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An expectant father has taken to Reddit's "Am I the A**hole" subreddit requesting opinions on asking his five-month pregnant wife to move to the guest room so he can get more sleep.
In the post, which has 12,000 upvotes, the Reddit user describes how his wife is suffering from insomnia and hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), an extreme form of nausea and vomiting suffered by pregnant women.
While these things have caused his wife extreme stress, they are causing her partner to experience loss of sleep, prompting him to ask her to move to the guest room.
The Redditor described the effect his partner's HG had on him and his sleep. He wrote: "There is a lot of twists and turns and getting up to go to the bathroom every few minutes. It absolutely destroys my sleep. I don't want to sound like an a**hole but I have to wake up early for work and because I am a sensitive sleeper I jolt awake easy with all the sudden movements.
At the moment, other Redditors seem to agree with the man's request, with the post ranked as "Not the A-hole" by users.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says HG causes persistent nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and more is severe and extreme than morning sickness.
"[HG] shouldn't just be seen as a very mild thing," consultant gynecologist Professor Thomas Justin Clark told Newsweek. "Imagine feeling sick or actually being sick, how awful that is? Now imagine feeling like that every day for weeks on end. I think all of us can empathize with that."
According to the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support, HG is suffered by around 1 percent of pregnant women. On its website, it adds that the sickness can be very debilitating for sufferers.
Clark said that it is important that women suffering from HG understand that there is a good chance it will end after the first trimester, though in some cases it continues for longer.
Pregnancy Sickness Support was part of a study published in Obstetric Medicine in October this year that found that of 5,000 HG sufferers surveyed, almost 5 percent terminated a wanted pregnancy because of HG. Of the HG sufferers surveyed, almost 68 percent said the condition left them bed-ridden and needing daily support.
Regarding the Redditor's sleeping situation, Clark said while there isn't much data about how HG affects relationships, stress and depression can have a knock-on effect on relationships. He added that partners offer more support and a little extra TLC.
"I think emotional support, as well as practical physical support, is important," he said.
Many Reddit users commented on the Redditor's concern regarding sleepless nights by pointing out that the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better. One Reddit user posted a comment with almost 18,500 upvotes, saying: "I can understand needing sleep to perform your best at work. But dude, you are in for a hell of a time when the baby comes"
Other Reddit users suggested that the poster should have moved, rather than asking his partner to move. One wrote: "I would have not relocated the pregnant person but relocated myself."
Some commenters said that if the couple were happy with their sleeping arrangements, others shouldn't question it. One said: "Why does it matter who moves? She doesn't mind, why should anyone else?"
Other posts on the thread expressed solidarity and described similar experiences. One commenter wrote: "Currently have a baby and my husband moved to the guest bedroom while I was pregnant and not sleeping well. It put one less thing on me while I was already having a tough time."
