I'm a guilty Dr. Phil watcher, and generally there's not a topic that makes me squeamish, but an episode today turned my stomach. A woman has twins, gives them up for adoption, then steals them back, was the basic gist of it with a surprising twist.

Hyperemesis. Think morning sickness times 1000. No food or drink can be kept down through most of the pregnancy, sometimes the whole time. Women are kept alive by having PICC lines for nutrients and hydration. They spend their time in bed, sleeping on the bathroom floor, or in a hospital for 7-9 months, all to have a child. It leaves you so drained physically, emotionally, and mentally that you may not be in the best place to decide what's best for you or your children. Someone takes advantage of you and next thing you know you're no longer a parent.

It's not something that gets talked about, it gets swept under the rug, people and doctors don't often give it the attention it needs, saying women just have morning sickness, are being attention hogs, that they just need to tough it out.

I'm certainly childfree, so I'm not sure if this is something that is talked about in pre-natal appointments, but I'm petrified of pregnancy (I keep thinking of Alien chest busters) and I've never heard of it. I'm a person that secretly pities pregnant women for their loss of self, but now I have a new appreciation of what lengths some will go to to fulfill their biological need. I'll be adding it to my list of reasons to not have kids.