Is it possible to breastfeed when the baby hiccups? Why does a newborn hiccup frequently? Causes of hiccups

Caring for a newborn baby is hard work around the clock. Many mothers deny themselves everything, trying to make their babies feel comfortable and calm. Sometimes a child's comfort is disturbed by a phenomenon such as hiccups. It doesn't seem like such a dangerous symptom. But how does it affect the child’s well-being? Let's try to figure out when babies get hiccups, how to alleviate an attack in a child and prevent relapses of the spasm.

What is hiccups

Hiccups in newborn babies are a phenomenon that has exactly the same origin as adult hiccups. The attack causes a sharp contraction of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdominal cavities.

Most often, this condition is not a signal of any illness in the child. However, in some cases, attacks can last an hour or even more. Hiccups cause inconvenience even to adults, not to mention newborn babies. Therefore, the main task of parents in such a situation is to understand the causes of this condition and try to alleviate it.

Types of hiccups in babies

There are only two types of hiccups:

1. Long-term;

2. Short-term.

Prolonged hiccups are characterized by frequent attacks over a fairly long period of time. Sometimes contractions of the diaphragm can be so frequent that the baby has problems with the ability to inhale fully. In this case, it is necessary to consult an experienced doctor as soon as possible. Only a doctor can determine the cause of hiccups and help relieve the attack.

Brief or episodic hiccups in newborns occur rarely and for a short time. Every child and adult has experienced such attacks. As a rule, such a symptom does not indicate the presence of health problems. Like persistent hiccups, episodic hiccups can be caused by a variety of reasons.

Causes of attacks

There are many reasons that cause hiccups in children and adults. Often these are individual characteristics of the body. However, there are several common phenomena that can trigger attacks of hiccups in newborns:

Overfeeding a baby. This reason is especially relevant for children who eat formula, that is, who have switched to artificial feeding. If a portion of the formula is too large, the baby's stomach quickly becomes full and stretches, which leads to spasms of the diaphragm.
Swallowing air during feeding. When feeding a baby, it is necessary to give him the opportunity to burp in order to release excess air “swallowed” along with mother’s milk or formula. In addition to the possibility of regurgitation, it is necessary to monitor the baby’s position while eating. It should be as comfortable as possible for the child: there should not be too much tilting of the head or, conversely, lowering. It is also important to monitor not only the position of the newborn’s head, but also his body as a whole.
Insufficiently developed diaphragm. As a rule, this phenomenon is temporary and is explained by the age of the baby. Over time, the muscles will become a little stronger and attacks of hiccups will cease to bother you.
Diet of a nursing mother. The baby receives all the nutrients necessary for growth and development from the mother's milk. There is a group of foods that, when consumed by a mother, can cause hiccups in her child. Potentially hazardous foods include nuts, soy, wheat, chocolate, eggs, citrus fruits, coffee, and caffeinated beverages. To prevent the appearance of hiccups after breastfeeding, you should stop consuming these foods altogether or do this at least 1.5 hours before the feeding session.
Decrease in child's body temperature. Infants are especially sensitive to changes in ambient temperature. Their bodies cannot yet maintain core temperature as efficiently as adults. Therefore, it is very important that the baby is always in a warm and comfortable environment.
Allergic reactions. Since the newborn is breastfed or bottle-fed, a food allergy can occur only to the components of his food: milk or formula. In this case, inflammation of the esophagus occurs. This phenomenon leads to diaphragm spasms and hiccups. In addition to food allergies, there may be increased sensitivity to irritants in the air: dust, strong odors, and others. Such allergens cause coughing attacks, which provoke hiccups.
Reflux. The scientific term for this condition is gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The essence of the disease is that part of the food gets from the stomach back into the cavity of the esophagus. However, hiccups are not the only symptom of the disease. In babies, it is accompanied by moodiness, frequent regurgitation, a colic-like condition, and crying after eating.
Nervous tension. Sometimes the cause of a spasm can be fear or another nervous disorder in a child. If there are no other reasons for the appearance of hiccups, then it is worth paying a visit to the pediatrician to accurately determine the causes of the baby’s anxiety and restlessness.

A little more detail about the causes of hiccups and methods for eliminating them is described in the video below:

How to help your baby with hiccups

Some methods of dealing with hiccups cannot be used on newborn babies. For example, scare or make you hold your breath. For a small child experiencing an attack of hiccups, you can use one of the following methods. It is important to remember that you do not need to use several methods at once; it is better to use one. If the attack recurs, wait a while and try another method.

