Why does a baby often hiccup in the stomach during pregnancy?

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

Pregnancy is considered a natural state for a woman. A new life is born inside her. During this period, expectant mothers pay attention to every movement of the child. A few months before the birth, the mother feels not only the movement of the baby, but also his hiccups. Why a child often hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy, we will tell in this article.

What is this?

Hiccuping is considered a natural reaction that occurs in response to a pinched vagus nerve. It passes through the diaphragm and other internal organs. A pinched nerve gives a special signal to the brain about the situation that has arisen. In response to this, the diaphragm begins to contract, thereby squeezing out excess air from the baby's lungs through the mouth. The baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy around the middle of the gestational period. The phenomenon begins from 24-26 weeks, when the respiratory and nerve centers are already well developed.

How to understand?

It is very easy to understand that a baby hiccups. To do this, you need to listen to the stomach. When a baby hiccups in the womb, the mother experiences the following symptoms:

1. Feel the baby's rhythmic shudder. At the same time, the child's motor activity is absent.
2. Pulls are felt that occur at regular intervals. This can happen over time.
3. Mother hears a measured tapping.
4. Feel a ticking in one side of the abdomen or a strong pulsation in the lower abdomen.
5. If you put your hands on your stomach, you will feel a slight vibration.

Baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy from 30 weeks onwards. The duration of hiccups can vary. There are no specific time limits for the duration of the process. Everything is purely individual. Some babies can hiccup for a couple of minutes, while others can hiccup for an hour or more. Normal frequency of seizures ranges from one to seven times a day.

Ultrasound studies on this topic have shown that the embryo begins to hiccup for several minutes a day as early as eight weeks of age. But during this period, the expectant mother does not notice this. And only from 20-24 weeks of pregnancy, a woman begins to feel the baby's hiccups.

Possible causes

There is no single answer to the question of why a child often hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy. Only one thing can be said with certainty: the baby at this moment does not experience discomfort or pain, and all vital signs are maintained in a normal state. Often womendon't worry too much about it.

There are three main versions explaining why the baby often hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy:

1. The baby's respiratory system is being trained. In the process of fetal formation, the nervous system gradually begins to check the performance of swallowing and breathing. The lungs and diaphragm prepare to perform their functions after birth, because the baby will have to immediately breathe without any preparation. Doctors have a suggestion that holding the breath while hiccupping prepares the baby for breastfeeding.
2. Another reason is considered to be the ingestion of a small amount of amniotic fluid that immediately enters the lungs. Normally, excess fluid that has got inside the child is excreted with the help of the kidneys. If the amount of liquid that has entered is large, then the diaphragm contracts, and hiccups occur.



3. Severe physical pressure. This is typical of those babies whose mothers spend most of their time in a sitting position, wear too tight clothes or a bandage. Because of this exposure, the child may begin to hiccup, as the exit of air from the lungs is difficult, and it is difficult for him to breathe. Prolonged pressure on the abdomen can lead to intrauterine fetal hypoxia.
4. Sometimes hiccups are considered a sign of hypoxia in a baby (oxygen starvation). In this case, there is too long a period of rest for the child or, conversely, excessive, abnormal activity.

There is an opinion that a large amount of sweets inThe diet of a pregnant woman leads to frequent swallowing of sweet amniotic fluid by the baby, after which the baby begins to hiccup.

Third trimester

Feeling that the baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy at 36 weeks and beyond is considered natural, and rarely indicates any pathology. During this period, all systems and organs of the baby are already formed. And the lungs begin to produce a surfactant substance (it is required so that the walls of the alveoli do not stick together during breathing).

Depending on the characteristics of the growing organism, the baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy at 35 weeks, 34 and earlier. As a rule, during this period, the baby learns to breathe, which causes a violation of the functions of external respiration. In addition, the third trimester is the time of peak activity of the child. Very often, a woman can confuse rhythmic movements with hiccups.

You should also be worried if the baby often hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy at 38 weeks. During this period, the baby can hiccup for 30-60 minutes. The causes of the process are the same as at earlier dates.

