‘Just take the drugs.’ Martha Kalifatidis on how she navigated her ‘tumultuous’ pregnancy.

We're all familiar with the popular adage 'it takes a village to raise a child'. However, with the range of unique experiences many women encounter throughout their pregnancy journeys, it can often take a village to grow a child as well.

On the latest episode of Hello Bump, hosts Jessie Stephens and Gemma Pranita spoke with Married At First Sight star Martha Kalifatidis about all things pregnancy, including her experience of hyperemesis gravidarum (or HG). 

HG is a rare condition affecting around 1 in 100 pregnancies. Symptoms include severe and persistent nausea and vomiting, lasting for more than a few days and up to the entire pregnancy.

Watch Advice for 5-year-old me with Martha Kalifatidis. Post continues after video.

For Martha, her experience of HG was relentless. Nausea, along with vomiting at times, lasted for almost the entire duration of her “tumultuous” pregnancy. 

“Those seven and a half months were grim," Martha said.

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A post shared by Martha Kalifatidis (@marthaa__k)

Her first symptoms appeared when she and her partner Michael were overseas and she began to feel unwell, needing a bucket by her bed at all times. 

Martha said she knew something was different, that what she was experiencing couldn’t be general morning sickness. But unfortunately, It wasn’t until she returned home that she finally received her diagnosis. 

“When I finally saw my obstetrician in Australia, a woman I’d never met walked into the room and said, ‘Oh jeez, you look like sh*t’, and I was like 'thank you', finally someone recognised what I was going through.”

She was so unwell at times, Martha couldn’t even brush her teeth. “You’re not thinking about work or anything, sometimes I wouldn’t shower for days.”

Despite her partner and family's support, Martha said the hardest part during this time was watching her family and friends go on with their lives, while she hid away in her room.

Martha tried everything, from steroid injections to different oral drugs, in an effort to ease the nausea. It's a decision Martha stands by, and encourages other women in a similar position to do the same. 

“Just take the drugs, if that brings you any type of relief, take it. I was taking all the drugs,” Martha said.

Listen to the full episode of Hello, Bump with Martha Kalifatidis. Post continues after podcast.

Co-host Gemma also opened up about her own experiences with HG, recounting her prolonged struggle without the aid of medications. Gemma admitted she regrets for not asking for help earlier, and emphasises that mothers should not endure unnecessary suffering – a key takeaway from both their experiences.

Despite the challenges Martha faced during her pregnancy, she shared her willingness to go round two. 

As she said of her baby boy Lucius, who was born in February: "I would do it all over again, because I’m so obsessed with him. It was all worth it in the end."

Image: Instagram/Mamamia.

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