best choice for you is the one that ensures the well-being of you and your child.”

Learn more about breastfeeding across the globe from the World Health Organization (WHO).

#WBW2023

HG is hyperemesis gravidarum: a potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease that may cause malnutrition, dehydration, and debility due to severe nausea and vomiting, and may cause long-term health issues for mom and baby.

Black Maternal Mental Health Week 2023
2023-07-19 - 2023-07-25
July 19-25 is Black Maternal Mental Health Week. At the HER Foundation, we are dedicated to providing research, resources, and support for all affected by HG. We know that BIWOC (Black, Indigenous and Women of Color), particularly Black women, have additional systemic hurdles to overcome to gain quality HG treatment and specialized medical care during pregnancy.
🔹Learn more in our blog.
Black Maternal Mental Health Week is an annual awareness event, but employers and business leaders can create shift all year long. Thank you to Shades Of Blue Project for their leadership in #BMMHW2023.

BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month 2023
2023-07-01 - 2023-07-31
BIPOC Mental Health Month 2023 theme is Culture, Community, and Connection.
Read our blog post here.

PTSD Awareness Day 2023
2023-06-27
With the advances in nutrition and fluid replacements, most patients survive hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) with few life-threatening complications. However, the stress, pain, and helplessness of HG cause persistent psychological distress for many women.
PTSS is common following HG pregnancies and is associated with negative life outcomes including inability to breastfeed, marital problems, financial problems, and inability of self-care.
Source: Posttraumatic stress symptoms following pregnancy complicated by hyperemesis gravidarum. — The Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, 2011.
Learn about trauma after HG here.

Funny Friday: HG Memes
2023-05-26, 2023-05-19, 2023-05-12, 2023-05-05
HG Memes are back for HG Awareness Month 2023. The HER Foundation invites you to be part of the fun on Funny Fridays throughout May! We all know the crazy things that happen during HG! We invite you to take your favorite kid pictures and make them into HG memes.

How to participate:

Send your memes to theHERFoundation@gmail.com and we will share them during Meme Mondays!
Or you can tag HER and use #HGmemes, so we can share your meme to our story.
The creators of the top three memes will receive a prize.
We won’t be able to share memes with triggers.

We hope you’ll join the fun!

#HERDanceParty Day!
2023-05-15
The Big Day is here! Watch the #HERDanceParty!
Let’s make a difference together!

Update: #HERDanceParty!
2023-05-08
Get ready for the upcoming #HERDanceParty!
Join the party and help us create awareness for HG and the HER Foundation. Share your own dance videos with #HERDanceParty, and let’s create a wave of love, support, and cuteness!
Let’s make a difference together!

Child Mental Health Week 2023
2023-05-07 - 2023-05-13
Accept, Advocate, Act – Because Awareness Is Not Enough

International Bereaved Mother's Day
2023-05-07
International Bereaved Mother’s Day is the first Sunday in May each year. This is a day for mothers and parents to remember the children they have lost. HG increases the risk of miscarriage, unwanted termination, stillbirth, and neonatal loss. We know the grief is great, but all of us at the HER Foundation are here for you. You are not alone.
HER resources:

HER memorial page
HER Loss Support Group
Grief Information

Candle Lighting to Honor Jess and Baby Elsie
2023-05-03
Honor Jess and Baby Elsie
Join the HER Foundation and the worldwide HG community in honoring Jess and Baby Elsie who lost their battle with HG at 28 weeks. With permission from their family, we invite you to light a candle May 3, at 7 PM in your time zone.
How to participate:

Light a candle(s) at 7 PM in your time zone.
Post your pictures or videos on social media.
Use the hashtag #HonorJessandElsie.
Tag HER, so we can share your post.

We will shine a light on maternal mental health and HG across the globe and remember these two beautiful lives.

