Why does a newborn hiccup after. What to do if the baby hiccups. When to see a specialist

In the life of every parent, there comes a moment when they first encounter such a phenomenon as hiccups in a baby.

Causes

Before doing anything, it is necessary to establish the causes of hiccups in newborns.

1. Pediatricians call the main reason for this phenomenon a weak connection between the brain and the diaphragm.
2. The second reason can be called overeating: observed after overfeeding. In addition, the baby can swallow a lot of air with food, which causes the diaphragm to contract, resulting in hiccups.
3. Often the cause of its appearance in newborn children can be banal hypothermia. Explains this by saying that nervous system in an infant is rather imperfect, and the mechanisms of thermoregulation have not yet been fully debugged.

Manifestations

Many mothers wonder why a newborn baby hiccups for a long time and often. It should be noted that the duration of this phenomenon is not related to anything and may be different. On average, a baby hiccups for 15 minutes. However, this process can take up to half an hour. In this case, it is necessary to take measures that will stop the hiccups.

What to do?

If a newborn has hiccups for the first time, parents usually do not know what to do and how to treat it. By following the tips below, you can prevent this phenomenon from occurring.

1. In the case when hiccups are the result of overeating, the mother should control nutrition and reduce the amount of servings.
2. If the baby swallows a lot of air when feeding from a bottle, in order for him to come out, it is necessary to vilify the baby in his arms in an upright position until he burps. In this case, the baby should be pressed against the mother's tummy.
3. When breastfeeding, it is necessary to monitor the correct grip of the baby on the breast. At the same time, he must simultaneously capture the nipple with the areola. In such a situation, changing the position of the crumbs during feeding helps to get rid of hiccups.
4. If the hiccups in the newborn have already begun, then it can be cured with one in a simple way: just give your baby some water or put him on the breast, as when feeding. After a few sips, this problem disappears by itself.
5. Quite often, the baby hiccups due to hypothermia. In such a situation, it is necessary for the child to wear socks.
6. In most cases, this phenomenon does not cause any particular inconvenience to the baby, so you can simply wait it out without taking any action.

Prevention

Every mother, adhering to a few simple rules every day, can make sure that her crumbs never have hiccups. If your child is on, then you should constantly monitor the condition of the nipple on the bottle. If the hole on it is very large, get a teat with a smaller flow. This will reduce the likelihood of hiccups after feeding.

Do not allow the baby to become hypothermic, always monitor the temperature of his body and limbs.

After feeding, wait until the baby burps by holding him upright in your arms.

Thus, hiccups are not any pathology that requires treatment. However, in some cases (quite rarely) it can be a symptom of a complex disease, which is accompanied by a violation of the nervous system and brain. In such cases, if this phenomenon occurs quite often, without an explicable reason, it is necessary to contact a pediatrician. But usually, almost all parents independently cope with hiccups in newborns, without resorting to the help of specialist doctors.

In a family where there is a baby, parents carefully monitor his health, so such a physiological manifestation as hiccups in newborns causes them justifiable concern. Meanwhile, experts have proven that even an unborn baby can hiccup - for example, at a six-week period, the fetus already has hiccups. In infants, it appears very often, it can last for several minutes, or it can last for an hour or more, which causes discomfort in the child, preventing falling asleep. In order for hiccups not to raise panic among mothers, you need to know the causes of the appearance and find ways to stop it in the baby.

Hiccups are a normal physiological reaction of the body, and the baby can hiccup even before birth - in the mother's tummy

Reasons why a newborn hiccups

In order not to worry in vain, parents should know: if a newborn hiccups, this is a physiological phenomenon of natural origin. It can pass on its own, but if the hiccups continue for a long time, then it must be removed. Before looking for ways to eliminate it, you need to clarify why the baby has this phenomenon? Pediatricians see the causes of hiccups in the following:

• She often appears as a result of spitting up after sucking milk, which is explained by the physiological characteristics of the child's body.
• If the mother notices that the newborn hiccups all the time, then you need to look for the immediate causes of this condition. In pediatric practice, it has been noticed that one of the most common is aerophagia - a pathology when air is swallowed in large quantities, and then it is burped. Aerophagia is a bad sign, as frequent burping leads to weight loss in a child. To eliminate such a reason, you need to change the position of the baby, then a burp will come out, and he will calm down. You can establish aerophagy by a voluminous tummy, crying while sucking (see also:).
• Although pediatricians consider hiccups to be normal, it is still better avoid triggers: it can be a rush of mother's milk during sucking, the wrong position of the baby at the breast, fast sucking when he is hungry, overeating. When feeding with milk formula, such factors will be an improperly prepared papilla (the hole is larger than normal) and an unfortunate position of the bottle.