Prevention

Since hiccups are not inherently a disease, there are no specific measures to prevent them. There are several recommendations for preventing conditions that can cause diaphragm spasms:

Hiccups are a fairly harmless condition that signals parents that there is some problem with the child. Most often, the problems are very minor, but they worsen the quality of life of the baby. It is important for moms and dads to notice the symptom in time and take measures to eliminate the causes of hiccups. If you can’t cope on your own, you shouldn’t delay visiting a pediatrician. Prolonged hiccups can lead to breathing problems, which can be a serious problem. You definitely can’t figure it out without the help of a doctor.

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Young mothers who closely monitor the condition of their recently born baby often become nervous when the baby begins to hiccup immediately after feeding. Do not panic: hiccups are a natural process that does not cause any harm to the baby. But still, it brings severe discomfort, and if hiccups occur in newborns after feeding, what should relatives do to protect the baby from unpleasant sensations?

The child begins to hiccup while still in the mother’s womb - this is how his body reacts to external or internal stimuli. The hiccup process occurs due to rapid contractions of the diaphragm, a muscle that divides the human torso into the thoracic and abdominal sections. Spasms can occur for the following reasons:

Binge eating. Mothers who feed their children on a schedule run the risk of getting hiccups, since a hungry newborn baby will begin to greedily suck milk after a break in feeding. A fast pace of eating will inevitably lead to air intake and overeating. Due to greedy feeding, the baby will become short of breath, and as a result, hiccups will occur.
Immaturity of digestion, which is why the baby hiccups after each feeding. It is easy to identify by its characteristic symptoms: gas, colic and loose stools.
Incorrect attachment of the baby or incorrect feeding of the artificial baby. Because of this, he will swallow air, hiccup and suffer from colic.
Freezing is one of the reasons why newborns hiccup. The child’s body reacts to sudden temperature changes in the most accessible way - hiccups.
Too many external influences - hiccups are a response to stress.

These factors provoke a situation where a newborn hiccups after feeding. But the process of hiccups can also mean more serious problems:

pneumonia;
spinal cord pathology;
digestive system disease;
the presence of worms;
development of an aneurysm in the diaphragm.

But such diseases manifest themselves as obsessive hiccups, which constantly bother the baby and prevent him from sleeping, eating and even breathing normally. If this type of hiccup is noted, it is important to go to your pediatrician for diagnosis.

But often the answer to why an infant hiccups after feeding is much simpler: poor nutrition, stress, fear or an uncomfortable environment.

“Moms and dads worry more about hiccups than their newborns. In trying to recognize various pathologies, they may forget that the child may just be thirsty!” - Shkolyar I.S., local pediatrician.

Of course, precautions never hurt. If someone from your environment has recently visited exotic places or feels unwell, then it is better for him not to communicate with children for some time.

How to prevent hiccups when feeding

If a newborn hiccups after each feeding, you need to pay attention to the feeding process itself. To begin with, make sure that the baby is properly attached to the breast. It is better to hold it vertically and control it so that it covers not only the nipple, but also the areola with your lips.

You can detect when a baby gasps for air during breastfeeding by sounds. With the correct position, the mother will only hear swallowing without sobbing. You should breastfeed your baby on demand, not by the hour.

Also, do not forget about the two types of breast milk. Foremilk is thinner, less nutritious and comes out at a faster rate. By the time the baby gets to the rear, thick and nutritious one, he will have already eaten the first one. The overfilled walls of the stomach stretch and put pressure on the diaphragm, which leads to cramps.

To prevent such a situation during heavy lactation, part of the milk must be expressed before breastfeeding. If the baby still hiccups after feeding, you should organize a calm environment for him while eating. It is also advisable for a nursing mother to remove foods that cause gas and hiccups in the baby.

When feeding from a bottle, you need a “correct” nipple with a small hole so that the milk mixture barely drips - the baby must suck it out with effort. It is advisable to feed the baby more often, but in small portions, avoiding oversaturation.

If your baby starts having hiccups, you need to help him - massage his tummy with light circular movements in a clockwise direction. Massage will quickly help the stomach digest food and eliminate unpleasant consequences.

