Released on: 04 December 2012

The Duchess of Cambridge is being treated in hospital for a very severe form of morning sickness called hyperemesis gravidarum.

Rosie Dodds, Senior Policy Adviser for NCT, the UK’s largest charity for parents said:

“NCT is thrilled to learn about the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy, we offer our sincere congratulations to both William and Catherine as they start their exciting journey into parenthood. However, we are very sorry to hear about the hospitalisation of the Duchess due to hyperemesis gravidarum, or severe pregnancy sickness. 

“It’s thought around 80% of pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, usually between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. Around 1% suffer from the more severe hyperemesis gravidarum, which is persistent vomiting, so that hospitalisation is generally necessary for intravenous fluids.  

“A variety of strategies can help different women to ease the symptoms of the more typical nausea and vomiting when pregnant. These include avoiding possible trigger smells such as smoke, and avoiding fatty foods.  Although there is limited evidence, the use of ginger, vitamin B6 and acupressure have also been found to be effective for some women, though it’s always worth checking with your midwife or doctor first. The traditional remedy of eating dry foods such as toast is unlikely to do any harm.

“Some women find that they can only manage a few foods, and not necessarily nutritious ones at that. In this case it is still better to eat whatever stays down than to go hungry, as that is likely to make the sick feeling worse. 

“We wish William and Catherine the best of luck with the pregnancy and hope that the Duchess is feeling better soon.”  

ENDS

More information can be found here: http://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/nausea-and-vomiting-pregnancy  

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