A mum who had her teeth removed after she vomited so much while she was pregnant has gone on to have more children and embrace life without her teeth. Louise Cooper, 26, fell pregnant for the first time while she was working as a nanny at a ski resort in France.
A week after finding out, the mum-of-three said she got so sick she had to move back to the UK. Louise was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) in April 2017 – a condition which affects around 1% of women. Louise would vomit so frequently, her teeth started falling out.
Her first child, Zachary, five, was born in November 2017 and six months later Louise had to have all her teeth removed as they were so damaged. Since then, Louise has had two more children, has embraced life without teeth and often goes out without wearing her dentures.
Louise, a hairdresser,said: "Life is alright now, everything has gone back to normal. Life is a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. It is not enjoyable when you have HG and are in bed for nine months.
"I have embraced having no teeth. I have only really just come to terms with everything in the past year. It has restricted my diet - I don't eat a lot of meat anymore.
"I mainly stick to eating vegetables."
Louise fell pregnant with her first child in February 2017. A week after she found out she was pregnant, Louise's sickness was so bad she returned home to be with her family.
Three months after falling pregnant, Louise wasn't getting any better and was bed bound for much of her pregnancy. In April 2017, Louise was diagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) - excessive nausea and vomiting.
Louise said: "The damage was caused by the acid from vomiting. I lost my first tooth around 16 weeks and it was just out of nowhere.
"I was told that my teeth would need to be removed as they were so damaged. I gave birth to my son in November 2017 and six months after that I had my teeth removed."
After the birth of her son, Louise has had two more children - Ollie, three, and Oakley, 11 months - and every time she has suffered from HG. She said: "HG disappears when the baby is delivered.
"However I had more than one child and I have suffered from HG every time. I would say my diet isn't the healthiest as it is restricted from trauma.
"I have a lot of trauma about food groups, it is so traumatic to go through severe vomiting for nine months - it was none stop. It is hard to go back into a routine of understanding that food won't make me vomit anymore.
"It was very traumatic, I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy. A lot of people compare it to the side effects of chemo as you feel like you are dying.
"It is unpleasant. It is emotionally and physically draining."
Within the last year, Louise said she has only just managed to come to terms with having no teeth and will now leave the house without her dentures.
She said: "I have accepted the fact I have no teeth. I have dentures now but they are not the most comfortable things to wear as they are cosmetic.
"They are also very triggering for the traumatic side of HG. I can now leave the house without having teeth in. Life is more relaxing and enjoyable for me."
