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Summary
Adesua Etomi-Wellington has shared her experience with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe form of pregnancy sickness, following reports of a UK woman’s tragic suicide due to the condition. She criticised the lack of awareness surrounding the illness and thanked her loved ones for their support. The actress previously revealed that she endured months of sickness, hospitalisation, and an emergency C-section before giving birth to her second child.
Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi-Wellington has shared her struggle with hyperemesis gravidarum, a severe pregnancy-related condition, shedding light on the illness that affects many women but remains widely misunderstood.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is the most severe form of unrelenting nausea and vomiting that leads to dehydration, electrolyte and metabolic imbalance, ketonuria, significant weight loss of more than 5% of the pre-pregnancy weight, and impaired daily functioning.
According to research, HG is very prevalent in women, with 44.9% of women in Northeast Nigeria experiencing it. Heart.org also records that overall, 10% to 20% of women will have some kind of health issue during pregnancy. And the problems don’t end once the pregnancy does.
Adesua reflected on her experience after news broke about Jess Cronshaw, a pregnant woman in the UK who died by suicide due to the extreme symptoms of the condition. Jess suffered from severe nausea, persistent vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration, which left her bedridden and unable to cope.
Taking to her Instagram story on Tuesday, Mar. 4, 2025, Adesua expressed frustration over the lack of awareness surrounding hyperemesis gravidarum.
“When I talk about the seriousness of hyperemesis gravidarum, people don’t get it, and I hate it,” she wrote. “It is not ordinary morning sickness. It is a serious condition that literally affects the quality of your life.”
She also expressed gratitude to her husband, singer Bankole Wellington (Banky W), as well as her doctors, family, and friends, for their unwavering support during her most challenging moments.
The actress, who welcomed her second child in 2024 with her husband Banky W, had previously shared glimpses of her difficult pregnancy journey in a heartfelt birthday post. She revealed that she endured months of illness, was hospitalised, and ultimately had to undergo an emergency C-section.
“From being ill for months with hyperemesis (if you’re going through this, I see you. It’s not in your head. You are as ill as you feel & think you are, and yes, you need help), to being admitted to hospital, to finding out the love of my life needed another surgery to remove a cancerous tumour while being sick and pregnant, to ending up with an emergency C-section because the devil tried it with my life AGAIN, to a harrowing healing process… it was a lot,” she wrote.
Adesua also acknowledged the medical teams in Lagos, Nigeria, and Washington, DC, who played a crucial role in saving her life.
