A PREGNANT mum took her own life after suffering “severe morning sickness”, an inquest has heard.
Jessica Cronshaw was 28 weeks pregnant with daughter Elsie when they both died in 2022.
An inquest today heard how the 26-year-old and her partner Eddie had been “over the moon” after discovering she was pregnant in May 2022.
But within weeks Jessica, from Blackburn, Lancs, began to suffer hyperemesis gravidarum which causes severe vomiting leading to weight loss and dehydration.
The inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard that during her sickness she had read how Kate, the Princess of Wales had suffered with the same illness.
But on November 14 in 2022, she went shopping with mum Sue to buy things for her baby.
After returning to her mum’s home in Accrington she began to voice paranoid thoughts about broadband workmen nearby who she thought were hacking her mobile phone.
At around 7pm Sue noticed Jess had left the lounge and went upstairs to find her daughter unresponsive.
Jess was taken to the Royal Blackburn Hospital where Elsie was delivered via emergency Caesarean “in an attempt to save her baby’s life”.
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Four days later, Elsie’s was placed next to Jess as she passed away – the mum died the following day.
Jess’s heartbroken mum Sue said today: “Jess would have been the most amazing mum to Elsie.
“I will never be able to watch my granddaughter grow up; I am broken by this.”
Health minister Maria Caulfield said last year that Jess and Elsie died “because there is still not enough awareness of the condition in the medical community”.
Sickness in pregnancy (sometimes called morning sickness) is common. Around 8 out of every 10 pregnant women feel sick (nausea), are sick (vomiting) or both during pregnancy. This does not just happen in the morning.
For most women, this improves or stops completely by around weeks 12 to 20, although for some women it can last longer.
Some pregnant women experience very bad nausea and vomiting. They might be sick many times a day and be unable to keep food or drink down, which can impact on their daily life.
This excessive nausea and vomiting is known as hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), and often needs hospital treatment.
Signs and symptoms of HG include:
Unlike regular pregnancy sickness, HG may not get better by 16 to 20 weeks. It may not clear up completely until the baby is born, although some symptoms may improve at around 20 weeks.
She said she hoped the deaths would be signal “a starting point for change”.
Friends and family have since raised more than £46,400 for Pregnancy Sickness Support.
You can donate to the JustGiving fundraiser here.
The inquest continues.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