It is the wrong, non-physiological posture of the child that can be the cause of squeezing the diaphragm and letting air in. You should carefully monitor how parents and relatives hold the child in their arms.

What to do if the newborn hiccups after feeding?

If overeating has occurred and the newborn hiccups after feeding, then the mothers themselves are to blame, especially the young ones, who do not yet have sufficient experience in caring for children. They often worry about the amount of sucked milk and feed the baby - this action provokes pressure on the diaphragm. When a baby overeats occurs, it is not difficult for a mother to establish; for this, nutritional control can be introduced - for example, change the volume of milk or milk formula in subsequent feeding. In order to eliminate overeating, you need to use preventive measures:

• There is a lot of controversy in pediatrics about how it is better to feed the baby - on demand or by the hour. It has already been established that babies overeat from mothers who feed by the hour. This is explained by the fact that the child has a small volume of the stomach and a portion of milk is only enough for a short time. It is very difficult for the baby to wait for the next meal, so during sucking he is hungry. The baby begins to suckle greedily at the breast, resulting in an overload of the baby's stomach with a large amount of food. The newborn after feeding in this case hiccups.
• It should also be borne in mind that breast milk is conditionally divided into two types: anterior and hind. Experts note that the back has a higher fat content, and it is with them that the baby can get enough. In a mother who has a lot of milk, the baby is quickly saturated with the anterior, and then only with the posterior, more saturated. It turns out that by the end of feeding the baby is already full.

In order not to overfeed the baby, mommy must calculate the amount of necessary mixture or milk per day according to the table

• In infants up to 3 months observed in the intestines flatulence. This is due to the underdevelopment of the gastrointestinal tract, so children may have colic that causes hiccups (we recommend reading:). Mom can easily determine if her baby has colic, because at this moment he is restless, trying to raise his legs, the tummy is elastic, even hard (we recommend reading:).

What other reasons cause hiccups?

Often a newborn hiccups and without any connection with feeding. Mom is worried, because she follows the pediatrician's instructions for feeding, and the baby's hiccups do not go away. It is important to understand here that there are other reasons for its appearance. Experts believe that the provoking factors are:

• Excited state during emotional upheaval. Due to the weakness and instability of the nervous system, infants may become frightened of something unusual (for example, unfamiliar surroundings, loud sounds, bright lights), while an anxiety condition develops, leading to diaphragm spasm.
• Everyone knows that hypothermia is a sure sign of hiccups in the crumbs. A caring mother should touch the nose, arms, legs of the crumbs, if they are cold, it means that he is frozen. Hypothermia can occur due to poor thermoregulation in children, so it is necessary to maintain a constant body temperature, wear socks, a blouse so that the child does not freeze.
• Sometimes hiccups occur in sleep, pediatricians also give a scientific and practical explanation for this. If a newborn sleeps and hiccups in a dream, it means that the diaphragm contracts, the vocal cords close, and a sound that frightens parents is obtained. The baby wakes up on its own, as it becomes difficult for him to breathe. To eliminate discomfort and help the baby, the mother needs to take it to her chest, hold it in an upright position and press it with her stomach to warm and soothe.

Pressing the baby to her in a vertical position, the mother contributes to the gradual discharge of air and the normalization of the position of the internal organs

Preventive measures for hiccups

A mother who adheres to such simple but important rules can always prevent hiccups in a baby. To do this, you must follow the preventive measures that pediatricians advise using:

• Feeding is best done at the request of the baby. In this case, reduce the portion of food, and make the intervals between feedings more frequent.
• In order for the baby to be better saturated with hind milk, you can express milk (front) if the mother has a strong rush of it.
• It is necessary to capture the mother's breast while sucking correctly, and the mother herself can help the baby. If feeding is with a bottle, then the nipple should be with the correct hole and be at (we recommend reading:) the right angle so that the baby does not choke on the liquid. The classic rule is that a baby should drink from a bottle with little effort.
• Feeding should only be done when mother and baby are comfortable. If the baby is worried, it is better to wait a bit, pick it up, calm it down and only then feed it.
• So that the baby does not get cold, you need to constantly maintain body temperature, check with the touch of your hand t of his arms and legs.
• When breastfeeding, the mother should consult a pediatrician about her diet and follow a diet so as not to cause gas in the baby.

