Emma Michelson thought she knew what to expect when she fell pregnant with her first child. But the 37-year-old didn’t think it would include suffering from morning sickness so severe that she was unable to get out of bed, or keep any food or liquid down. Or that two pregnancies would hospitalise her 20 times!
“I had hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme form of morning sickness I’d never even heard of,” says Emma. She lives in Matakana with her partner, digital designer Richard O’Brien, and their two children, Ollie, nine, and Sophia, seven.
Believed to be caused by rising hormone levels, hyperemesis gravidarum brings persistent nausea, vomiting and dehydration during pregnancy. It’s estimated to affect around 3% of pregnancies worldwide.
“It was horrific,” recalls Emma. “I was trying so hard to be brave, but I couldn’t eat or drink and would spend all day vomiting.”
At the time, Emma and Richard were living in Sydney, where a number of doctors dismissed her condition.
“I went to my GP and to the emergency department at the hospital several times. Each time they basically said it was normal to feel sick when you’re pregnant and sent me on my way! Anxiety riddled me as I wondered whether it was my fault and if I was strong enough to be pregnant.”
Eventually, doctors gave Emma IV fluids thanks to her persistence. But her nausea was so bad, she resigned from her job as a graphic designer and moved to Northland, where her parents looked after her until Richard was able to move back.
It wasn’t until a visit to the emergency department at Auckland City Hospital that doctors diagnosed Emma with hyperemesis gravidarum and given anti-nausea medication.
“It was such a relief to finally have a name for it and to realise that other women were going through the same thing,” tells Emma.
Excessive vomiting and sickness during her first labor led to Ollie’s arrival via emergency Caesarean.
“As soon as he was born, the pain I’d had for the last nine months disappeared.”
Emma always wanted four children, but she and Richard decided to limit their family size due to the high likelihood of extreme morning sickness in subsequent pregnancies.
“I feel so sad that we weren’t able to have four children,” she says. “But I wanted two kids.”
Although her second pregnancy was also difficult, anti-nausea medication and knowing what to expect made it slightly easier. Emma also opted for an elective Caesarean. She made this decision knowing that her constant sickness would make it harder to deliver her daughter naturally.
During both pregnancies, Emma researched morning sickness, which affects around 90% of pregnant woman worldwide. She wondered why long-lasting and more effective treatments weren’t available.
“I thought, ‘Women are doing something so important by bringing life into the world. Surely someone has come up with a way to make it easier?’ I kept looking over the years, but no-one ever did.”
Emma came across gingerol, the condensed root of the ginger plant. She realised that, when taken at certain doses, it was effective at helping morning sickness.
“Pregnant women are always being told to have ginger. But doctors aren’t clarifying the right kind or the right amount,” she says.
Being unfamiliar with product development and lacking the confidence to take the next step, Emma sat on her research for four years.
“I eventually realised that no one else was going to provide a solution – that it was up to me to do so.”
She eventually approached Massey University’s food nutrition department in Palmerston North, who spent two years helping Emma develop her Daisy range of morning sickness relief dissoluble powder sachets.
“By combining the gingerol with electrolytes and vitamin B6, we developed a supplement that can work alongside anti-nausea medication to help relieve the symptoms of morning sickness,” Emma explains.
Since launching Daisy last November, Emma says the response has been overwhelming.
“It’s been incredible to be part of women’s journeys when they’re going through such a challenging time. I’ve loved to be able to help them feel heard and supported.”
Emma currently juggles the business around her children and finishing a master’s degree in fine arts. She’s also adding to the range of flavoured sachets and negotiating with pharmacies around New Zealand to stock her range.
“And then we’ll look to go further afield and try to get the product into Australian pharmacies.”
Emma is also developing a mental health supplement for the maternity market.
“I think that’s a really important underserved area in the maternity space and one that I’m keen to innovate in. I know from personal experience how much extreme morning sickness can affect your general wellbeing and mental health. Being able to provide some effective relief brigs me great privilege.”
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