Our daughter, Liora Elle, was born on January 1, 2020. That New Year’s Day, we finally triumphed over a nearly year-long fight against hyperemesis gravidarum (HG).
My HG pregnancy began with the loss of 30 pounds in the first month, and I was forced to spend the first 8 weeks in and out of the hospital. A PICC line was then inserted, and I was placed on a feeding tube shortly thereafter. I spent 6 months on that feeding tube and only left my house for medical appointments.
I was forced to stop working and completely relied on my husband to take care of me. I threw up excessively every day until the very moment Liora was born. It was an awful, scary, and incredibly dark time in our lives.
My husband, Jay, and I know just how fortunate we are. We were able to receive home health services preventing us from having to stay hospitalized throughout our pregnancy. In addition, we have health insurance that covered the numerous anti-emetic medications and the Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) I was prescribed. I would not be here today without such medical intervention. Liora is healthy, happy, and thriving because we were able to get timely and appropriate medical intervention.
Liora means “God’s gift of light to me” in Hebrew. She is already living up to her name! Liora has brought our family so much light these past 5 months.
Kari volunteers with the HER Foundation to create change. As an advocate, she has shared her story in the Palm Beach Post, CBS 12 News Local, and Scary Mommy.
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.
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