If, nevertheless, the newborn hiccups

What to do if the baby still has hiccups? Mom should take the baby in her arms and warm his tummy with her warmth to get rid of colic. Hold the "column" at your chest (more in the article:), wait until the baby has released excess air, and the hiccups will stop.

Another way to stop hiccuping can be plain water. You should give the baby some water to drink to get rid of prolonged hiccups.

When should parents worry?

Parents need to know that hiccups are not a pathology, they do not require treatment, there will be time to get rid of them, but if this condition lasts all day, it causes discomfort and inconvenience to the newborn. To stop it, you should contact a pediatrician - he will help you take appropriate measures, carry out prevention and prevent the development of any complex disease (various infections, pneumonia, gastrointestinal tract).

Explaining why a newborn hiccups, in video lessons, children's doctor Komarovsky emphasizes that infant hiccups should not disturb parents, since this is a normal phenomenon, it manifests itself even before birth. You just need to be able to properly deal with this phenomenon, and it will go away with age. Nevertheless, it is necessary to consult a specialist for advice, then it will be possible not to overlook the medical problem.

Such a phenomenon as hiccups is quite common and does not cause concern if this happens to adults. But what about the baby, because he can hiccup often enough? Is hiccups in newborns so terrible? Can it indicate any abnormalities or diseases?

What is a hiccup?

In the body of any person there is such an organ as the diaphragm (partition from muscle tissue between chest and abdominal cavity). The convulsive contraction of this very muscle is called hiccups. In the case when the glottis is closed, you can hear a characteristic hiccupping sound and observe the convulsive movement of the sternum.

This phenomenon in the vast majority of cases is nervous and reflex. It has nothing to do with eating, although hiccups in babies often appear just after feeding. It can be caused by some errors that mommy can make during feeding.

Hiccups in a newborn. Causes

Why can a monthly baby hiccup? There may be several reasons:

• Overfeeding. Too much food puts pressure on the diaphragm and thus can cause its muscle contractions.
• The newborn is thirsty.
• Swallowing air during feeding.
• The baby is cold.
• Intestinal flatulence (bloating).
• Hiccups in newborns can be observed in various situations when the child is nervous, for example, frightened by a stranger, loud noise or too bright light.
• Dysfunction of nerve centers that could be damaged during childbirth, for example, if there was hypoxia. In this case, hiccups can be characterized as a neurosis.
• The last reason is a rather rare occurrence. It is usually detected during a mandatory examination of the baby when he reaches the age of one month.

In the vast majority of cases, hiccups in infants are associated with feeding errors, hypothermia, or slight nervous strain.

Duration of hiccups in infants

This phenomenon appears suddenly and quickly disappears. Normally, hiccups in babies should not last more than 15 minutes. Often, much less time passes, and the hiccups completely disappear even without help from the mother.

However, in the case when the child hiccups without ceasing for more than 20-30 minutes, you should contact your pediatrician. Sometimes this phenomenon may indicate serious diseases, such as a disorder in the spinal cord, pneumonia, or disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, which require medical intervention.

How to help the baby?

If the child most often hiccups just after feeding, then some of the mother's oversights are to blame. You need to do the following:

• When breastfeeding, briefly remove the baby from the breast if it is seen that he sucks too quickly and greedily.
• Pay attention to how the baby takes the breast. Both the nipple and the halo should be captured. So the ingress of air during feeding will be minimal.
• With artificial feeding, it is necessary to choose the right nipple for the bottle. The hole must be small. Usually the packaging says the age for which the nipple is suitable.
• It is good to choose special anti-colic bottles that prevent the entry of air during feeding as much as possible.
• You can not feed the baby quickly. Feeding should take at least 20 minutes for any type of feeding.
• If the child hiccups after eating and burps profusely, then there is overfeeding. It is necessary to slightly reduce the portion of the mixture or to express a little before breastfeeding.
• After feeding the baby, you need to hold it in an upright position. After some time, put on your tummy or put on your knees and lightly pat, stroke on the back so that excess air comes out. How to do it right, you can see in the picture.

In no case should you slap your hand hard on the back of the crumbs in the hope that the air will come out faster. Everything must be done gently and carefully. The procedure is carried out immediately after feeding and takes no more than 10 minutes.

