In December, Bibi Breijman and Waylon surprised friend and foe with the announcement of their third child. Although no one saw the pregnancy coming, the two are overjoyed with the arrival of their new little miracle. However, being pregnant again also means that Bibi has to deal with her severe pregnancy ailments again.
‘Like a present’
In conversation with &C’s Oh Baby! Bibi, who is now six months pregnant, talks about the unexpected turn in her family. “The third pregnancy came as a gift, so I didn’t prepare for that,” she shares honestly.
‘Everything was a trigger’
Although the announcement of the third child was received with joy, Bibi has also gone through a difficult period. Waylon’s girlfriend suffers from HG (hyperemesis gravidarum), a condition that causes extreme nausea during pregnancy. As a result, she was hospitalized six times in a short period of time. Bibi calls her current pregnancy ‘the most intense she has had so far’. “There were days when I could only lie in bed with my eyes closed while being fed a tube,” says Bibi. “I couldn’t tolerate any stimuli, everything was a trigger for vomiting.”
Not easy
Yet these complaints are not new for Bibi. She was also confronted with HG with her first child, daughter Teddy and son Chester. The condition not only poses physical challenges, but also mental ones. It wasn’t always easy for daughter Teddy either. “She understood what was going on with me, but not what it was doing to her mentally.” Teddy often stood at her mother’s bedside crying. “She just didn’t really understand where it came from. We then talked about it together and it turned out that she missed me very much.”
Awareness of IPV during pregnancy
The lack of understanding of HG motivates Bibi to create awareness among women about this condition. “It is a serious condition and many women miss out on proper medical care due to misunderstanding,” she emphasizes. “I’ve even heard stories of women who were forced to terminate their pregnancies or lost their teeth.”
Hopeful
The condition left Bibi unable to tolerate the smell of her children for months. “From a nature perspective, it is very strange that you can hardly handle your children. I really had a hard time with that.” Despite the challenges, Bibi looks to the future with hope. “Things are going much better now and I especially want to enjoy the last months of my pregnancy,” she says.
