Mum-to-be is allergic to her own pregnancy (From The Northern Echo)

Mum-to-be is allergic to her own pregnancy

9:06am Monday 25th October 2010 in Crook & Weardale News By Helen Russell, Reporter (Wear Valley)

ALLERGIC: Lyndsey Plummer

A MOTHER-TO-BE whose morning sickness was so severe she was hospitalised and lost nearly three stones in weight has been diagnosed as being allergic to her own pregnancy.

Within four weeks of discovering she was pregnant, Lyndsey Plummer, from Willington, County Durham, was unable to keep down any food or drink and was vomiting up to 50 times day.

She lost more than ten per cent of her body weight and was admitted to the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham City, suffering from severe dehydration, and was put on a drip.

Mrs Plummer, 33, was diagnosed with hyperemises gravidarum, a form of excessive vomiting often described as an allergic reaction to pregnancy.

She was prescribed steroids and anti-sickness drugs usually given to cancer patients to combat nausea caused by chemotherapy. Mrs Plummer, who is now 20-weeks pregnant, said the drugs have helped to calm the sickness and help her regain weight.

She has recently returned to her job in sales, and says she and her husband, Chris, are now looking forward to the arrival of their first child.

They hope to find out the baby’s sex when Mrs Plummer has her 20-week scan this week.

She said: “I hope that finding out if I’m carrying a boy or a girl will help me feel pregnant, because I’ve been so ill I haven’t felt like it yet.

“I haven’t even thought of any names or bought any baby clothes.

“My bump is growing and I’m feeling much better now, but it has been horrendous.

“I didn’t eat or drink anything for about four weeks and some days I was so weak I couldn’t even walk.”

She said the medication started working within two hours of being administered but said there seemed to be little information available about the condition.

“The difference made by the tablets was unbelievable. It is amazing to be able to eat and drink again after going through all that. I can’t believe I’m still pregnant and the baby is fine.”

Mrs Plummer hopes to raise awareness of the condition.

Go to hyperemesis.org