Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
A pregnant mum suffering from the same extreme morning sickness as Kate Middleton claims she has cured her chronic vomiting by – smoking CANNABIS.
Sammy Warnes, 30, said her hyperemesis gravidarum was so bad when she was ten weeks pregnant with daughter Arabella, now three, she considered an abortion.
Strong medication from her doctor didn’t work, so she turned to cannabis, having a puff or two on a joint, until the symptoms disappeared at 25 weeks.
She said her daughter was born fit and healthy, so when she experienced the same symptoms with her current pregnancy, she once again ignored expert advice.
Now 15-weeks pregnant with her second child, Sammy said she she has had no choice but to resort to smoking cannabis a few times a week to alleviate her symptoms.
She spends £10 every three weeks, and gets her supply from the internet.
Former catering worker Sammy said she got the idea after she came across an online forum about severe morning sickness which included messages from other mums-to-be using the Class B drug.
Sammy, from Leeds, said: “The thing is the prescription drugs do more damage.
“There’s risk of birth defects so they’re quite scary to be fair.
“One of them was making my body do random movements. That stuff panics me.
“It’s actually saved both me and my baby’s life.
“This time round has been ten times worse.
“I’ve had to give my job up because I just couldn’t do anything.
“With just two puffs I’m able to be a parent to my daughter.
“I only do it a few times a week.
“I can do normal things like go to the shops, take her to nursery and just be a mum.
“Beforehand I was just being sick or waiting around to be sick.
“I was just knackered.
“People will say ‘Oh she just wants to be a druggie’ but it’s not that at all.
“But I don’t get high off it.
“It’s a couple of puffs with a minimum bit of baccy.
“There needs to be a conversation about this so other women know there’s something out there that can help them.
“Unless you’ve been through it you don’t really get it.”
After experimenting with cannabis a couple of times in her teenage years, Sammy decided to use the drug again when she was ten weeks pregnant with her third child in 2015.
Doctors had prescribed her Domperidone – a drug is used to relieve nausea and vomiting – but she claims the symptoms only temporarily disappeared for 20 minutes.
After weeks of sleepless nights and chronic vomiting, she decided to Google any alternative ways to combat her illness.
She discovered several forums suggesting cannabis as a solution, she claims.
She said: “I decided to do my own bit of research.
“It was all getting too much.
“I wanted to see if there were any old-wives tales or ‘old fashioned tips’ that would help me out.
“Then I found quite a few forums on women using cannabis to stop their morning sickness.
“I was so desperate I thought I’d give it a go.
“I was a bit nervous when I first did it but I was reassured by all the things I read on the forums.
“I think anyone would be at first.
“It was to medicate my body, not to get stoned.
“I’m not abusing it or trying to get blazed.
“Some days I have good days and don’t need it.
“Other days I am throwing my guts up and need a couple of puffs.
“I got some a few days later and as soon as I took it the symptoms just went away.
“It wasn’t just a case of me feeling sick the whole time. I couldn’t do anything at all.
“It was amazing – it helped me get out of bed in the morning.
“It literally worked straight away.
“I just couldn’t believe it.
“I didn’t tell my midwife as to be honest I didn’t want to cause unnecessary stress.”
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
Image by: Dan Rowlands SWNS
NHS guidelines say using cannabis regularly during pregnancy could affect a baby’s brain development and smoking with tobacco increases the risk of the baby being born small or premature.
But Sammy claims her daughter, who arrived in June 2016, weighing a healthy 6lb 2oz, is healthy both mentally and physically”, and she stopped taking the drug,
After discovering she was pregnant again in August this year, Sammy was hoping her chronic morning sickness wouldn’t make a return.
But she returned to her doctors to complain her hyperemesis gravidarum had returned when she was six weeks pregnant and she was signed off work.
Sammy said: “I was put on the tables again but the same thing happened.
“The sickness would disappear for about 20 minutes but then I’ll be back to hugging the toilet all day.
“I’ve had no choice but to take it.
“It worked so well last time.
“This time the sickness was ten times worse and I was considering having a termination.”
Despite the taboo surrounding smoking cannabis, Sammy said she has both the support of her friends and family.
She said: “I smoke it in my back garden in the mornings.
“My family are very anti-drugs and when I told them they initially kicked off.
“But when I told them the full story, they were like ‘if it works for you that’s fine’.
“My partner is really supportive. He noticed the difference straight away.
“My half-siblings are supportive too. They have family members who use it to treat cerebral palsy and cancer.
“I’ve never told a midwife because I know I’ll get stick.”
“Now I can do a food shop, do the house cleaning and take my little girl to nursery,” she said.
“When you can’t do that and you have that extreme sickness it’s just awful.
“The tablets have side effects of birth defects. That is known.
“My little girl is fit and healthy and is getting along fine at nursery.
“I’d rather just take a couple of puffs of weed.
“There are thousands of women doing the same.
“But there isn’t a conversation about it because they are scared their midwives will grass them up to social services.
“I want to speak out because there is something out there which can help other women.
“There’s chat about cannabis being used as medicine for chronic illnesses.
“I just want to help and tell other women.”
As many as eight in every ten women experiencing morning sickness as a side effect of pregnancy with symptoms improving or disappearing around 14 weeks.
But those who experience hyperemesis gravidarum can see symptoms last for half fo their pregnancy.
NHS guidelines advise those who experience severe symptoms to contact their midwife, doctor or hospital to seek treatment.
Sammy and partner Gav, 32, are expected to welcome their first child together in May 2020.
