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We are all familiar with morning sickness that is a common part of pregnancy, but have you heard of hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)? It is a very significant medical issue that is very different from \u201cnormal\u201d morning sickness, yet it\u2019s been minimized even in the medical community, and the expectant mothers who suffer from this condition have not been treated with the care and respect that they deserve. Knowledge is power, so I hope with today\u2019s show comes the education to help people empower themselves in this extreme condition that affects 1-2 out of 100 pregnancies.\n\xa0\nKaleigh Mancha is a licensed mental health therapist, certified full spectrum doula, body positive yoga teacher, and mother. She runs her business, K.a.y. & M.e., offering various wellness services in the Las Vegas Valley. Advocating for underserved and underrepresented populations has been a lifelong passion of hers and is what brought her into the mental health field ten years ago. She has also been heavily involved in advocating for equitable access to education. Her practice specialties include trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and concerns related to reproductive justice, pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood. As a body positive yoga teacher, she believes that all bodies, abilities, and experience levels are welcome on the mat, and her goal is to reach people who, like her, didn\u2019t grow up in spaces where wellness was a familiar experience. Kaleigh lives by the motto that \u201cWellness is a necessity, not a luxury.\u201d She believes all people deserve better access to resources and the knowledge to help them live their best lives. She\u2019s here to share her personal story about HG and how this condition has affected her life in many ways.\n\xa0\nShow Highlights:\n\xa0\n\nTen years ago, she was pregnant with her daughter, extremely sick beyond what is \u201cnormal,\u201d but filled with gratitude because a prior surgery had jeopardized her fertility\n\nAt 8 weeks pregnant, her doctor downplayed her nausea and sickness, but she became dehydrated and was diagnosed with HG\n\nFrom 8 weeks to 8 months, she was severely sick, but it went away immediately at the birth of her daughter\n\nAs she planned for a 2nd child, she prepared her partner for the idea of more extreme sickness\n\nShe quickly became pregnant in December 2017, felt symptoms right away, but didn\u2019t think it would be a big deal\n\nAt 5 weeks along, her partner was overwhelmed and decided not to continue to be a part of the journey\n\nHow she dealt with full-time work as a yogi, therapist, and doula while pregnant and so sick\n\nPlanning for a home birth with a midwife, but was hospitalized again with dehydration; she then tried acupuncture and CBD oil and was hospitalized again\n\nSymptoms and facts about HG: Affects less than 2% of pregnancies and is characterized by intense nausea and vomiting (10-20 times/day); can lead to severe dehydration, organ failure, and extreme weight loss. It can vary in severity, can last the entire pregnancy, and is thought to be genetic.\n\nThe impact on Kaleigh was hopelessness and isolation\n\nHow her doula, Christina Hernandez, helped her formulate a plan\n\nTrying a couple of different medications, which don\u2019t really treat HG well. One was a mixture of B6 and Unisom (a sleep medication)\n\nHow she had to move in with her parents so they could help care for her and her daughter, close her practice, and cancel her doula clients\n\nHow the illness left immediately and she felt like herself again, but then she had to deal with the grief and loss. She took 3 weeks for self-care and healing\n\nHer recommitment to her patients, to use her experience to become a better doula to help others who don\u2019t have the same support that she did. She now offers free help for those suffering from HG.\n\n\xa0\nResources:\n\xa0\nFind Kaleigh on Facebook: Kay and Me Doula and Wellness Services\nVisit her website: www.kayandme.com\nFind Kaleigh on Instagram: @kaym86\nOn Facebook, find HG Moms\nFor more info, visit www.hyperemesis.orgI