Weight Loss During Pregnancy
If you have nausea and/or vomiting so severe that you are losing weight, staying the same weight despite having a growing belly, or are not gaining weight appropriately, you need to see a pregnancy care provider as soon as possible to get on appropriate treatment to keep you and your baby safe. If you are losing weight, you likely have hyperemesis gravidarum.
You might benefit from treatments to help you hold food down, as well as fluids, vitamins and electrolyte treatments to that can help get you on track for gaining weight during pregnancy.
Dr. Housholder is the world’s leading physician focusing on hyperemesis gravidarum and nausea and vomiting in pregnancy. He works in tandem with your pregnancy health care provider to get you the care you need to keep you and baby healthy.
At The Morning Sickness Clinic, we specialize in treating hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy using OBGYN approved protocols developed by the HER Foundation. Dr. Housholder is an active researcher collaborating with Dr. Marlena Fejzo to study HG!
The good news? Early treatment can prevent nausea and vomiting from worsening. Make an appointment today to see our physician. Insurance Accepted!
Weight loss in 1st & 2nd trimester
The short answer is, pregnant people should not be losing weight. Even in the first trimester a general rule is patients should gain about 3 pounds (obviously that doesn’t apply to every single body type and is a great generalization - we’re offering it as a guideline only!)
If you are losing weight during pregnancy due to significant nausea and vomiting, you likely have hyperemesis gravidarum, or HG. This disease is characterized by debilitating nausea and vomiting despite multiple treatments, along with weight loss. HG can lead to malnutrition for the pregnant person as well as the baby. Electrolyte imbalance, dehydration leading to kidney injury, depression, anxiety, and even PTSD are common in patients with HG. The good news is that treating severe nausea and vomiting as early as possible in the pregnancy can reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting, HG, weight loss and dehydration.
This weight gain guidance comes from The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: “Gestational weight gain recommendations aim to optimize outcomes for the woman and the infant. In 2009, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published revised gestational weight gain guidelines that are based on pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ranges for underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese women recommended by the World Health Organization and are independent of age, parity, smoking history, race, and ethnic background.” If you’re curious about their recommendations, you can read about it at this link. Keep in mind this guidance is specifically for people pregnant with one baby, not twins or triplets, etc.
Treating nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is complicated! Many of our patients benefit from IV infusions, which we offer at our office. The possible range of treatment for HG is broad. Our More About Morning Sickness page has extensive information. If you're finished scouring Google for treatment options, come see us at the Morning Sickness Clinic!
You can call/text 205-772-9595 and book an appointment to see our physician who will make a custom treatment plan for your symptoms.
“Some pregnant people worry about the effects of treatments on their babies, so they wait until they are very dehydrated to seek help. We tailor our treatment plans to our patients’ concerns, because if you don’t get your questions answered, you’re not going to feel better. And that’s what we want. We want you to feel better.”
- Dr. Andrew Housholder, MD FACEP
What to expect at The Morning Sickness Clinic, for Alabama Patients
1 - Get ahead of your nausea symptoms and book your appointment online.
Online booking and filling out intake forms via your phone allows us to get you straight back to see the physician for your first appointment. If you are experiencing moderate to severe morning sickness, our services are most likely covered under insurance!
2 - Doctor evaluation and developing a treatment plan
At your first appointment, Dr. Housholder will sit down with you and discuss your symptoms and what your goals are for treatment. He will help you decide what treatments are best for you, and whether you should have labs drawn.
3 — The Treatment Itself
Our nurse will establish an IV, and you will then be taken to a quiet, comfortable, spa-like room. We provide blankets and heating pads. Expect your appointment to take about two hours to receive a full treatment. We have WiFi and a playroom!
4 — Labs, during your appointment
If you need labs performed due to excessive vomiting or dehydration, we will draw blood and run these labs in the clinic. We will give you the results and discuss them with you during your appointment.
5 — Easy Communication
Our clinic is always a text away. Patients can communicate with Dr. H and our nurses through our HIPPA compliant texting platform. Get your questions answered quickly and easily.
6 — Continuing care
We will schedule future infusions while you are at your appointment, but if your symptoms change or increase in frequency, please call or text us at 205-772-9595 and we’ll get you in as soon as we can!
The Morning Sickness Clinic
Dr. Housholder recognized the lack of availability of treatment options for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and decided to do something about it.
While working in the ER here in Birmingham, Dr. Housholder quickly saw a problem with the availability of treatment options for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Those suffering could make an expensive trip to the ER, experience repeat hospitalizations or continue to be miserable at home.
Dr. Housholder founded The HG & Morning Sickness Clinic on the idea that pregnant patients should have access to safe, physician-guided treatment with intravenous fluids for moderate to severe morning sickness.
Dr. Housholder is the world’s leading physician treating extreme nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). Dr. Housholder collaborates with Dr. Marlena Fejzo, one of TIME’s Women of the Year and the leading researcher on HG. Dr. Housholder follows the most up-to-date research on HG treatments using ACOG and HER Foundation protocols.
The HG & Morning Sickness Clinic focuses on one thing: safe, convenient care for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting.