The Hidden Mothers: Support the book to raise awareness

Hyperemesis Gravidarum is not morning sickness.

It's far more intense, far darker and far more common than we all thought.

Hi, I'm Clare and I'm a photographer. I'm also a mother and Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) survivor. I've suffered with HG on both my pregnancies, and like the 22 women who I spent two years working with on this project, we didn't know HG even existed when we suddenly found ourselves lying in a dark room wishing things no new mother should.

That's why I began this creative photographic project: to share our common HG stories, and raise awareness across the medical profession in particular, as this is another very real issue we all share - how invisible we have all felt as individuals while under care for pregnancy.

What I'm fundraising for

My goal has always been to use my photography to raise awareness of HG. Specifically, to bring the seriousness of the illness to the attention of the medical professionals across the UK.

Proceeds from this fundraising will finance the printing and distribution of The Hidden Mothers book.

It is a hardback photographic book containing all the participants' testimonies as well as signposting for support. Copies of the book will be posted to NHS maternity units and relevant centres across the UK.

I've already got the backing of the UK's leading obstetricians and researchers making the clinical breakthroughs. Their portraits are included in the book.

However, the most common story survivors share is how the lack of diagnosis and clinical care provision leads to worsening conditions and poor mental health. Often resulting in terminations and suicidal ideation.

We can contribute to a better future by making this book and getting it into the NHS units and hands of those who need to understand the severity of HG.

By donating to this page you can help achieve this.

About the work

During the late 19th-century, the trend in studio photography portraits of infants was booming.

However the photographic process required the subject to sit still for several minutes. To get around this, the infant’s mother was concealed in fabric, disguised as furniture while holding the baby steady. The resulting images have come to be known as ‘hidden mother’ photography.

When photographer Clare Hughes recovered from her first pregnancy she was also coming to terms with her first experience of Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG). A severe pregnancy illness affecting women of all ages and backgrounds, its symptoms include constant nausea, vomiting, and dehydration. It leaves the mother distraught after months of physical and emotional turmoil. HG has gone virtually unrecognised by the medical establishment despite an estimated 30,000 suffering from it every year in the UK.

HG, and the lack of clinical care provision, has resulted in terminations, prohibited choice and has been associated with depression leading to suicide.

The Hidden Mothers is a participatory project with HG sufferers. Based on archival research it uses the Victorian ‘hidden mother’ visual metaphor for how its participants have felt during their pregnancies. The photographed creative act helps distance the participant from their experience providing a powerful cathartic perspective, while contributing to the message: we won’t be hidden anymore.

What's been happening so far

Work from The Hidden Mothers has been presented at the Houses of Parliament, London, UK, in collaboration with the charity Pregnancy Sickness Support. This put the work and the subject directly in front of ministers and on the agenda.

Work from the project was also presented at the International Colloquium on Hyperemesis Gravidarum 2024, California, USA, in collaboration with the charity HER Foundation. At this event the work was seen by many of the leading women's health medical professionals from across the world.

The Hidden Mothers at Science Gallery London opened from 3 - 14 June 2025. It is supported by King's College London and renowned obstetricians Professors Catherine Nelson-Piercy and Catherine Williamson, Doctor Melanie Nana and Jennifer Fraser, PhD.

During this exhibition, I ran the workshop Darkness To Dawn: Reclaiming Yourself After HG, with Jemma Martin, The HG Midwife, and founder of Bumps & Bubbles CIC.

The Hidden Mothers on PhotoVoice, the UK-based internationally recognised training platform in ethical photography.

The Hidden Mothers featured on BBC News online and London Live.