When hiccups are accompanied by bloating, it is necessary to pick up the newborn in a “column” and carry it a little until the air stuck in the stomach is released.

Hiccups are also a sign of external stimuli - noise, bright light. If possible, remove unpleasant factors, hold the baby in your arms, and calm him down. He should eat only in a calm state. If your baby starts to worry and cry while eating, you should put him on your shoulder and wait until the air comes out of the tummy.

Treatment for hiccups

There are hundreds of different tips on what to do if a newborn hiccups after feedings. These include medicines and traditional medicine, tested by generations of mothers and grandmothers.

Of the pharmaceutical drugs that prevent colic, gas accumulation and hiccups, the most famous are Simplex, Bobotik and Espumisan. But medications should be given to a baby only after consultation with a pediatrician, so as not to accidentally “over-treat” the baby or damage his immunity and intestinal microflora. Timely therapy will help to avoid many problems, and hiccups will go away after feeding.

Folk methods of how to rid a child of hiccups come down to herbal decoctions.

Name	Cooking method	Infusion time	How to use
Dill water	Pour a teaspoon of dill seeds into a glass of boiling water	1-1.5 hours	Drink a teaspoon three times a day
Oil with oregano	Grind the herb, mix with 0.5 liters of olive or sunflower oil	Night	Lubricate the upper wall of the throat for hiccups or give 2 drops orally three times a day
Bay decoction	Pour 2 tablespoons of bay leaf into a glass of boiling water	1 hour	Drink a teaspoon every 5 minutes until the hiccups go away
Decoction of gray hiccup	Pour 1 tablespoon of flowers and herbaceous parts into a glass of boiling water	1,5 hour	Give your child 1 tablespoon every 2 hours
Valerian decoction	Pour 1 tablespoon of valerian root and motherwort leaf into a glass of boiling water	1 hour	Give half a glass of warm broth a day so that the child does not hiccup

It is wiser to ask the doctor whether it is possible to give the child decoctions and medications, and also to find the reason why the newborn often hiccups after feeding.

When parents act in a harmful way

Sometimes adults, who do not know why a child hiccups after feeding and without specifying the causes of hiccups, try to deal with it in “adult” ways. But these actions can cause the opposite reaction in the baby:

an attempt to scare will only lead to increased hiccups and bring the baby to a scream;
tossing - loss of a sense of security and safety will contribute to even greater hiccups;
patting on the back - the baby is still very fragile, so this method will not only not help, but will also cause him pain, which will make the hiccups worse;
Trying to keep warm by dressing the child in many clothes will make the situation worse. The baby hiccups not only from hypothermia, but also from overheating, which should not be allowed;
distracting a child with a walk to the shopping center, for example. Noise will cause anxiety in the child, and temperature changes will cause him discomfort.

Do not forget that all children hiccup, regardless of age. If the child does not suffer from hiccups, it does not bother him and passes quickly, then there is no need to worry in vain. But when hiccups in a newborn last two days or more, then a visit to the pediatrician is mandatory.

If a young mother watches her diet, feeds the little one correctly and does not bother him, then hiccups will recede and appear less and less with age. After all, the main reason why a child often hiccups is the parents’ lack of discipline, excessive attention to the little person and groundless panic, which frightens the child even more.

Young parents often face such a problem as hiccups in newborns after feeding. What to do in such cases. Often this phenomenon goes away on its own, but in some cases the disease continues for a long time.

In this situation, appropriate action must be taken. First, it’s worth considering the main causes of hiccups after feeding.

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Causes

To combat and prevent attacks of hiccups in newborn after feeding, it is necessary to establish their nature of occurrence.

What causes hiccups:

Binge eating. The baby's ventricle receives almost all the food entering the body, while it increases significantly in size and begins to put pressure on the diaphragm, receiving sharp repulsive movements in response.
Air. Air often enters the stomach along with food, which significantly accelerates its expansion, no matter how much the baby eats. The result is strong pressure on the diaphragm and a corresponding response.
Choking on food. During this process, the child begins to take quick sips, which irritate the diaphragm and lead to spasm.

Hiccups also occur against the background of some health problems in the baby. Here it is worth highlighting pathologies of the nervous system, hypoxia during childbirth and much more. If attacks occur frequently, you should consult a doctor and undergo appropriate examination. Maybe the reason lies a little deeper.