If hiccups are not related to food, then the following manipulations will help eliminate the phenomenon:

• Perhaps the baby wants to drink. A bottle of water will easily relieve the baby of hiccups.
• You can touch the child's hands. If they are cold, then the baby hiccups from being cold. It is enough to move the baby to a warm room or dress warmer - the hiccups will pass.
• If the fault is loud noise or bright light, then it is necessary, if possible, to eliminate the cause - turn off the TV, light, curtain the windows.
• If the hiccups are caused by fear (for example, by a stranger), then the mother needs to retire with the child, take him in her arms, vilify, sing a song, calm him down, give him a breast, try to make him fall asleep. In infants in the first months of life, the nervous system is very weak, so you should limit your social circle to prevent fear.

What methods of dealing with hiccups are not suitable for babies

• There are several folk remedies, which should be used very carefully in the case of infants:
• Many advise fighting hiccups with chamomile decoction or lemon juice. To do this, you need to drip a few drops of this or that liquid under the baby's tongue. This should be done very carefully, since chamomile and citrus fruits are allergens that can have a negative effect.
• Another method is a teaspoon of sugar, which you need to eat to get rid of the hiccups. For a newborn organism, such an amount of sugar is a terrible poison that can cause diathesis. In addition, the child may simply choke on sugar. This method is by no means suitable for infants.
• Also, any conspiracies that can be imposed by grandmothers are not suitable. This method will not harm the crumbs, but there will be no benefit from it either.
• Another popular way is to scare the child so that the hiccups go away. It is absolutely impossible to do this! This can not only provoke another bout of hiccups, but also disrupt the fragile psyche of the baby.

Most often, hiccups are affected by children in the first months of life. If hiccups are not caused by a serious illness, then it does not cause discomfort to the child. Closer to the year, you can generally forget about this phenomenon. Having understood the reasons why newborns hiccup, you can quickly and effectively eliminate them. Therefore, do not panic, but it is better to try to help the crumbs cope with this ailment faster.

For every parent, their children are the best and most desirable. And the young family is trying to do everything to ensure that their child grows up strong and healthy. A woman is told about pregnancy and childbirth everywhere and everywhere, but few expectant mothers receive the most complete information about what will happen after childbirth.

The subconscious usually draws complete peace and tranquility in the house: the mother calmly prepares to eat, the father returns from work, and they stand, embracing, near the bed of the most important little man in their life. Of course, such moments happen in every family, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Usually the mother is twitchy, and this comes from ignorance of the reasons why the child cries. In order to know how to act in a given situation, young parents need to take a “young fighter course” and find out what can bother the little man.

One of the conditions that disturb the child is hiccups in the baby. Surely, every mother at least once in her life faced this problem. Although, as a rule, hiccups in newborns occur quite often. Of course, this is not such a state when you have to ring all the bells and call an ambulance, but any mother, especially the first hiccups, is frightening, and she does not know what to do.

Causes of hiccups in children

There is no single answer why a newborn has hiccups. For the most part, the occurrence of hiccups does not cause any disturbances and does not cause significant inconvenience to the baby. But every mother wants to help her child get rid of hiccups that have arisen.

The causes of hiccups in newborns can be different. And in order to help the child, it is necessary to understand what is the factor that provokes it.

Most often, hiccups occur in cases such as:

• the child is very thirsty;
• the baby is cold;
• hiccups in newborns after feeding may occur due to the fact that when feeding, the baby swallowed air along with milk;
• the baby was frightened by something, for example, loud noises or bright lights;
• hiccups in a newborn can also occur as a result of overeating. This situation occurs when food that enters the stomach stretches it, causing the diaphragm to contract. As a result of the interaction of these reasons, the child may begin to hiccup.

How does hiccups manifest?

Hiccups in newborns can last up to 15 minutes. This condition is not dangerous and may well go away on its own. If the child's hiccups continue for a longer time, then this is the reason for going to the doctor and identifying some organic or functional disorders in children's body. Sometimes hiccups that last a long time can indicate that a child has a disease. For example, hiccups can accompany inflammation of the lungs, diseases of the digestive tract, or spinal cord injury. Therefore, if there is frequent hiccups in a newborn, more than 20 minutes, a pediatrician should be consulted.

What to do with hiccups?

When hiccups occur, the first question that worries a mother is what to do with hiccups in a child. There are several ways to help eliminate this unpleasant phenomenon.

How to get rid of hiccups? After clarifying the possible cause of its occurrence, you can try the following methods:

1. The most common reason why a baby hiccups is swallowing air while feeding. In order to help the baby in this situation, you need to hug the baby in an upright position and walk around the room with him. As a rule, this position allows you to quickly get rid of the swallowed air, which leads to the cessation of hiccups. In addition, try to replace the nipple or bottle for the baby, as it often happens that a small child receives food very quickly when feeding through a bottle, and the baby swallows food with air in order not to choke. If you are breastfeeding your baby, watch how he takes the breast. It is possible that by changing the position of the child during feeding, you will forget about the hiccups.
2. If the child hiccups for a long time and often, you can give him a bottle of water or attach to the chest again. Liquid helps to help the child get rid of hiccups faster.
3. When a newborn has hiccups, the first thing to do is feel the handles. If they are cold to the touch, then the most likely cause of hiccups is freezing. To eliminate hiccups, it is necessary to warm the child.
4. If the cause of hiccups in a newborn is irritating factors: loud music, bright lights, then if possible, they must be eliminated. In this case, you should press the baby to yourself and talk quietly with him, carrying him around the room. This acts as a distraction and the hiccups go away.
5. If the child begins to hiccup in fright at the sight of strangers, then it is best to limit the circle of visits of the baby until he adapts to the environment. Especially this recommendation should be observed in the first months of a newborn's life.
6. If none of these remedies help, you can try to get rid of the hiccups of the newborn with lemon juice or a strong infusion of chamomile. To do this, you need to drip a few drops of liquid under the child's tongue.
7. Never overfeed your baby, as overfeeding is one of the main causes of hiccups in newborns. If overfeeding is constant, then hiccups can go into a chronic stage and occur constantly. You can understand that the child has overeaten by abundant regurgitation. In order to eliminate hiccups from overeating, try to feed your baby often, but not enough.

Most often, hiccups occur in children of the first year of life, and by a year or a little later, parents completely forget about its existence. Hiccups in newborns are a physiological condition. It occurs not only because of the causes of provoking factors, but also because of the imperfection of the digestive tract of a small child. Therefore, the older the child becomes, the less hiccups bother him.
Hiccups are more of a concern for the mother than the baby. Therefore, forever forget about the way to scare the child. By doing this, you can only provoke a new attack.

Hiccups are a contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm, provoked by various factors, but the specific mechanism of this process is not completely clear today. It is believed that the development of hiccups in infants is the irritation of the vagus nerve, which affects the diaphragm.

Frequent hiccups in the chest

Hiccups in children in the first months of life are very common due to the pronounced excitability of the mechanisms that regulate the contractile function of the diaphragm and the structural features of the digestive system of infants - thin, delicate and easily extensible walls of the digestive tract (esophagus, stomach and intestines). When overeating or swelling of the intestine, the vagus nerve is compressed or re-irritated and there are repeatedly repeated twitches of the diaphragm and larynx with a narrowed or closed glottis.

To date, the main types of hiccups are classified: episodic and prolonged.

Episodic hiccups are most often associated with the peculiarities of the digestive system in infants or functional disorders of the digestive system (flatulence, accumulation of gases in the stomach when they are swallowed with food or when crying), incorrect transfer to artificial feeding or non-compliance with the rules for the introduction of complementary foods. All these conditions require correction, and the symptoms of hiccups disappear.

The most common cause of hiccups in infants is considered to be air entering the stomach, and in this regard, diaphragm contraction is a physiological reaction of the body that helps to burp air.

Hiccups in infants after breastfeeding and occurs with improper breastfeeding technique. During feeding, when milk is actively arriving, the baby does not have time to swallow it, and together with the milk, the baby swallows air. Also, swallowing of air occurs during artificial feeding with large holes in the nipple, when it is not completely filled with milk.
After feeding the baby, it is necessary to hold the baby in an upright position, which allows the accumulated air to escape from the stomach and esophagus.

Less commonly, hiccups in infants begin with emotional shock (fright), which can occur with loud noises, unexpected touch, or flashes of light. Any emotional overstrain can cause sudden contractions of the diaphragm due to stress and excitation of the vagus nerve.

Another cause of hiccups can be thirst with drying of the digestive tube and oral mucosa. In this case, you need to drink the baby and the hiccups will stop.

Hiccups in diseases

As a rule, episodic hiccups pass quickly, and over time, due to the growth of the baby, hiccup attacks appear less and less and pass without leaving consequences. But there are situations when hiccups are a harbinger of the development and progression of diseases.

Hiccups, as a symptom of the disease, in most cases is prolonged and frequent (longer than 15-20 minutes to an hour or more, occurs several times a day and without cause), and is also accompanied by other pathological symptoms and syndromes.

According to pathogenetic features, hiccups of central origin and peripheral are distinguished. Central hiccups occur when the brain and spinal cord are damaged - with congenital pathology of the central nervous system:

• with anomalies in the development of the brain and spinal cord;
• with perinatal damage to the central nervous system, due to hypoxic or traumatic lesions of the spinal cord and brain;
• during intrauterine infection.

Also, hiccups of central origin in infants occur:

• with neuroinfections (meningitis, encephalitis), often this type of hiccups manifests itself in herpetic encephalitis;
• with severe intoxication - a toxic form of hiccups (with sepsis, severe pneumonia, pathology of the liver and kidneys).

Both in congenital pathology and in other diseases of the central nervous system, this form of hiccups is usually accompanied by lethargy of the baby, decreased sucking activity, frequent regurgitation (less often yawning), weight loss, anxiety, causeless crying, fever (for no apparent reason).

The peripheral form of hiccups develops when the phrenic nerve and its branches are involved in the pathological process. It can be observed with mediastinitis, congenital tumors of the mediastinum and lungs, congenital aortic aneurysm (with compression of the phrenic nerve), less often with neuritis of the phrenic nerve.

Frequent and prolonged hiccups can occur in the pathology of the gastrointestinal tract - with congenital pathology of the esophagus, stomach, gallbladder.

Also, reflected (peripheral) hiccups can occur with congenital pathology of the diaphragm (diaphragmatic hernia) or closely located organs - the pleura and lungs (intrauterine pneumonia, congenital pleurisy, congenital bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis). Infectious and inflammatory processes of the diaphragm, pleura, and lungs can develop in infants as complications of viral or catarrhal diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, otitis media.

Hiccups in the chest what to do?

As a rule, any form of hiccups does not need treatment. But it is important to remember that hiccups (episodic or constant) signal a problem in the child's body that needs to be found and fixed as soon as possible.

Most often, hiccups are a symptom of overfeeding, flatulence, improper selection of the mixture, or features of the digestive system in infants.

With the daily occurrence of hiccups, it is necessary to consult with the district pediatrician and find the cause of its occurrence.

The main methods of calming hiccups in infants are warm drinks (breast milk, formula, warm water), heat on the tummy (warm diaper, heating pad), and with general hypothermia (if the baby is cold) - you need to lean against him or dress warmly. But you need to remember that hiccups can also occur when the child overheats, so you need to comfortably dress the baby, create a cozy microclimate in the room, choose the right clothes - without synthetic fabrics.

Proper feeding technique, selection of nipples and mixtures (with artificial feeding), hold the baby in an upright position so that the accumulated air leaves the stomach and esophagus.

If hiccups in infants occur frequently during the day, have an obsessive, permanent character and are accompanied by other pathological symptoms with a burdened family or obstetric history (severe prolonged or rapid labor, trauma during childbirth), pregnancy pathology (placental circulation disorders, intrauterine infections, severe somatic maternal disease). Further examination of the baby is necessary with the progression of infectious-inflammatory or toxic processes in the child's body with involvement in the pathological process of the diaphragm, lungs, pleura, organs of the digestive system, brain and spinal cord.

Added on 06/13/2014

Hiccups that appear in adults do not frighten anyone and cause concern. But now, if this phenomenon occurs in young children, then parents often begin to worry and try to eliminate it as soon as possible.

It is worth remembering that hiccups in infants, as in adults, do not belong to pathological conditions and are considered a completely natural phenomenon. So there shouldn't be any reason to panic. Doctors have proven that the child begins to hiccup, while still in the womb, from about six weeks. In this case, hiccups can last for a few minutes or an hour. Most often, this phenomenon does not cause any special trouble to the newborn baby and does not require special measures from the parents. However, sometimes this condition can frighten and disturb the child, cause him anxiety, which prevents him from falling asleep normally. In such situations, it is worth trying to help him cope with hiccups.

How does hiccups occur in newborns?

The occurrence of hiccups in infants is not associated with the breathing process. It occurs due to a sudden sharp contraction of the muscles of the diaphragm, which are caused by its stimulation or irritation. The most susceptible to hiccups are newborn babies and children whose age has not yet reached three months. This is due to the fact that in such crumbs the diaphragmatic muscle is still very sensitive and immediately reacts to any irritation.

Hiccups in a newborn: causes

In some cases, hiccups in infants can become a symptom of certain diseases, such as gastroesophageal disease, for example. At the same time, hiccups appear often, last for a long time and acquire a stubborn character. In addition, regurgitation, irritability and coughing may be observed. If there is a suspicion that the causes of hiccups are pathological, then it is necessary to show the baby to a pediatrician who can confirm or refute the assumptions of the parents.

Most often, hiccups in infants are a natural phenomenon, the causes of which may be the following factors:

1. Strong stretching of the baby's stomach with food. This can occur with regular overfeeding of the child.
2. Overdistension of the stomach can also occur when swallowing a large amount of air while feeding the baby. It is this reason that most often leads to the appearance of hiccups in infants and newborns.
3. Significant hypothermia of the baby and a decrease in the temperature of his body.
4. Strong sudden fright, anxiety, excitement, restlessness and other nervous shocks in a child.
5. A predisposing factor for hiccups in infants in the first few months of life may be insufficient maturity of the digestive and nervous systems.

How is hiccups in newborns treated?

A distinctive feature of the treatment of hiccups in infants is that they, unlike adults, do not have effective methods for getting rid of this condition. The only thing you can do is just calmly wait until this condition passes by itself. You can try to distract the baby and calm him down. Since there are practically no methods and means of getting rid of hiccups that have already appeared, it is worth trying to prevent its occurrence. There are several methods for this:

1. The greatest concern of parents is that hiccups can bring discomfort to the child and prevent him from eating normally. If hiccups occur at the moment when the baby is being fed, then feeding should be stopped, the child should be tried to calm down, stroke. The position of his body should be changed to vertical. You can apply methods aimed at the appearance of belching. Feeding is continued only after the hiccups in the baby have passed.
2. For feeding, it is better to choose such positions when the child is as vertical as possible (the angle of inclination of his body should be at least 45 degrees). For some time after the baby has eaten, you need to avoid the position when the baby is lying on its back.
3. If hiccups in a newborn are frequent, you should choose to feed the baby at a time when he is still calm and not too hungry. While eating, you need to create a calm, quiet atmosphere, exclude external factors that can distract the attention of the baby. It is worth striving to create all the conditions for the child to calmly drink from a bottle or suckle at the breast. In addition, be sure to ensure that he does not swallow air.
4. Overfeeding a baby does not lead to anything good. It is better to feed the child in small portions, but often.
5. Prolonged hiccups in infants, lasting more than a quarter of an hour, can pass if you offer the baby a small amount of warm, clean water from a bottle. You can also try to put the baby to the breast for a short time.
6. Causes of hiccups in babies may lie in the wrong bottle nipple. Too small or, conversely, too large a hole, as well as an irregular shape, leads to the swallowing of excess air, which leads to hiccups. The size of the nipple opening can be checked by turning the bottle upside down. At the same time, drops of milk should appear. A trickle of liquid or the absence of drops indicate the wrong choice of nipple.
7. Increased gas formation may not be associated with swallowing air, but with errors in the mother's diet or improper introduction of complementary foods. Such a reaction can occur when a nursing woman consumes tomatoes, legumes, citrus fruits, cabbage and other foods. It is better to refuse such food, because, in addition to hiccups, the baby may experience bloating and pain in the tummy, anxiety, regurgitation, colic.
8. It is important to regularly help the child burp excess air. Belching should be a mandatory part of almost every feeding. It is also worth achieving it if the child begins to show anxiety: whimpering, frowning, pressing his legs to his stomach, actively waving his arms. Inducing a burp is not too difficult. To do this, you can vilify the baby for some time in an upright position, tap lightly on his back. For the same purpose, you can put the child on your knees with your stomach.

In the case when all of the above measures do not bring results, and hiccups continue to torment the baby, it is worth visiting a pediatrician for a consultation. The doctor will be able to choose a carminative drug that is suitable for the child. In any case, as the baby grows, the problem of hiccups will appear less and less.

Hiccups in babies (video)

The first part of the video deals with the problems of hiccups and its treatment for adults and infants (toward the end), in the second, the care of infants. Including, and care during hiccups in a baby.