World Maternal Mental Health Day
2023-05-03
World Maternal Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day is observed on the first Wednesday in May each year. This year, this theme is all about supporting each other through our worldwide journey in maternal mental health. Those who experience maternal mental health problems suffer in silence and often go undetected and untreated. Join us in destigmatizing mental health complications.
HG patients have significantly increased risk of maternal mental health diagnosis secondary to HG:

26% have suicidal ideations (Nana et al., 2022)
18% meet full criteria PTSD (Christodoulou et al., 2011)
~50% experience trauma
52% consider termination (Nana et al., 2022)
50% have a postpartum psychiatric diagnosis
>80% experience psychosocial struggles (Poursharif et al., 2007)

Please reach out if you need help:
🔹National Maternal Mental Health Line: 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS)
🔹Postpartum Support International
🔹HER HG Support Groups

If you or a family member needs postpartum mental health care, please contact your provider.

World Maternal Mental Health Week 2023
2023-05-02 - 2023-05-08

Your Invite to the #HERDanceParty!
2023-05-01

International HG Awareness Month 2023
2023-05-01 - 2023-05-31
Join the HER Foundation as we raise awareness about HG Reality during HG Awareness Month, May 2023. Follow the events calendar.
GET INVOLVED

JOIN the #HERDanceParty.
SHARE your HG story.
FUNDRAISE for HG education & research.
INVITE others to follow the HER Foundation and learn more about HG.
DONATE to the HER Foundation.
USE the hashtags on your social: #HGAM23 #HGAD23 #HGreality.

HER Foundation is the Global Voice of HG!
___
WHAT IS HG?
At least 1 million women are estimated to suffer from a serious pregnancy disease each year that takes the lives of thousands of babies (and some mothers) due to chronic malnutrition and dehydration from debilitating nausea and vomiting. The disease known as HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) is often misunderstood, unrecognized or assumed to be psychological, and thus is inadequately treated. This means women suffer to the point of being traumatized, choosing therapeutic termination, or having serious short and long-term health issues. The children, too often, are affected as well. With proper treatment, most issues can be minimized or prevented, and the impact can be reduced. Be HG aware, educate others, and donate to support education and research (HG research rarely gets grant funding!!).
*HG: hyperemesis gravidarum (hyper = excessive, emesis = vomiting, gravidarum = in pregnancy)
**Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the mom-to-be and the newborn(s).

Giving Tuesday 2022
2022-11-29
22 Years of Helping Generations survive HG is made possible by the support of our community. Here at HER, we are ready for a BIG day in the nonprofit world: Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2022. Giving Tuesday is the largest giving day of the year, and we want to make this year’s global movement for giving our best yet!
YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. Support the HER Foundation this #GivingTuesday, and feel great knowing that you are part of a world-wide movement, working to raise awareness for philanthropy, especially as we gear up for an exciting work in 2023!

Will you join the global generosity movement and celebrate all acts of giving? Donate today: Hyperemesis.org/donate.

Thank you gifts:
Shoutout for $22/month
HER Tumbler for $220
HER/1 MOM Yeti for $2200

Honor Maria
2022-11-25
Be a Voice for Maria! Join the global maternal health community in honoring Maria and her twins on Friday, November 25, 2022, the seventeenth anniversary of their deaths.
No mother should be silenced by HG, but Maria’s voice was silenced due to preventable complications. We all must be a voice for her.
Share a selfie with your right index finger in the air to indicate 1 MOM is 2 Many to die (or use this graphic).
Copy/paste one of these captions:

I’m raising my voice to honor Maria.
#1MOMis2Many to die.
#Iam1MOM who will speak for Maria.
#Iam1MOM who was not believed.
#IamMariasVoice because….[add your reasons].
Maria’s voice was silenced due to preventable complications of HG, so we all must be a voice for her.

Be sure to tag @1MOMis2Many and HER Foundation (@HGmoms). Use these campaign hashtags: #MariasVoice #Isupport1MOM #Iam1Mom #1MOMis2Many #HGaware

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
2022-10-15
Whether the loss is miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, or neonatal, we remember. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day honors the babies we hold in our hearts.
We invite you to add your HG baby to our memorial page.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
2022-10-01 - 2022-10-31
Whether the loss is miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, or neonatal, we remember the babies we hold in our hearts. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month honors our lost little ones.
We invite you to add your HG baby to our memorial page.

HER Foundation is 22
2022-09-30
22 years of Helping Generations survive HG! From 2000 to 2022, we have been building a healthier future for the next generation! Our research, support, advocacy, and education resources have reached over 2,200,000 people across the globe.