Swallowing air

One of the main reasons why a newborn often hiccups after feeding is the swallowing of excess air. Often this phenomenon occurs when a young mother wants to feed her newborn faster in order to calm her down. This also applies to the wrong.

Sometimes a child is transferred to artificial nutrition from an early age, when the body has not yet adapted. In this case, the hole in the nipple is of great importance.

Often mothers, watching their child suffer with a small hole, make it much larger. They think that this way the child will quickly eat and calm down. But such actions have the opposite effect.

As a result what hiccups occur: a large hole causes food to flow into the baby’s mouth in a powerful stream, and in order not to choke, the baby begins to take deep and frequent sips, simultaneously capturing a lot of air. The result is severe hiccups after every feeding.

To eliminate the cause, you just need to change the pacifier. When choosing a product, you should make sure that the hole has a small diameter. Thus, while feeding, the baby will make an effort, which will tire him somewhat, then after eating he will fall asleep faster.

If baby hiccups after each feeding, then you should pay special attention to its position.

Attention! The best option is to position the baby vertically, this will prevent choking and hiccups.

Binge eating

As for overeating, everything is quite simple. The point is that when child begins to cry, then the first thing the young mother thinks about is hunger. She begins to feed her child contrary to his needs.

As a result, a new portion enters the stomach, where previously received food has not yet been processed. The baby continues to reflexively swallow food. As a result, the stomach expands and begins to put pressure on the diaphragm. What to do in such cases.

To eliminate this factor, you need to perform a number of actions:

reduce the amount of food consumed;
increase the interval between doses;
examine feces

As for the last point, here you need to pay attention to whether there are any undigested formula or milk residues in the feces. If there are any, then this clearly indicates that the newborn often. Do not forget that after feeding the baby you need to hold it in a column for a while so that the air that entered the stomach during eating comes out. This way you can prevent the occurrence of hiccups.

What to do

Young mothers are very worried if a newborn hiccups after feeding. And this is not surprising, because such a phenomenon can cause significant harm to the child. It is worth getting acquainted with the basic techniques for getting rid of hiccups, taking into account the causes of their occurrence.

Causes and ways to eliminate their consequences:

Swallowing air. In this case, the first thing to do is to carry the baby in a column for a certain time. Excess air will be released from the stomach in the form of belching, as a result hiccups in newborns after feeding, which appeared suddenly, will disappear.
Binge eating. In this case, it is necessary to reduce the feeding time. To do this, you just need to take the breast from the baby. With artificial feeding you will have to prepare a smaller volume of formula. It would be useful to increase the interval between meals. The baby needs to be fed not according to a schedule, but according to need. In this case, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician who can determine why does baby hiccup after feeding?.
Intestinal colic, which causes discomfort and pain. In this condition, babies often develop hiccups after feeding. If the newborn feeds on mother's milk, then the young mother needs to adhere to a diet. Fried, smoked and fatty foods, such as cabbage, grapes and apricots, should be excluded from the diet.

To prevent the problem of swallowing air in the future, it is necessary to choose a comfortable position for feeding. The baby should grasp the nipple along with the areola.

As a result, the risk of air ingestion will be minimal. As for children who eat formula, it is worth paying attention to the hole in the nipple.

If the child often swallows air along with the mixture, then it is worth choosing a nozzle with a smaller hole. A good solution would be modern bottles with an anti-colic valve, which are made so that when feeding, air remains inside the bottle. The selection of formula for children is also important. If your baby doesn’t have any problems with the chosen option, then you shouldn’t experiment.

Important! If baby hiccups after bottle feeding, then you should opt for a mixture with bifidobacteria.

If colic does occur, then you need to apply a warm diaper to your tummy and massage it. As a last resort, you can use medications such as Espumisan and Infacol. Don’t forget about the irreplaceable dill water.

As for hiccups, plain water can cope with it. You need to ask the child to take a few sips. It should be borne in mind that this method is only suitable if the hiccups did not occur. after formula feeding or as a result of overeating.

What is the danger

Often baby hiccups after breastfeeding. The disease may go away on its own after some time. But if this does not happen, then we can talk about the presence of some health problems in a newborn.

Prolonged hiccups can occur due to the following pathologies:

diseases of the digestive tract;
pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
nervous tension;
hypothermia;
respiratory system disease.

