During her pregnancy with her son Felix, now three, Lianne Kerr’s vomiting record was 27 times in 24 hours. “I vomited everywhere: In the park, in the planters outside my brother’s house and in my car while my husband held a grocery bag open in front of me,” says the Vancouver mom.

Morning sickness, or Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP), affects up to 80 percent of pregnant women, says Caroline Maltepe, co-ordinator of the Motherisk program’s NVP Helpline at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “The severity of symptoms varies, but when you’re already fatigued during pregnancy and get hit with nausea or vomiting, it can be debilitating.”

Despite its name, morning sickness—thought to stem in part from higher hormone levels—can occur at any time of day. Not only can it affect a pregnant woman’s quality of life, but in some cases the nausea and vomiting may also cause serious adverse effects, including dehydration, which can affect the mom-to-be and her baby. Kerr was eventually diagnosed with a severe form of NVP—hyperemesis gravidarum—which affects one to three percent of women and can require hospitalization.

For most women, though, morning sickness poses little physical risk. It usually begins between the fourth and ninth week of pregnancy and ends between week 12 and week 16, although it can last right up until your baby is born. “The key is to catch it early to prevent it from getting worse,” says Maltepe. “People don’t understand that they need to treat morning sickness right away—they wait because they think it will get better.”

fight it with food

“You have to make sure you’re eating, no matter how sick you feel,” says Maltepe. “The longer your stomach stays empty, the worse your nausea will get.” She recommends eating a small handful of something every hour to an hour-and-a-half.

“I lived on Cheerios and mashed potatoes,” says Kerr. “There wasn’t anything too offensive about them and they weren’t hard to prepare.” Generally, eat whatever makes you feel better, avoid fatty or spicy foods and make sure you drink two litres of liquid a day. Because mixing solids and liquids can increase nausea, eat a small portion of food followed by some liquid 20 minutes later.

treatments to try

Nothing eased Kerr’s symptoms until her doctor prescribed Diclectin. “It’s the only medication labelled for pregnancy in Canada, and you can start taking it as early as the first day of nausea,” says Maltepe.

Other women may find relief without a prescription. For instance, just as the wrong odour can make you queasy, the right one could soothe your stomach. If there’s something that smells good to you, carry it with you, Maltepe says. “For me, it was cinnamon, so I would sniff Big Red gum wrappers. Someone can’t just say ‘do this’ and it will work for you, but give your remedy of choice two to four days before giving up.”

a real meal, finally

When Kerr came home from the hospital after her son’s birth, her husband made her tandoori chicken. “I finished eating it and started to cry,” she says. “I didn’t feel nauseous. Everyone warns you about how much life will change after the baby comes, but with morning sickness you have to realize that the shift in your life has come earlier than expected, but thankfully it does end.”

Sydney Loney is a Toronto writer who found cold foods (especially watermelon) helped ease her morning sickness when she was pregnant.