When do you need a doctor?

Hiccuping is a completely harmless process. But you should know that there is no reason to worry if it does not cause a deterioration in the well-being of the baby or the expectant mother. If the hiccups have become regular and longer, it is better to go to the doctor. This will help to understand why the baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy.

If the gynecologist has suspicions, thena woman may be assigned an additional study:

CTG (Cardiotocography). During this procedure, a special device is used that records the baby's heart rate. CGT is performed to exclude diseases of the heart and respiratory system

You should know that an additional examination is carried out for all pregnant women whose babies are excessively active. Do not be afraid of this procedure. It is absolutely painless and safe.

Ultrasound. Thanks to this method, doctors assess the condition of the fetus, see possible disorders in the umbilical cord and placenta, which can provoke a complication of respiratory functions. In addition to the general study, dopplerometry is also performed. It measures placental blood flow. A decrease in its level indicates oxygen deficiency

If during the examination the baby's diaphragm starts to contract, then with the help of a microphone built into the ultrasound machine, the expectant mother can hear how the baby actually hiccups.

Danger

When hiccups are caused by natural causes, they are not dangerous to the baby. In the event that hiccups arose as a sign of intrauterine hypoxia, unpleasant consequences may occur.

Untimely treatment of this pathology can lead to asphyxia or death of the fetus. It is very easy to recognize the condition, the child manifests not only hiccups, but also a lack of movement, or vice versa, increased activity. The baby also has an increased heart rate.up to tachycardia.

Causes of hypoxia

The main reasons include the following factors:

1. Anemia.
2. Long squeezing of the fetus.
3. Early placental abruption.
4. Impaired normal circulation in the umbilical cord and placenta.
5. Pulmonary or cardiovascular disease in the expectant mother.
6. Congenital malformations of the fetus.

If you suspect hypoxia, you should immediately contact a specialist.

What can you do if hiccups are uncomfortable?

If your baby often has hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy at 32 weeks or more, you can try the following tips:

1. A special set of exercises for pregnant women helps to increase the flow of oxygen.
2. If you have a prolonged hiccup, you can try to get out into the fresh air. Gentle rocking in the womb will help the baby to calm down.
3. The knee-elbow position will help change the position of the baby's body and remove the hiccups. For this, several sets of three minutes are enough.
4. If the baby often hiccups in the stomach during pregnancy at 33 weeks or during another period of gestation, experts recommend reducing the consumption of desserts and sweets.



5. Mild hypoxia in a child can be treated with special oxygen-enriched water.
6. Breathing exercises help to cope with fetal hiccups: smooth inhalation and exhalation for six seconds each.
7. To everyonemethods should include talking with the baby and prolonged gentle stroking of the abdomen.

What else can be done?

The development of a child in the womb throughout pregnancy depends on the well-being of the expectant mother. It is important not to violate the diet and the day, as well as follow all the recommendations of the gynecologist. This must be done from the moment of conception until the end of pregnancy. This should also include taking vitamins and frequent walks in the fresh air. In this case, the child will be formed without pathologies.

All the sensations disturbing the expectant mother should be discussed with the doctor. In this case, occasional small deviations from the norm can be corrected by a specialist.

In order to eliminate the risk of oxygen starvation in the baby, you should walk more often, regularly visit the fresh air and get enough sleep. You also need to be less stuffy or smoky rooms.

During pregnancy, it is necessary to exclude emotional negative breakdowns, nervous strain and heavy physical exertion.

What not to do?

During pregnancy, a woman should not:

1. Drink alcoholic beverages.
2. Smoking.
3. Perform gymnastic exercises that can harm the fetus.
4. Wear clothes that squeeze your belly.
5. Experience heavy physical exertion.
6. Stay in unventilated and stuffy rooms for a long time.

In closing

Don't worry becausethe baby often hiccups in the abdomen during pregnancy at 34 weeks. Pregnancy and hiccups in another period should also not cause concern for the expectant mother. This is considered a natural process and you should not worry about it. But in the event that the baby shows other abnormal signs in addition to hiccups, you should seek help from a doctor.