Kate Middleton’s first bout of hyperemesis gravidarum happened in 2012 and resulted in the princess suffering from severe dehydration. After she spent three days at King Edward VII hospital, she stepped outside with a rose bouquet in hand and smiled for the waiting photographers. The Mirror observed that she “looked washed out.” (Ugh.)
Kate also suffered from hyperemesis during her other pregnancies. While there were no reports that she had to spend days in the hospital again, Kensington Palace did share that she was undergoing treatment for the condition when she was pregnant with Princess Charlotte in 2014. During Kate’s third pregnancy in 2017, Prince William revealed one remedy his wife had tried to curb her nausea. “Ginger biscuits. But there’s not much ginger can do to stop that,” he told an attendee at a charity event, per Hello!.
During a 2020 appearance on the “Happy Mum, Happy Baby” podcast, Kate revealed that she used the hypnobirthing technique during at least one of her births. It’s a form of pain management that promotes relaxation through breathing exercises and visualization. According to Kate, what she learned from hypnobirthing helped her manage her hyperemesis. “I really realized the power of the mind over the body,” she said, adding, “I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that … I realized that this was something I could take control of.”
