Why does a newborn hiccup? The reasons

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When something is wrong with a baby, it always worries a new mother. For example, a newborn hiccups. Why is this happening? Is there any reason for concern? How to help the baby get out of this state? We will answer these and other questions in the article.

What is this?

Hiccups are one of the rather harmless states of a new inhabitant of the Earth. As in an adult, this is a reaction to external and internal stimuli. A newborn hiccups after feeding, hypothermia, overeating due to contractions of the diaphragm, thus reacting to these factors.

Some pediatricians believe that the excitable vagus nerve causes this condition in babies for no reason. It is he who directly affects the diaphragm, causing it to contract, which causes hiccups in the baby.

Note the interesting fact that the baby begins to hiccup in the womb. This is how nature prepares his diaphragm for the new conditions of life.

In a newborn, both the digestive and nervous systems are not yet developed to perfection. Therefore, it is normal that, along with the baby’s hiccups, they overcomeregurgitation, loose stools, colic and gas. Such conditions are typical up to 2 months of life.

Why does a newborn hiccup?

There is no single factor that would explain this state of the child. In most cases, hiccups do not have a terrible cause and do not cause significant discomfort to the child.

It may be a consequence of the following:

• Child is thirsty.
• The baby is very cold.
• The little man is very frightened - he is worried about bright lights, sharp sounds.
• Why does a newborn hiccup after feeding? Most likely, he managed to swallow air along with milk.
• Hiccups are also a sign of overeating. Food in this case stretches the stomach, which, in turn, acts on the diaphragm, causing it to contract. As a result, hiccups appear.

Is it dangerous?

A newborn often hiccups - this is a normal process. By the year and even earlier, this condition ceases to bother both him and his parents. Hiccups are a natural physiological state of babies. It is caused not only by the above reasons, but also by the imperfection of the digestive system of a small person.

The older the child becomes, the less often hiccups will declare themselves. But such a state often worries not himself, but his parents. Forget about the old method of scaring the baby so that he stops hiccuping. This is just the same dangerous occurrence of psychological trauma in a child.

Danger Signs

A newborn hiccups for about 15 minutes in a row. And it's notdangerous. After the designated time, the hiccups go away on their own.

If the time is delayed, then the condition may be the reason for going to the doctor. Long, often repeated, debilitating hiccups torment the child. She can also talk about a number of functional, organic disorders, diseases that in any way affect the diaphragm. For example, this is one of the symptoms of spinal cord injury, pneumonia, diseases of the digestive system. Encephalopathy can also cause hiccups, which simply make it difficult for the baby to breathe.

Thus, frequent and prolonged (more than 20 minutes) hiccups in a child can become a reason for contacting a pediatrician. Most likely, it is associated with a malfunction in the digestive system (from cysts, throat tumors to gastroesophageal reflux). Sometimes even frequent hiccups can be a sign of diabetes or kidney pathologies.

It is also worth paying attention to situations where this condition can cause breathing problems in a child. In this case, the newborn needs ventilation. Sometimes hiccups are associated with pathologies of the upper respiratory tract, a reduced respiratory rate. The child needs help here as soon as possible!

Watching hiccups

Newborn hiccups - what to do? If this is causing you concern, the first thing to do is:

1. Record the time the hiccup started and how long it lasted.
2. Tick if a process is related to feeding.
3. Analyze the records made to findthe cause of what causes hiccups and eliminate it.

How can I help my child?

When a newborn hiccups, mom wants to help him get rid of this condition as soon as possible. Here are some actionable recommendations:

