A UK woman, Jess Cronshaw, was 28 weeks pregnant in November 2022 when she decided to take her own life. It was revealed that she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), a severe pregnancy sickness. Alongside HG, Cronshaw also felt "unheard," which led her to commit suicide. Her unborn child died four days later after being delivered through a C-section.
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In an interview with ITV, Jess's mother, Susan Cronshaw, decided to speak out and tell her daughter's story. She hopes that, eventually, this will raise awareness surrounding HG, helping other women who have struggled with the illness.
"I wouldn't want anybody to feel how Jess did," Susan told the outlet. "She felt like no one was listening — and they weren't. It felt like you were just pushed from pillar to post. There was nobody taking it and being in charge of it."
During her pregnancy, the normally active Jess was bedridden, barely moving from it or the sofa. She or her family didn't know it at the time, but Cronshaw was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, the same illness that affected women such as Kate Middleton.
According to Cleveland Clinic, HG causes a pregnant woman to continuously experience nausea and vomiting. This could lead to dehydration, weight loss, headaches, fainting, and being unable to eat food or drink liquids, among others.
"She couldn't drink, she couldn't eat, her weight was dropping off her. Her skin was white. She just wasn't Jess," Susan continued. "Honestly it's, like, the hardest thing I've ever gone through in my life. The constant nausea, there's no relief from it. I just spend my days in bed. It's just horrible."
Medication
Jess Cronshaw sought help from a plethora of medical professionals. However, no one was able to pick up the gravity of her illness. Instead, she was prescribed anti-sickness medication which slightly helped her symptoms. However, on a call with Royal Blackburn Hospital, she was wrongly told to drop the medication. Reportedly, Jess was told that the medication would harm the baby.
She was not instructed on how to get off the medication, so she dropped it altogether, with her symptoms returning even worse than before. On top of that, no one was able to detect the mental strain that her illness was causing her.
In November 2022, Jess Cronshaw took her own life at 28 weeks pregnant. Doctors were able to deliver her baby through C-section. However, four days later, her daughter, Elsie, also passed.
"She got reunited with her mom ... there's no words I can give you. Just heartbroken. Living my life now feels like I'm lost, " Susan said.
Raising Awareness
An inquest determined that the poor handling of Jess' care contributed to her deteriorated mental health. Coroner Kate Bisset pointed toward the lack of "mental health exploration" during her prenatal appointments and the "incorrect advice" to stop taking her medication as the main factors.
"That's all it would have [taken]," Susan added. "One individual to do something for Jess, and it would have changed the outcome altogether. I know that, and I live with that."
Peter Murphy, Chief Nurse at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, would issue a statement, expressing his regret over Jess's death.
"We are so sorry we failed Jessica and Elsie when they needed our care," Murphy said according to ITV. "We completely accept the recommendations and all issues highlighted during the inquest and have taken action. Of course, the thoughts of everyone at ELHT remain with the family."
A Just Giving fundraiser was set up in Jess's name. All donations will go to Pregnancy Sickness Support, the only UK-registered charity that supports women suffering from conditions such as HG. They have raised more than $62,000.
"We all miss you every day Jess," reads a fundraiser update. "There isn't a day that goes by where we don't cherish all of the memories we had the privilege of making with you. Happy Heavenly 27th Birthday our precious Jessica "