Hiccups are a nonspecific disorder of external respiration that occurs as a result of a series of convulsive contractions of the diaphragm of a jerky nature. Parents are often interested in what to do if their child hiccups and whether it is dangerous. When it comes to infants, many mothers are sure that this is due solely to hypothermia, and they try to wrap the baby warmly. However, according to doctors, hiccups are a fairly harmless and quickly passing phenomenon. The reasons that cause it can be varied, and only in rare cases is hiccups a reason to consult a doctor.

Causes of hiccups

According to Dr. Komarovsky, the reason that a child hiccups is the twitching of the diaphragm. This is caused by the fact that air or gases prop up the stomach, which, in turn, irritates the diaphragm. In newborn babies, this is more common among those who are bottle-fed.

However, sometimes overeating also occurs in babies whose mother breastfeeds on demand. In most cases, this is due to long feedings (up to half an hour) or in cases where the milk is very fatty. Normally, a healthy baby needs 15 minutes to satisfy hunger and no more than 10 minutes to satisfy the sucking reflex. In addition, too long and frequent feedings can cause disturbances in the entire digestive system.

With normal weight gain and adequate drinking regimen, the reason why an infant hiccups after eating may be gases in the upper intestine. They put pressure on the stomach, pushing it upward. Due to discomfort in the intestines, the baby tries to tense the abdominal muscles and release gases, and as a result, it affects the diaphragm and begins to hiccup.

Another reason why an infant hiccups after eating is air entering the stomach due to too active sucking. It puts pressure on the thin walls of the digestive organ, causing hiccups.

Dr. Komarovsky also believes that the child often hiccups not from hypothermia, as many parents think, but due to adaptation to changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, in the absence of other evidence that the baby is cold, there is no need to wrap him up more than he should.

In addition, any emotional shock (many strangers, sharp sounds or sudden turning on of the light) is stressful for the newborn and the reason that the child hiccups. An abnormal breathing rhythm can also cause hiccups.

What to do if your child hiccups after eating

If your child often hiccups after feeding, you need to consider the following recommendations:

If you are bottle-fed, you need to take care of the correct drinking regime. If this does not help, you need to consult your pediatrician and try another mixture. Also, to avoid air getting into the stomach, pediatricians recommend using special anti-colic bottles;
While breastfeeding – a nursing mother is advised to drink more fluids and not overuse fat-containing foods. This will make the milk less fatty, which will help prevent overeating.

In cases where a child hiccups after feeding, it is necessary:

Hold it vertically. The “column” position helps the accumulated gases to move away more easily and quickly, which will eliminate the cause of hiccups;
Give the baby water to drink;
Pat the tummy. Circular movements in a clockwise direction activate digestion and also help to even out breathing.

A good preventive measure to improve digestion and prevent gas formation is to place the baby on his tummy before feeding.

As a rule, if a child does not hiccup frequently, this is not a reason to see a doctor. However, it is recommended to undergo examination in cases where:

The hiccups continue for more than an hour;
In addition to hiccups, swallowing disorders and general malaise are noted.

In other cases, hiccups are a normal physiological phenomenon that does not require medical intervention. According to Dr. Komarovsky, cold and hungry children grow up the healthiest. Therefore, if a child hiccups, you should, first of all, strive not to dress them warmer, but to reconsider their feeding regimen. In addition to the fact that in this case the risk of hiccups is significantly reduced, this will have a positive effect on the baby’s overall health.

Hiccups are a short-term (normal) or pathological disturbance of smooth external breathing, during which contractions of the diaphragm, short respiratory shocks and movements are observed. All parents have encountered this common physiological situation. But few people know what to do if a newborn hiccups and why the hiccups begin. This will be discussed in our article.

From this article you will learn

Causes

Hiccups in newborns are often a normal reaction to irritating factors rather than a pathology. It does not cause any particular inconvenience to children and goes away quickly.

The culprits of temporary breathing defects may be:

Hypothermia. The diaphragm contracts convulsively from trembling when the baby is cold.
Thirst. The baby hiccups due to dryness of the oral mucosa.
Excess air in the stomach. The baby takes in air while drinking from a bottle and breastfeeding. It lingers in the esophagus and stomach and tries to come out, which causes hiccups.
Colic and bloating. The intestines, swollen with gases, press on the diaphragm.
Binge eating. The stomach stretches excessively, pressing against the lower edge of the ribs.
Fright. Strong emotions cause tension in the abdominal muscles.
Contaminated air. Nicotine, dust, and allergens in the air provoke swelling of the mucous membrane, its drying out, resulting in an attack of hiccups.