Join the celebration throughout October!

Malnutrition Awareness Week 2022
2022-09-19 - 2022-09-23
The HER Foundation has partnered with ASPEN, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition, for ASPEN Malnutrition Awareness Week TM (MAW) on September 19-23, 2022.

For more information and to register for events, visit https://www.nutritioncare.org/maw. Malnutrition Awareness Week Schedule
Help to increase awareness of nutrition’s role on patient recovery online by using the hashtag #ASPENMAW22.

Malnutrition Awareness Week TM is a mark of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN). Used with permission from ASPEN.

Sepsis Awareness Month 2022
2022-09-01 - 2022-09-30
September is Sepsis Awareness Month. According to the CDC, 13.9% of maternal deaths between 2016-2018 were caused by infection or sepsis. HG puts patients at higher risk due to reduced immune function, invasive procedures, and urinary tract infections.
Sepsis is when the body’s response to an existing infection injures its own tissues and organs. Signs of sepsis include a fever of 101 (38.3 C) or higher or a low temperature, abdominal pelvic pain/tenderness, confusion, shortness of breath and signs of infection.

Black Maternal Mental Health Week 2022
2022-07-19 - 2022-07-25
July 19-25 is Black Maternal Mental Health Week. At the HER Foundation, we are dedicated to providing research, resources, and support for all affected by HG. We know that BIWOC (Black, Indigenous and Women of Color), particularly Black women, have additional systemic hurdles to overcome to gain quality HG treatment and specialized medical care during pregnancy.
🔹Learn more in our blog.
Black Maternal Mental Health Week is an annual awareness event, but employers and business leaders can create shift all year long. Thank you to Shades Of Blue Project for their leadership in #BMMHW2022

HG Awareness Month 2022
2022-05-01 - 2022-05-31
Join the HER Foundation as we raise awareness about HG’s Impact during HG Awareness Month, May 2022.
GET INVOLVED

SHARE your HG story.
MEET other HG survivors on Zoom.
FUNDRAISE for HG education & research.
INVITE others to follow the HER Foundation and learn more about HG.
DONATE to the HER Foundation.
USE the hashtags on your social: #HGAM22 #HGAD22 #HGimpact

____
EVENTS

___
WHAT IS HG?
At least 1 million women are estimated to suffer from a serious pregnancy disease each year that takes the lives of thousands of babies (and some mothers) due to chronic malnutrition and dehydration from debilitating nausea and vomiting. The disease known as HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) is often misunderstood, unrecognized or assumed to be psychological, and thus is inadequately treated. This means women suffer to the point of being traumatized, choosing therapeutic termination, or having serious short and long-term health issues. The children, too often, are affected as well. With proper treatment, most issues can be minimized or prevented, and the impact can be reduced. Be HG aware, educate others, and donate to support education and research (HG research rarely gets grant funding!!).
*HG: hyperemesis gravidarum (hyper = excessive, emesis = vomiting, gravidarum = in pregnancy)
**Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition, and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the mom-to-be and the newborn(s).
HER Foundation is the Global Voice of HG!

Black Maternal Health Week 2022
2022-04-11 - 2022-04-17
April 11-17, 2022, is Black Maternal Health Week. At the HER Foundation, we are dedicated to providing research, resources, and support for people affected by HG. We join the celebration of BMHW22 because we know that Black patients have additional systemic hurdles to overcome to get quality HG treatment and specialized medical care during pregnancy. #BMHW22

Blood Clot Awareness Month
2022-03-01 - 2022-03-31
March is Blood Clot Awareness Month.
The risk of clotting or embolism increases due to pregnancy and is exacerbated by dehydration, malnutrition, and immobility due to Hyperemesis Gravidarum. HER research finds that HG patients have an 8-fold increased risk of blood clots after an HG pregnancy compared to controls.
GET INVOLVED

SHARE your HG story.
MEET other HG survivors on Zoom.
FUNDRAISE for HG education & research.
INVITE others to follow the HER Foundation and learn more about HG.
DONATE to the HER Foundation.
USE the hashtags on your social: #BCAM22 #hyperemesisgravidarum #bloodclots