• Most often, a baby begins to hiccup when he swallowed air while feeding. How to help him? Hold the baby to you, holding it in an upright position, walk like this around the room. It is this position that helps to get rid of the swallowed air as quickly as possible.
• If the baby often hiccups after feeding, then you should replace his pacifier or bottle. The reason is that food enters the baby's mouth too quickly and he is forced to swallow it with air in order not to choke.
• If the baby hiccups after breastfeeding, then try to change his position during the procedure.
• For long and frequent hiccups, offer your child to drink water from a bottle. You can start and extraordinary breastfeeding. Fluid often helps stop this condition faster.
• When a newborn hiccups, touch his arms and legs. If they are cold, everything is clear - the child is cold. Warm the baby as quickly as possible so as not to cause more serious consequences.
• Hiccups can also be caused by irritating factors - loud music, unpleasant light. Eliminate them, soothe the child - cuddle him, walk around the room with the baby, talk to him quietly.
• Hiccups are also caused by fear - a large number of strangers. Try to gradually expand the world around the baby, allowing him to adapt without stress. This is especially important in the first months of life.
• Often a strong infusion of chamomile or lemon juice helps with hiccups. The liquid should be dripped under the baby's tongue.
• And another common cause of hiccups in newborns is overfeeding. If it is observed constantly, then, accordingly, the hiccups will turn into a chronic form. You can understand that a child is overeating by abundant regurgitation. The best advice here is to feed your baby often but little by little.

Proper feeding

When a newborn baby hiccups after eating, you must first organize this process correctly. Base on these rules:

1. Switch to fractional meals - frequent, but small portions. Eating a lot in one sitting, the child not only hiccups, but also spit up food. His stomach simply cannot cope with large volumes of milk, begins to put pressure on the diaphragm, causing these processes.
2. Don't forget to pause while feeding. This is necessary so that the child has time to burp. Both during breastfeeding and when using a bottle, 2-3 such pauses are needed.
3. If hiccups appear during feeding, then stop it, give the child 5-10 minutes. After that, you can start eating again.
4. Dinner should only be started when the child is completely calm.

Anti-swallowing air

A newborn hiccups after feeding also due to the fact that he swallows air. Therefore, it is important for mom to prevent this, so as not totrigger a new seizure:

1. Listen to the baby eating. If he does this quickly, then there is no doubt that the baby is swallowing air. Stop feeding until the baby calms down.
2. When breastfeeding, the baby should capture not only the nipple, but also the areola around it.
3. When bottle feeding, hold the container at a 45 degree angle. So the air in it will rise as high as possible from the bottom, which will not allow the child to swallow it.
4. In between meals, it is worth holding the child in a semi-vertical position a little. It is also useful to do this within 20 minutes after feeding. This position reduces the pressure of the stomach on the diaphragm.

"Edible" Hiccup Stoppers

Let's see what you need to give your child to eat to stop the sudden onset of hiccups:

• Breast milk. The most common cause of hiccups is irritation of the diaphragm. You can get rid of it by saturating the baby's stomach with a small amount of mother's warm milk. Most of the time, the hiccups will go away on their own when feeding.
• Sugar. Place some granules under the child's tongue. Starting to swallow them, he will make some physiological efforts that will lead to relaxation of the muscles of the diaphragm. If the baby is very small, then it is better to dip the pacifier in sugar.
• Food. The method is good for older kids. Offer them fruit or vegetable puree, porridge.
• Water. No need for large volumes. Most often, a child only needs to swallow a spoonful.water to stop his hiccups.

"Inedible" Hiccup Stoppers

You don't have to fight hiccups with food alone. We present you proven methods that can stop the seizures that torment your baby:

• Vertical state. If the baby is about half an hour in this position, the hiccups will leave him by itself. Therefore, it is useful to take a break during feeding and hold the baby upright.
• Game. Another good tool is to distract the baby. Make him laugh, play with the rattle, start singing a song. Give a toy to chew on. You'll see, the hiccups quickly change to high spirits!
• Slapping. If your baby starts to hiccup, give him a light pat on the back. Doing this will help relax your diaphragm.
• Waiting. It is often enough to wait ten minutes for the hiccups to go away on their own. Doing nothing about it. Of course, the method is not suitable for cases where the baby is strangled by hiccups for hours. In such pathological conditions, there is only one way out - to see a doctor as soon as possible.

So, we have found out that hiccups are absolutely natural and not dangerous for the baby's body. Its appearance is determined not only by external causes, but also by the still imperfect state of the digestive tract of a little man. Now you know how to prevent hiccups, fight it if the condition caused air ingestion, improper feeding, fear, hypothermia. Remember also thatprolonged, frequent and debilitating seizures are a reason to see a doctor.