If a child often hiccups and the diaphragm contracts intensely for more than 5–10 minutes several times a day, we can talk about diseases of the immune or nervous system. In this case, the cause of hiccups lies in the following congenital and acquired pathologies:

GERD. This is acid reflux. Congenital pathology of the development of the gastrointestinal tract. Food cannot be retained in the stomach, it is ejected into the esophagus and provokes hiccups, regurgitation, vomiting, and abdominal pain after feedings. In the first months of life, GERD is often confused with colic.
Disruption of the functioning of nerve centers. They are provoked by injuries to the brain and spinal cord, fetal hypoxia during delivery.

Hiccups in different situations

Attacks of hiccups occur in a small child in the most unexpected situations: during sleep, from cold, during feeding, after laughing, during conversation. Let's look at the reasons for each of them.

The child hiccups while sleeping or upon waking up

Sleep for newborns is an inactive phase of growth and development. All organs, except the thyroid gland, rest, and the main hormonal gland produces a large amount of hormones necessary for the maturation of the baby.

Hiccups in a dream interrupt this process, the baby wakes up due to a sharp muscle contraction, and may cry from fright. Typically, diaphragm spasm at night lasts no more than 15 minutes and goes away on its own. There is no need to stop it with water or feeding.

This situation can be explained as follows:

The baby hiccups in his sleep due to the cold. Thermoregulation in children under one and a half years of age is imperfect. The child could freeze, wet himself, or lean against the cold wall of the bed. To get rid of nighttime hiccups, warm the baby, put on dry and warm pajamas, change the diaper, and carry the baby in your arms.
The baby is thirsty. If the room is hot, the heating systems are running, and the mucous membrane dries out quickly. Lack of moisture in the mouth causes hiccups. Give the baby some warm water and put him to bed.
The baby's nervous system became overexcited during the day. In a dream, the baby relives the past day if it was full of emotions. The muscles may be slightly tense and cause diaphragm spasm. The baby will wake up frequently. If the situation repeats several evenings in a row, try to make the atmosphere at home calm, avoid noisy guests and stress. This does not mean that you need to stop seeing friends and relatives, but it is advisable to take a break of a few weeks.

Baby hiccups after laughing

This problem is unlikely to affect a one-week-old baby; hiccups after laughing occur in children aged 4–5 months. From a physiological point of view, laughter is an involuntary movement of the muscles of the body and face with the simultaneous pronunciation of specific sounds.

The functioning of the respiratory system also changes during laughter. The child takes a deep breath, the nerve on the diaphragm is pinched, the air remains inside. To exhale, the chest produces sharp shocks. If the air is partially released, the nerve does not relax completely and hiccups will begin. The attack does not last long. Give your child some water after he laughs and calms down.

Child hiccups while talking

It happens that a two-month-old baby wants to coo and begins to hiccup heavily. The cause of involuntary spasms is the strong inspiration before articulation. The baby cannot exhale all the air, his chest expands, and the diaphragm contracts.

Some children, when hiccupping in a conversation, twist their legs and fidget, air comes out along with belching and food debris. This is fine. Articulation will be easier after the baby is verticalized, closer to 6–7 months.

Baby hiccups during and after feeding

Severe hiccups after and during feeding are a sign of errors in caring for a newborn. The mother needs to pay attention to the position of the baby during meals, how many times a day she feeds the baby and the volume of formula drunk. Hiccups are common in babies who are not held properly to give the breast or bottle when they overeat.

There will be no need to stop hiccups if mothers follow simple rules:

The baby's head should be raised during feeding; he can lie on a pillow or the mother's arms.
Allow your body to rest freely, no need to squeeze your tummy, chest, or tighten your legs. Let the child lie down as comfortable and comfortable as possible.
Don't be nervous while feeding. It is better if both mother and baby are calm.
The baby should grasp the nipple or silicone nipple completely. It will be impossible to swallow air like this.
Do not enlarge the hole for rapid flow of the mixture. The liquid should not run quickly.
If there is a lot of milk in the breast, the baby cannot cope with its flow, the mother needs to express a little next time.
Do not remove the nipple from the baby's mouth by force. He will release the breast on his own when he is satisfied.
Don't take too long a break between meals. A hungry baby grabs a bottle or nipple greedily, so he swallows air along with food.
Do not force the baby to eat if he cries or hiccups. It's better to calm down and play first.
Keep it in a column after meals, let burps and excess milk go away. Air will leave the stomach along with the food.

