A lifeline for expectant mothers with extreme nausea – more than morning sickness Expectant mothers suffering from
hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) - extreme nausea and vomiting - now have a dedicated service that comes to their home and means they can avoid unnecessary trips to the emergency department. Between two and five per cent of pregnant women will suffer from hyperemesis gravidarum and of those, at least 10 per cent of women will be sick throughout their entire pregnancy. The debilitating medical condition can leave women unable to work, care for other family members or carry out daily tasks. NSLHD’s Clinical Midwifery Consultant Jodie Adams said the district had established a hyperemesis gravidarum service for women who can be treated virtually in their own homes by specialists without the need to travel to a hospital. “For many women, it is debilitating, feeling sick, all day, every day,” Jodie said. “We know that many women will experience postnatal depression or post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum.” If a woman who is suffering from the condition goes to her GP or attends an emergency department within NSLHD, they can be Celebrating our cleaners Our environmental services staff were celebrated on Wednesday 18 October for Thank You Cleaner Day. An afternoon tea was held at Royal North Shore Hospital with Acting General Manager Heather Gough and NSLHD Acting Executive Director of Operations Alison Zecchin joining
Expectant mothers suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum now have a dedicated service that comes to their home
referred to the hyperemesis gravidarum virtual care service for ongoing medication management and support. If required, the service can arrange for the woman to have regular home visits for intravenous fluids by the hospital in the home team, who can even organise grocery shopping or other domestic support for her. “This is a real success. We have never had anything like this before,” Jodie said. Once women have made contact with the service, they are welcome to reconnect if symptoms return, without going back to the emergency department. The service was set up through the NSW Government’s $17 million funding for hyperemesis gravidarum.
HealthShare staff. Thank You Cleaner Day recognises the hard work of cleaning and environmental services staff who play an integral part in our hospitals ensuring our patients have a high quality experience.
Celebrating cleaners across NSLHD
WWW.NSLHD.HEALTH.NSW.GOV.AU
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