Reclaiming Agency in Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) Pregnancy with Dr. Kathryn Mangin-Heimos

In a powerful and candid conversation, Dr. Kathryn Mangin-Heimos shared her incredible journey of navigating challenging pregnancies, life-threatening complications, and ultimately finding purpose through coaching and mentoring other women facing hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). 

Kathryn’s road to motherhood was nothing like she expected. After losing her first pregnancy, and facing subsequent challenges getting and staying pregnant, Kathryn’s first viable pregnancy was amazing news and seemed like a typical pregnancy at first.

But it quickly descended into a nightmare of HG - an extreme form of nausea and vomiting that can become life-threatening without medical intervention. Her ordeal was further compounded by a toxic reaction to the medications meant to ease her HG symptoms, plunging her into a severe mental health crisis.

Kathryn is an incredible woman with a wealth of lived and learned wisdom who is helping to reshape expectations of the journey to motherhood.

Check out the highlights of our conversation ⬇️

Q: Can you share a bit about your experience with pregnancy?

A: “As young women, the focus is being taught on how not to get pregnant and we don't get a lot of education on how difficult it can be to get and stay pregnant, and how difficult pregnancy can be. So I was not prepared for my journey to motherhood.

I always had this deep sense within myself that I was meant to be a mother. And when I got to that stage in my life, I was really excited. 

I was pregnant and quickly started to have some problems. It appeared to be a threatened miscarriage. And basically it evolved into a suspected ectopic and then it was a pregnancy of unknown location. 

That was my introduction into pregnancy. It was nothing that I had been prepared for.

And my first viable pregnancy took me to the absolute depths of physical, mental and emotional health. Because of complications surrounding hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), it was probably one of the worst and most traumatic experiences of my life. That's not something that you hear a lot about pregnancy because pregnancy is supposed to be enjoyable and a beautiful experience. That's not what my experience was.”

Q: You’ve experienced tremendous challenges in your pregnancies, what has helped you recover?

A: “When we go through loss of any kind, we need to pay attention because after traumatic events, big life events, big losses, all too often, we can slip back into kind of a default mode. 

I do have a PhD but - spoiler alert - I think that my own journey to motherhood taught me more than any PhD ever could. 

Once you have gone through something, ask yourself, what can I pull from this experience that I can take forward and learn from?”

Q: You’re also passionate about mastering your mindset. What does this look like for you?

A: “When a lot of us encounter these types of experiences and loss and grief, we can take on that victim mindset. I think it's human nature. It's totally okay. 

The secret is you can visit it, but you can't unpack and live there, because if you unpack and live there, you're not going to be able to get yourself out.

I realised at the lowest of my lows that if things were going to change, if I was actually going to get out of the situation, I needed to take the lead. And one of the things I learned is that even on your darkest day, you have the power to turn things around and change your circumstances.  

It's not going to happen overnight. These can be little baby steps. But it's taking that agency. It's so important. We can often look outside of ourselves for support and help, and that's really important. But oftentimes we have to look inward, and we need to take control of our lives and say, okay, what do I need?

What do I need to do at this moment to move forward and get out of this situation?”

Q: What is the ripple effect of experiencing an HG pregnancy?

A: “The reality is also a lot of women do not go through pregnancy again, and I think that is completely understandable.

A lot of women will change their family plans because of HG, and that's also an element of loss. You are grieving for the family that you thought you would have.  

That's difficult because if you've gone through a pregnancy with HG and you've had a baby, a lot of friends and family members your age will likely go on to have more babies. Those are things that you'll see and be exposed to, and you're terrified, or either medically it's not safe for you, to go through it again and it's hard.

I always thought that I would have three children. I have two beautiful boys and we are done. HG is not the only reason we stopped, but it is one of them. HG changes the trajectory of your journey to motherhood.” 

Q: What advice would you offer to someone who is feeling stuck or overwhelmed right now?

A: “Try and find someone who has walked the path that you are walking before.

Because sometimes you need someone to just walk beside you and guide you through those times. You don't necessarily need to reinvent the wheel yourself. I'm not saying that you should do everything that person says, but just having that safe space to be understood, to vent and to just talk through things or even just have them there, can then give you the power to start taking agency yourself.

Sometimes you need a little bit of a boost and other people can help you with that.”

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Kathryn took the learning from her first HG pregnancy, applied her extensive research skills, and drew on her PhD in Psychological and Brain Sciences to develop a strategy and wellbeing plan that she successfully implemented for her second pregnancy. 🥳

Her story encapsulates how even our most challenging seasons can ultimately become fuel for compassionately guiding others and finding meaning after unimaginable pain. Her work is a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

I’ll close with one final piece of wisdom from Kathryn:

“There are a lot more people out there who understand what you're going through than you realise, and it's about finding those people. That person might be your friend. It might be a coach. It might be a mentor. It might be a therapist.

It's just finding what you need and helping you on that path. Reaching out for help, that is agency. That is an empowered step on your journey. And if that's all you can do at that moment, ask for help.”

You are not alone. Truly.