If a child hiccups after each feeding, behaves restlessly all day, or refuses food, you need to seek medical help.

Hiccups after regurgitation

Regurgitating a small amount of milk after feeding is a normal physiological process for children under one year old, sometimes up to one and a half years old. This is how excess food and air escape. This facilitates the digestion process, the baby will not suffer from colic and bloating.

If a newborn hiccups after regurgitation, it means that he swallowed a lot of air while sucking the breast, the food remained in the esophagus and prevents the air from coming out. You need to hold the baby vertically in your arms for 1–2 minutes, do not give him anything to drink. There is no need to see a doctor in such situations.

Baby hiccups after a bath, while changing clothes

The culprit behind the contraction of the diaphragm muscles is cold. Dry your baby directly in the bathroom, do not change clothes with the windows open.

The fight for warmth should not be fierce. Cool air and air baths are useful for newborns for hardening at home. You need to stop hiccups from hypothermia with the help of warm clothes, water, or the next feeding in the correct position in the mother’s arms.

Baby hiccups all day

You can simply laugh and say that the loving grandmother remembers the baby all day long, according to popular belief, but prolonged hiccups cause a lot of inconvenience for babies. The baby cannot eat, sleep, or play normally.

Hiccups for no more than an hour, 1–3 times a day for up to six months or a year, are considered normal and are explained by the imperfect functioning of children’s internal organs. If the symptoms of hiccups do not disappear for a long time, the condition continues for several days, you need to deal with the problem together with a doctor. In the first 1–2 days, you can try to reconsider the diet of mother and baby, making sure that the baby does not become overcooled.

How often does your baby hiccup during the day?

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26.12.2018

How to get rid of baby hiccups

To understand how to overcome hiccups, you need to understand the causes of spasms in the diaphragm muscles. There is no one universal method for getting rid of discomfort. Mothers have to use a whole range of remedies until the hiccups disappear.

For example, if a newborn hiccups after feeding, parents should do the following:

When the baby has eaten, take him in your arms and hold him in a column. You can walk around the room for 10–15 minutes.
You cannot prevent regurgitation, put the baby on his back or in bed if he feels nauseous. Let the excess come out calmly.

When hiccups are provoked by fear after a fall or meeting an unfamiliar object, or a surge of emotions, you need to:

Calm the baby.
Give me some water to drink.
Pull him close.
Lie down on the bed together.
Minimize the baby's irritation on this day.
Go to bed early.
Remove annoying noisy objects and bright lights from the nursery.
If she wakes up screaming at night, calm her down with a song, walks around the room in her mother’s arms, and rocking the cradle.
Treatment will be required if fear provokes nervous hiccups or tics.

Hiccups from hypothermia can be cured as follows:

Determine the cause of discomfort. Pay attention to the air temperature in the room, outside and the child’s clothing. You need to dress your baby according to the weather, and wrap him warmer at home after a bath.
Close windows, sources of draft.
If your hands and feet are cold, put on a blouse and socks, and wrap the newborn in a warm diaper or blanket.
If your baby starts hiccupping and sneezing at the same time, monitor your baby's body temperature. Perhaps he caught a cold due to hypothermia.
You should immediately remove wet pants and a spilled T-shirt and replace them with dry ones.
Give warmed drinks and milk in small quantities.
If you take a baby hiccupping from the cold from the crib, warm your hands and cover yourself with a blanket.

On a note! Dr. Komarovsky considers hiccups from the cold to be a myth and gives advice to parents on how to quickly get rid of them in simple ways. The pediatrician's reasoning and recommendations can be seen here.

Folk methods of disposal

Traditional medicine offers its own simple methods of combating hiccups in infants:

Chamomile tincture. The herb is brewed strongly, given to the child as a drink at night, or buried under the tongue 2-3 times a day for constant hiccups. Acts as a sedative.
Sugar syrup. A piece of sugar is diluted with water. Apply a couple of drops of syrup to your baby's tongue. The muscles should relax, the diaphragm will calm down.
Tasty food. Grandmothers explain the occurrence of hiccups by hunger, so they advise giving the baby a snack of applesauce, followed by cookies for 6–8 months.

