"Morning sickness" is a misnomer. In fact, according to BabyCenter.com, the medical term is "nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP)." Symptoms can occur at all hours and last throughout the day.
Dr. Shannon Clark, M.D., Associate Professor in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston said that symptoms range from persistent feelings of nausea to episodes of vomiting and retching. In addition, the intensity of symptoms can vary from woman to woman.
The American Pregnancy Association (APA) said that morning sickness usually begins around the sixth week of pregnancy. For most, it seems to stop at the twelfth week of pregnancy.
What causes morning sickness isn't entirely clear, wrote Mayo Clinic, but hormonal changes from pregnancy are thought to play a role.
Morning sickness isn’t harmful to the baby, but if a woman experiences excessive vomiting and can’t manage to keep food down, she may have hyperemesis gravidarum explained APA. BabyCenter.com said that if a situation is that severe, women may need to be treated with intravenous fluids and medications.
Most doctors advise women to make dietary and lifestyle changes to relieve morning sickness. If that doesn’t work there are safe and effective medications, said BabyCenter.com.
Dr. Clark recommended eating multiple small meals or grazing throughout the day. She said that it’s always better to keep something on the stomach and not just load the stomach three times a day.
BabyCenter.com cautioned pregnant women prone to morning sickness to avoid fatty foods, which take longer to digest. The site recommended that they steer clear of spicy, acidic and fried foods, which can irritate the digestive system.
In worst case scenarios, Dr. Clark has women go on a BRAT diet. It’s a bland diet consisting of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast.
APA said it’s good for women to drink fluids a half hour before or after a meal, but not with meals. Mayo Clinic advised sipping water or ginger ale. It may also help to suck on hard candy, ice chips or ice pops.
Avoid lying down after eating, as this can slow digestion, wrote BabyCenter.com.