Helen Flanagan opens up about struggling with hyperemesis in a lengthy blog post

The mum of two gave some really excellent tips on how to cope with it.

Hyperemesis is a pregnancy complication that is characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss and dehydration. Some women won't experience it at all, others experience it in the first trimester, while others still experience it throughout the duration of their pregnancy. Kate Middleton, Amy Schumer and Helen Flanagan are amongst celebrities who have had to deal with hyperemesis and now Helen Flanagan is sharing her experience and advice with fellow mums. Helen has two daughters, Matilda and Delilah and was sick during both of her pregnancies. In a blog post for her website, Helen wrote about how physically ill she was and how this took its toll:

"I remember having to carry sick bags with me everywhere and as soon as I got to the car park I’d be non stop throwing up. The air vent was broke in our apartment too so all the kitchen cooking smells from the flat upstairs would come into our bathroom as I was throwing up. Anyone having morning sickness/ hyperemesis knows how kitchen smells are the worst."

She spoke about how often times, partners don't understand what women are experiencing:

"Scott would climb into bed with his Netflix with chicken soup and I would literally throw up at the smell. I don’t think men realise what you're going through the first time around and you could just about put the soup on their head."

Helen said she was lucky to have only experienced hyperemesis during her first trimester and for her second pregnancy, she opted to take "the lightest form of medication" which was not harmful to her baby and would help her. The 28-year-old offered some insightful tips for women suffering from the condition:

"I’d really recommend that to other women suffering from terrible morning sickness/ hyperemesis is to get into bed with a really good box set to keep your mind on something less otherwise it can be really depressing being bed bound. Also flicking and scrolling through Instagram is not going to make you feel great either seeing everyone else have fun and doing things. "Another thing that helped me was citrusy smells. Anything lemon, lime or orange. Diffusers are fab I really liked Jo Malone, lime and basil. Anything clean and fresh. I know it sounds a bit weird but I would visualise fresh strawberries when I felt sick and for me, anything with meat would make me feel really really ill."

Food and drink wise, the actress said regular Sprite along with eating little and often helped immensely. She opted for things like crackers, rice (not pasta), salad and a chicken salad sandwich from Marks and Spencer’s. On a parting note she wrote:

"To anyone reading this feeling absolutely rubbish lots of love to you and when you hold that baby in your arms it’s all worth it."