If hiccups are accompanied by other warning symptoms (vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness) or last more than 1 hour without a break, consult your pediatrician.

How to prevent hiccups

Prevention of hiccups allows you to avoid prolonged bouts of muscle contractions. Mothers need to follow the following simple rules for caring for their infant.

Do not overfeed your baby. At six months the baby can already understand whether he is hungry or already full, and until 6 months he will eat as much as his mother suggests - he will regurgitate the excess. To prevent an overfilled stomach from putting pressure on the lower ribs, feed the baby in doses, on demand or by the hour.
Reduce the time between feedings by reducing portions. It is better for a baby to eat little by little often than rarely and in large portions. In order for the baby to fill up faster during breastfeeding, you need to express the foremilk, leaving access to the fattier hind milk.
Do not give the breast or bottle if the child hiccups a lot or cries. The baby gasps for air, sobbing. To start lunch, you need to calm down. If the baby continues to cry, you can hold him to the breast for a few seconds to calm him down, then remove the nipple and wait for the air to come out. You can offer some water before giving the bottle.
Take the correct position when breastfeeding, feeding milk from a bottle. A breastfeeding baby hiccups less often if the mother ensures that the nipple is fully latched and does not squeeze the baby’s internal organs while holding him in her arms. Raise your head slightly up. If the baby is artificial, choose a milk nipple with a middle hole so that the food does not flow too much, support the bottle with the mixture at an angle.
Monitor the temperature in the room and the dryness of your baby's clothes. Hiccups are most often triggered by freezing. Wear socks and a warm blouse, if the room is colder than 20°C, the baby is constantly peeing, after the bath, keep it in a warm diaper or towel until the head is completely dry.
Warm the mixture to room temperature for feeding infants. Milk, water, juices should not be cold even for one-year-old and one-and-a-half-year-old children.
Avoid strong emotions. Not only negative, but also positive, if a three-month-old baby reacts violently to any changes, new people and toys.
Follow the timing of the introduction of complementary foods and the diet for a nursing mother. This will help avoid excess gas formation and stomach problems. Gases will not put pressure on the diaphragm, causing hiccups. Ask your pediatrician for permission to introduce complementary foods at six months. During breastfeeding, mothers do not need to eat foods that cause fermentation. This includes cabbage, legumes, carbonated drinks, baked goods, sweets, and smoked foods.

What not to do when your baby hiccups

You need to use safe and proven methods to combat hiccups in young children. The following adult techniques should not be used, as they can have a detrimental effect on the child’s body:

Slapping on the back. Dad's hand is too heavy for the baby's skeleton. Even a light blow or cotton can injure weak internal organs and the spine.
Fright. A sudden movement or sound will stop the hiccups, but can provoke stress, hysteria, logoneurosis in the future, that is, they will disrupt the functioning of the central nervous system.
Intake of acidic foods. This is lemon, special candy. The aggressive unpleasant taste provokes spasm of the muscles of the masticatory apparatus; the candies contain an additive that is dangerous for allergy sufferers to increase acidity.

When to see a doctor

Pathological hiccups have several additional warning signs:

Diaphragm spasm lasts 15–20 minutes and occurs more than 3 times a day for several days.
Hiccups are causeless. Mothers try to warm the child, adjust the diet, and prevent other causes of attacks, but nothing helps.
The baby is becoming more capricious and whiny every day. Arches her back and cries immediately after feeding.
A 1-2 month old baby sleeps too much.
During hiccups, the tummy begins to hurt, there is severe flatulence, and regurgitation of liquid.
The baby suffers from constipation or diarrhea for a long time.

You need to complain to the doctor about hiccups and other symptoms of the disease quickly, so that you can immediately begin to identify the pathology and not delay in providing therapeutic help. In childhood, illnesses are much easier to cure without consequences for future life. The doctor will prescribe an ultrasound to identify neurological problems, laboratory tests of urine, blood, and feces for scatology in case of malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract.

Frequent and convulsive hiccups may be a sign of the following diseases:

encephalopathy;
gastroesophageal reflux;
diseases of the stomach, intestines;
spinal cord pathologies;
pneumonia.

But more often, hiccups do not require special treatment. There is no need to be afraid of several attacks in infancy and do not panic. The older the baby is, the less often he will hiccup from cold, stress and after feeding.

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