I lost all my teeth from vomiting during pregnancy — it can happen to anyone
She’s happy with her look — and that’s the tooth.
A mom whose morning sickness was so bad she lost all of her teeth from excessive vomiting has learned to embrace her gummy grin — saying life is more “relaxing and enjoyable” now.
Louise Cooper, 26, became pregnant for the first time in February 2017 when she was working as a nanny at a ski resort in France.
However, within a week of finding out, she was so sick she had to fly back to the UK, where she was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a rare and extreme form of morning sickness.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, HG is a condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and electrolyte disturbance, affecting about 60,000 American women a year.
“I lost my first tooth around 16 weeks, and it was just out of nowhere,” Cooper told South West News Service, explaining that the acidity from the vomit was eroding her teeth. “I was told that my teeth would need to be removed, as they were so damaged.”
The Berkshire, England-based mom gave birth to her first child, Zachary, now 5, in November 2017, and six months later the now-mom-of-three had all of her chompers extracted, as they were severely dinged.
“It was very traumatic, I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy,” Cooper admitted to SWNS, likening her symptoms to the side effects of chemotherapy, “as you feel like you are dying.”
“I have only really just come to terms with everything in the past year,” the hairdresser continued. “I have embraced having no teeth.”
Her HG stopped as soon as she gave birth. However, Cooper went on to have two more children: Ollie, 3, and Oakley, 11 months — and she suffered from HG both times.
“HG disappears when the baby is delivered,” she explained. “It is unpleasant. It is emotionally and physically draining.”
As well as making her physically unwell, Cooper said she has a lot of trauma surrounding different foods now because they spent so long making her ill.
“I would say my diet isn’t the healthiest, as it is restricted from trauma,” she stressed. “I have a lot of trauma about food groups. It is so traumatic to go through severe vomiting for nine months — it was non-stop.”
To combat this, Cooper has tried to get back into a routine that helps her understand food and won’t make her vomit anymore — and she has come to terms with her new look.
“I have dentures now but they are not the most comfortable things to wear, as they are cosmetic,” she explained. “They are also very triggering for the traumatic side of HG.”
She added she is able to enjoy her life, now that she’s embraced her toothless journey.
“I can now leave the house without having teeth in,” she said. “Life is more relaxing and enjoyable for me.”