<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) is a severe and debilitating&nbsp;illness brought on by pregnancy.&nbsp;It can be life-threatening; marked by rapid weight loss, malnutrition and dehydration due to unrelenting nausea and/or vomiting with potential adverse consequences for the newborn(s).&nbsp; For most women the only cure is having the baby.&nbsp; <br /><br /></span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In only the seventh week of my pregnancy with my daughter Darcie I was hospitalised by HG.&nbsp; I was on a drip as even my own saliva was making me vomit.&nbsp; At four months, after numerous hospital stays, my weight had dropped to six stone and we had to have the heart breaking conversation of whether we should continue with the pregnancy.&nbsp;This was the worse experience of my life bar none.&nbsp; It was like having the worst flu or food poisoning and it was never-ending. At times I just had to lie alone for days in a darkened room.&nbsp; The whole time, my eldest daughter was shipped out to family members and my husband had to take on all of the household responsibilities as well as working full time.&nbsp; I was lucky I had such a supportive family, some women are not so lucky.<br />&nbsp;<br />Then, when I feeling at my absolute worst, I was referred by <em>Derriford</em> hospital to the&nbsp;<em>Women's Reproductive&nbsp;Health</em>&nbsp;accupuncture clinic and placed in the hands of midwife Sarah Budd.&nbsp; The change in my condition was instant!&nbsp;I was welcomed into a friendly and caring environment and Sarah saw me through my darkest days.&nbsp;&nbsp;The treatment and advice on managing my symptoms meant I could now spend most of my time at home rather than in hospital. At the times when I could not receive treatment, I was again hospitalised.&nbsp; I can honestly say that this specialised&nbsp;acupuncture saved the life&nbsp;of my baby and I cannot be a big enough advocate of what this department does for sufferers of HG. I look at my beautiful baby girl now and&nbsp;cannot thank the staff of the department enough. How do you put into words what remarkable work these midwives do?&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This unit<em>&nbsp;</em><span>&nbsp;</span>is&nbsp;one of the&nbsp;only unit of its kind&nbsp;in the UK and the three midwives within it have decades of experience in acupuncture.&nbsp; It's&nbsp;pioneering&nbsp;and a&nbsp;jewel in Plymouth's crown.&nbsp;The money I raise will go towards training more midwives in this treatment.&nbsp; The department have their own trust fund and your monies will go directly there.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For any women suffering from this awful illness, or for those of you who know women going through it, please go to </span><a href="http://www.helpher.org" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Calibri; color: #0066cc;">www.helpher.org</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> where you will find support and information.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p> <p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>